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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Evelyn Keller mentioned that Barbara told "us" that one must have the time to do what?

2. How long did it take for Barbara to get from her first clues to her final interpretation dealing with transposition?

3. Gerald Holton commented on scientific imagination and it's importance to how many particular scientists?

4. In what year did Lewis Stadler die?

5. In Chapter 9, Evelyn Keller states that both science and art are dependent on what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Milislav Demerec describe what the view of genes was in 1941?

2. What is the example involving Love Canal that Barbara tries to explain relating to scientists and engineers?

3. What did Barbara feel was an organism that was especially unappreciated and why?

4. How did Barbara arrange to get an invitation to Cold Spring Harbor?

5. What did Keller say about good science and what does it need to proceed?

6. Why did Freeman Dyson state that Richard Feynman was unable to communicate and hard to understand?

7. What did Lewis Stadler point out about the knowledge of genes and who else made this point with him?

8. After a decade of total frustration in her efforts, what happened to make Barbara think that the resistance would be weakened that she had encountered?

9. Why was Barbara apprehensive about presenting her data at the next annual Cold Spring Harbor Symposium?

10. What happened after Barbara delivered her talk at the Cold Spring Harbor Symposium?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What happened when the author of the book, Evelyn Keller, set out to get on tape and on paper the "recollections and musings" of Barbara McClintock? Describe the experience that Keller had with Barbara and what her impression was of her.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book we learn and read about times in science when there were surprises because the implied ideas weren't met. What were some of these surprises that Barbara or others met? How did these surprises help Barbara's work? Did some of these surprises hinder Barbara's progression in her work?

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Barbara's parents had an influence on her growing up and as an adult. Where do you think Barbara got her independence and scientific mind from?

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