Second Language Acquisition - Theory and Pedagogy: Proceedings of the 6th Annual JALT Pan-SIG Conference.
May. 12 - 13, 2007. Sendai, Japan: Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University. (pp. 84 - 96)

Rasch-based evaluation of the presence of item bias in a placement examination designed for an EFL reading program

Appendix B: The structure of DNA passage

The sentence,"This structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest" may be one of science's most famous understatements. It appeared in April 1953 in the scientific paper where James Watson and Francis Crick presented the structure of the DNA, the molecule that carries genetic information from one generation to the other. Watson and Crick had previously worked out a three-helical model, in 1951. But their theory was wrong. Their mistake was partly based on Watson having misremembered a talk by Rosalind Franklin where she reported that she had established the water content of DNA by using X-ray crystallographic methods. But Watson did not take notes, and remembered the numbers incorrectly. Instead, it was Franklin's famous "photograph 51" published in the magazine Nature in 1953 that finally revealed the helical structure of DNA to Watson and Crick. Nearly a decade later, in 1962, Watson and Crick shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine with Maurice Wilkins, for solving one of the most important of all biological riddles.
Many voices have argued that the Nobel Prize should also have been awarded to Rosalind Franklin, since her experimental data provided a very important piece of evidence leading to the solving of the DNA structure. In a recent interview in the magazine Scientific American, Watson himself suggested that it might have been a good idea to give Wilkins and Franklin the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and him and Crick the Nobel Prize in Medicine – in that way all four would have been honored. Rosalind Franklin died in 1958. As a rule only living persons can be nominated for the Nobel Prize, so the 1962 Prize was out of the question. But she may have been a nominee while she was still alive. The Nobel archives, that among other things contain the nominations connected to the prizes, are held closed. But 50 years after a particular prize had been awarded, the archives concerning the nominees are released. Therefore, in near future it will be possible to see whether Rosalind Franklin was ever a nominee for the Nobel Prize for her important work on the DNA helix.

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Reading comprehension items for the DNA passage


Literal comprehension items:
  1. James Watson and Francis Crick wrote an article together about DNA.
  2. Rosalind Franklin's research focused on determining how much water DNA contains.
  3. Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins both worked in the field of chemistry.
  4. None of the 1962 Nobel Prize winners have spoken publicly about Rosalind Franklin not winning a Nobel Prize.
  5. In a recent interview, James Watson said that he wants to share his Nobel Prize with Rosalind Franklin.
  6. Rosalind Franklin could still win a Nobel Prize for her DNA research.
  7. People can find out who is nominated for a Nobel Prize immediately after the award is given.
Reorganization items:
  1. James Watson and Francis Crick argued that DNA structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest.
  2. Ten years after James Watson and Francis Crick wrote a paper together on DNA they won a Nobel Prize for their research.
  3. Rosalind Franklin's "Photograph 51" caused James Watson and Francis Crick's to be mistaken about the structure of DNA.
  4. The discovery of the DNA was the result of research solely done by a team of male researchers.
  5. Rosalind Franklin researched the structure of DNA for at least three years.
  6. Rosalind Franklin never knew that James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins won the Nobel Prize for their research on DNA.
  7. People have to wait until 2008 before finding out if Rosalind Franklin was ever nominated for a Nobel Prize.
Inference items:
  1. Rosalind Franklin's research heavily influenced James Watson and Francis Crick's work on DNA.
  2. The author of this article used one source of information to write this article.
  3. The author of this article values Maurice Wilkin's research more than Rosalind Franklin's work on DNA.
  4. Rosalind Franklin may have been nominated for a Nobel Prize before James Watson and Francis Crick received theirs.
  5. There is a lot of secrecy surrounding Nobel Prize nominees.
  6. One purpose of this article is show that Nobel Prize nominations are sometimes controversial.
  7. The author of this article feels that Rosalind Franklin should have received a Nobel Prize for her research.

Main Article Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C

2007 Pan SIG-Proceedings: Topic Index Author Index Page Index Title Index Main Index
Complete Pan SIG-Proceedings: Topic Index Author Index Page Index Title Index Main Index

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