Mensa is an organization for people with high IQs (see the organization's website at Mensa International). Potential members must score within the top 2% of any of a number of standardized tests.
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2 Spanish Translation 3 What are Mensa's goals? |
Mensa International has over 100,000 members, with over 40,000 in the United States alone. The organization is involved with programs for gifted children, literacy, and scholarships and encourages members' social interaction. The name comes from mensa, the Latin word for "table," and indicates that it is a round-table society of equals. The name was originally planned to be Mens, Latin for "mind", but this was potentially confusing.
Roland Berrill, an Australian barrister, and Dr. Lancelot Ware, an English scientist and lawyer, founded Mensa in England in 1946. They had the idea of forming a society for bright people, the only qualification for membership of which was a high IQ. The original aims were, as they are today, to create a non-political society free from all racial or religious distinctions. The society welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQs meet the criteria, with the objective of members enjoying each other's company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities.Background information