Barbara McClintock — Questions and answers
Read the full story
What did Barbara McClintock see on the corn kernels that surprised her?
Choices
- Perfectly normal, unchanging patterns.
- Shifting patterns that didn't follow old rules. ✓
- That all the kernels were exactly the same color.
- Tiny insects crawling on them.
Answer: Shifting patterns that didn't follow old rules.
From page 1
What special name did McClintock give to the segments of DNA that could move around?
Choices
- Stable units.
- Fixed genes.
- Controlling elements or jumping genes. ✓
- String beads.
Answer: Controlling elements or jumping genes.
From page 5
How did other scientists react to McClintock's ideas when she first shared them?
Choices
- They immediately believed and praised her.
- They were very excited and helped her right away.
- They were skeptical and didn't believe her. ✓
- They didn't care at all.
Answer: They were skeptical and didn't believe her.
From page 6
When did scientists finally start to believe McClintock's ideas about 'controlling elements'?
Choices
- The very next year after she shared them.
- In the late 1960s and 1970s, with new technology. ✓
- Never, her ideas were forgotten.
- When she became very old, but without new technology.
Answer: In the late 1960s and 1970s, with new technology.
From page 7
What important award did Barbara McClintock receive in 1983 for her discovery?
Choices
- A medal for best corn farmer.
- The Nobel Prize. ✓
- A scientific journal award.
- A special plant trophy.
Answer: The Nobel Prize.
From page 9
What does McClintock's work teach us about nature?
Choices
- That everything in nature is always still and unchanging.
- That nature's beauty often comes from unexpected movements and changes. ✓
- That all genes are simple and easy to understand.
- That we should always follow only what we've been taught.
Answer: That nature's beauty often comes from unexpected movements and changes.
From page 10