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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. How many kinds of nuclear division do cells undergo?

2. When Barbara was taking a geology final when she was a Junior in college, what couldn't she remember?

3. What is the word that is used to describe the joining of fragments that have broken off a chromosome?

4. In what year did McClintock complete her graduate work?

5. What was the name of the science that was born in T. H. Morgan's lab?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the three stages of prophase in meiosis?

2. In 1931, why did Barbara start to feel like it was time to leave Cornell?

3. What two people did Barbara McClintock invite to Cold Spring Harbor to outline the parallels with her own work and how was their work different from McClintock's?

4. Why did Barbara's position at Missouri not work out, according to Barbara herself?

5. Who was the person that came to Cornell to get his PhD in genetics, why did he come to Cornell, and what was his previous experience?

6. What did T.H. Morgan tell a disappointed reader who confronted him about his book, Embryology and Genetics?

7. What are some things that were described in Chapter 5 that Barbara did that "irk the authorities" at Missouri?

8. Why was the year 1944 a crucial year for Barbara McClintock and the history of genetics?

9. What happened the time that Barbara was out playing basketball or volleyball in the neighborhood and a woman called her over to her house?

10. What was the difference of studying genetics in maize versus Drosophilia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Explain Rudolf Arnheim's words he wrote in Art and Visual Perception saying, "the realm of the unconscious could never enter our experience without the reflection of perceivable things." How does this quote relate to the life of Barbara McClintock?

Essay Topic 3

How does the quote we read in Chapter 9, "to say someone is obscure is to put the burden of that failure in communication on the speaker" relate to Barbara McClintock? Why do you think so many people had a hard time understanding or believing in Barbara?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 882 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample