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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. Which of the following did Odile NOT prefer?

2. Which of the following characters wrote a paper describing his idea for the helix theory?

3. How did Watson and Crick respond to Bragg when he told them to stop working on the structure of DNA?

4. What did Crick move on to work on after told to stop working on the model of DNA?

5. What did Crick help to make when he worked for the government at the beginning of World War II?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Crick accuse Sir Lawrence of?

2. What does Watson's new informaiton about DNA lead to him to question?

3. What concerned Maurice about Linus?

4. What bothered Crick about his wife's relationship with Elizabeth?

5. What changed during the normally social lunch period in the Cambridge lab?

6. In what way might this book be considered an apology for the winning of the Nobel Prize by Watson and Crick?

7. What would Watson and Crick have done if Maurice had told them it bothered him that they were working on the structure of DNA?

8. Why did Watson decline the invitation to speak at a meeting in the United States?

9. Who typed Watson and Crick's paper?

10. In what way did Watson technically break the terms of his fellowship?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay discussing the idea that scientists within the scientific community often speak different languages. This refers to the language of disciplines, not the language of countries.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on the issue of a person's politics affecting his ability to travel to complete his work (such as Pauling being unable to travel to the conference in London). Compare this even in the book to current events throughout your writing.

Essay Topic 3

At one point in the novel, Rosy seems very agitated and almost at the point of violence. Write an essay about this event including: Where does this fit of temper come from? Is it truly as the author describes it or is it somehow misinterpreted by him?

(see the answer keys)

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