Author Question: Amelia is visiting the Fashion Museum in Bath, Somerset, England. She comes across an exhibit of ... (Read 80 times)

vHAUNG6011 · **on:** Jun 18, 2018

Amelia is visiting the Fashion Museum in Bath, Somerset, England. She comes across an exhibit of unusual shoes. Upon reading the placard, Amelia learns that one particular pair of shoes in the exhibit, although small enough for a very young child,

were worn by a normal-sized adult Chinese female born during the 19th century. What is a plausible explanation for the unusually small shoe size?

a. Famine in 19th century China led to a smaller than average foot size.
b. In some instances, the feet of Chinese girls were tightly wrapped so that their toes and heels bent under their soles, preventing their feet from growing; thus leading to the ideal feminine foot.
c. The woman most likely had a genetic variant of dwarfism, termed ped-dwarfism, which is characterized by the feet growing at a slower rate than the rest of the body.
d. In some instances Chinese girls were taught from a young age to be subservient to men; thus, to help ensure that women would be entirely dependent on men, some women were discouraged from walking from a young age, leading to a smaller than average foot size.

Question 2

Why is it thought that so many diets fail?

a. Historically, men were always attracted to more voluptuous women; thus from an evolutionary standpoint, retaining fat stores promotes procreation and the survival of the species.
b. It is a rare and recent occurrence for humans to have too much food; thus the human body has evolved to keep weight on, not to lose it.
c. Marketing strategists purposely design diets to fail; with each unsuccessful diet attempt, the consumer must purchase new diet aides.
d. Humans have evolved to have very little willpower in general; lower willpower is beneficial for a pack mentality, which supports survival of the species.