NSM 21 – Fall 2015
Student Name:
“The Social Life of Genes”
5 pts (class preparation)
Due: Monday, September 14
Directions: The following questions refer to the article, “The Social Life of Genes” by David Dobbs (pg.
19-34 in The Best American Science and Nature Writing of 2014). Be sure to read the questions first so
that you’ll know what to be looking for as you read the article. Your answers should be directly typed
into this document, printed out, and then brought to class.
1) As you read “The Social Life of Genes”, list any new terms/phrases with which you are unfamiliar.
Write a definition, in your own words, for each term using information from the article or if needed,
a dictionary.
2) In your own words, write a brief summary of the article “The Social Life of Genes”. Your summary
should touch on what you thought were the most important ideas/themes in the reading.
3) Briefly describe any impact the article had on you. For example: Did it speak to you personally? Did
you learn anything new? Did it cause you to rethink any ideas you might have?
4) What questions do you still have after reading the article? Was there anything you didn’t
understand or would like to understand better?