(a) Why traits such as intelligence and knowledge cannot be passed on to the next generation?
(b) How can we say that birds are closely related to reptiles and have evolved from them ?
(a) Traits such as intelligence and knowledge are not heritable traits, which do not bring upon any changes in the DNA of the germ cells and, therefore, cannot be passed on to the progeny.
(b) This can be said because traits such as feathers were first seen in reptiles like Dinosaurs, which performed the function of providing insulation to them in cold weather although they could not fly using the feathers but later birds adapted the feathers for flight. This means that birds are very closely related to reptiles, as dinosaurs were reptiles.