Sameness in the Genome, Difference in Daily Life: teacher key

Being Different, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. Humans share almost all of their DNA, yet differ in eyes, hands, families, languages and abilities. The story follows how laws, ramps, sports and research have responded to difference.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. About how much of human DNA is the same from person to person?
   • Over 99.9% (answer)
   • About 90%
   • Exactly 100%
2. Where did the first official curb cut in Berkeley go in 1972?
   • In front of a hospital
   • On Telegraph Avenue (answer)
   • Outside a school gym
3. About how much of the time did people in the Asch experiments go along with a clearly wrong majority?
   • Nearly all of them
   • Almost none of them
   • About a third (answer)
4. What can be inferred from the shopping mall study about curb cuts?
   • They also helped many others (answer)
   • Only people with strollers used them
   • They were built for runners
5. What does conformity mean in the book?
   • Refusing every request a group makes
   • Changing to match a group (answer)
   • Learning a language from a family

Words

• genome: all your DNA
• braille: raised dot writing
• conformity: matching the group
• empathy: sensing feelings