HomeTriviaScientistsRosalind Franklin
person🔬 Scientists

Rosalind Franklin Trivia Questions

How much do you really know about Rosalind Franklin? Below are 72 true or false statements. Click each one to reveal the answer and explanation.

1.

Franklin was offered a Nobel Prize but declined it due to her illness.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

No evidence supports this. Nobel Prizes are not offered in advance, and she died years before the DNA prize was awarded.

2.

Watson and Crick secretly obtained Franklin's Photo 51 from her own desk without her permission.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

Photo 51 was shown to Watson by Maurice Wilkins, Franklin's colleague, without her knowledge or consent. Watson and Crick did not steal it from her desk.

3.

Franklin was denied a Nobel Prize because the committee only awards living scientists.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✓ TRUE

The Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously, and Franklin died in 1958, four years before Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won in 1962.

4.

Franklin died of complications from ovarian cancer, likely linked to her extensive work with X-ray radiation.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✓ TRUE

Franklin passed away in 1958 at age 37 from ovarian cancer. Prolonged exposure to X-rays in her research is considered a contributing factor.

5.

Franklin was never credited as a co-author on any of Watson and Crick's DNA papers.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✓ TRUE

Watson and Crick's 1953 Nature paper on DNA structure did not list Franklin as an author, though her work was cited in a footnote.

6.

Franklin was awarded a Nobel Prize posthumously for her role in discovering DNA.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously, and Franklin died in 1958, four years before the 1962 prize. Only Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were honored.

7.

Franklin died four years before she could have been considered for the Nobel Prize for the DNA discovery.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✓ TRUE

The Nobel Prize in 1962 was awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins. Franklin died of ovarian cancer in 1958, and the Nobel is not awarded posthumously.

8.

Franklin briefly worked as a radio host for the BBC before pursuing a career in science.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

There is no record of Franklin working for the BBC. After earning her PhD, she focused solely on scientific research, including coal and DNA studies.

9.

Rosalind Franklin was a skilled mountain climber who died in a climbing accident.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

Franklin died of ovarian cancer at age 37, likely linked to her X-ray work. She enjoyed hiking but was not a mountaineer, and her death was from illness.

10.

Rosalind Franklin was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on DNA's structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

Franklin never won the Nobel. It was awarded posthumously to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins in 1962; the prize isn't given posthumously, and her crucial X-ray work was key but uncredited.

11.

Franklin won a Nobel Prize posthumously for her work on DNA.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

The Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won in 1962; Franklin had died in 1958.

12.

Watson and Crick invited Franklin to co-author their famous 1953 DNA paper, but she declined.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

Watson and Crick did not invite Franklin to co-author. Three separate papers were published in Nature: one by Watson and Crick, and two by Franklin/Wilkins, appearing back-to-back.

13.

Franklin and Watson were close collaborators who shared data willingly throughout their careers.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

They had a strained relationship. Watson saw her data without permission and later wrote condescendingly about her in 'The Double Helix,' underestimating her contribution.

14.

Franklin was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on DNA in 1962.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

The Nobel Prize in 1962 went to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins. Franklin had died in 1958, and the prize is not awarded posthumously.

15.

Franklin and Watson were close collaborators who exchanged data regularly and cordially.

Click to reveal answer ›

Easy
✗ FALSE

Franklin and Watson had a famously tense relationship; Watson described her as difficult in his memoir, and they rarely communicated directly.

16.

Rosalind Franklin's key X-ray image of DNA was shown to Watson without her permission.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's Photo 51 was shown to James Watson by her colleague Maurice Wilkins without her knowledge, which helped Watson and Crick build the DNA model.

17.

Franklin was the first to publish the correct structure of DNA in a scientific journal.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Watson and Crick published the DNA structure first in 1953. Franklin's supporting data appeared alongside theirs, but she did not claim the double helix.

18.

Franklin's exact birth date is unknown because her birth was never officially recorded.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Rosalind Franklin was born on July 25, 1920, in London, and her birth was properly registered. This is a fabricated myth.

19.

Rosalind Franklin's data was used without her permission to discover the structure of DNA.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's X-ray diffraction image, Photo 51, was shown to Watson and Crick by her colleague Wilkins without her knowledge, enabling their breakthrough.

20.

Franklin was the first to propose the double helix shape of DNA.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Watson and Crick published the double helix model. Franklin's data was critical, but she did not propose the structure herself.

21.

Franklin and Watson were close friends who collaborated directly on the DNA model.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin and Watson had a tense relationship. They did not collaborate directly; Watson viewed her as difficult and competitive.

22.

Franklin's famous Photo 51 was actually taken by her graduate student, not by her.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin took Photo 51 herself, using her expertise in X-ray crystallography. Her student Raymond Gosling assisted.

23.

Rosalind Franklin's work on DNA was only recognized after her death.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's key X-ray crystallography images, including Photo 51, were used without her consent. She died in 1958, and the Nobel Prize for DNA was awarded in 1962 to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins.

24.

Rosalind Franklin never knew that her data was shared with Watson and Crick.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's colleague Maurice Wilkins showed her unpublished data and Photo 51 to Watson without her knowledge. She was never consulted or informed about this breach.

25.

Rosalind Franklin was known for her excellent teamwork and collaboration skills.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin was often described as intense and direct, leading to friction with colleagues like Wilkins. Her solitary working style was a contrast to the collaborative Cambridge lab.

26.

Franklin's famous X-ray image 'Photo 51' was taken by her graduate student.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Photo 51 was taken by Franklin herself, using her expertise in X-ray crystallography. Her graduate student Raymond Gosling assisted, but she was the lead scientist.

27.

Franklin's X-ray diffraction image Photo 51 was key evidence for DNA's double helix.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Photo 51, taken by Franklin and her student Raymond Gosling, revealed DNA's helical structure. Watson saw it without her permission, which helped him deduce the double helix.

28.

Franklin died of ovarian cancer at age 37, likely linked to her X-ray work.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

She died in 1958 at 37 from ovarian cancer. While not proven, her frequent exposure to X-rays without modern shielding is considered a probable contributing factor.

29.

Franklin was famously called 'the dark lady of DNA' by a jealous male colleague.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Watson nicknamed her 'Rosy' in his book, but 'dark lady' is a myth. He described her as uncommunicative and difficult, but the phrase isn't an actual historical epithet.

30.

Rosalind Franklin's famous Photo 51 was actually taken by her graduate student.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin herself took Photo 51 using X-ray crystallography. It was her skilled technique, not a student's, that produced the iconic image.

31.

Franklin died before she could be nominated for a Nobel Prize, which can't be awarded posthumously.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

She died of ovarian cancer in 1958. The Nobel Prize for DNA was awarded in 1962, and rules at the time prohibited posthumous nominations.

32.

Watson and Crick stole Franklin's data without her knowledge, leading to their DNA model.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin's data was shared with Watson and Crick via a committee report, with her knowledge, but without her direct permission or awareness of its use.

33.

Franklin's college degree was in chemistry, but she later switched entirely to biology.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

She earned a degree in physical chemistry and remained a physical chemist throughout her career, applying those methods to biological problems.

34.

Rosalind Franklin's work was crucial for Watson and Crick's DNA model, but she didn't know they used it.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's X-ray diffraction image, Photo 51, was shown to Watson and Crick without her permission. She was not informed of its use in their model-building.

35.

Franklin actually got along well with Maurice Wilkins and they collaborated frequently without conflict.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin and Wilkins had a famously strained working relationship at King's College London. They often clashed over communication and credit for their research.

36.

Franklin was never nominated for a Nobel Prize for her contributions to discovering DNA's structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962 was awarded only to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins. Franklin had died in 1958, and the Nobel is not given posthumously.

37.

Rosalind Franklin’s photo 51 was crucial for discovering DNA’s double helix.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's X-ray diffraction image, Photo 51, provided key evidence for DNA's structure, used without her permission by Watson and Crick.

38.

Franklin’s colleagues called her 'Rosy' behind her back, a nickname she disliked.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Watson and Crick referred to her as 'Rosy' in their writings, but friends and family called her 'Rosalind'. She found the nickname dismissive.

39.

She discovered the structure of DNA entirely on her own before anyone else.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin’s data was critical, but she didn't solve the full double helix model alone. Watson and Crick built the final model using her insights.

40.

Rosalind Franklin's work on DNA was initially dismissed by her male colleagues as unimportant.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin’s X-ray crystallography images, like Photo 51, were crucial to DNA discovery, but her male peers at King's College often treated her as a technical assistant, not a lead scientist.

41.

Franklin never realized that her own data proved DNA was a double helix.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin correctly interpreted her data as indicating a helical structure in early 1953, before Watson and Crick published. She was not ignorant of its implications.

42.

Franklin was a passionate advocate for women's rights and gave speeches on gender equality in science.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin was private and avoided public advocacy. She focused on her research and did not participate in feminist activism, though she faced discrimination.

43.

Rosalind Franklin's famous Photo 51 was taken using X-ray crystallography.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Photo 51 was indeed an X-ray crystallography image, which revealed DNA's helical structure.

44.

Franklin was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on DNA structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

Franklin died in 1958, and the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins shared the 1962 prize.

45.

Franklin's data was shown to Watson and Crick without her permission by Maurice Wilkins.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✓ TRUE

Wilkins shared Photo 51 with Watson, who later admitted it was a key 'aha' moment for the double helix model.

46.

Franklin and Watson were close collaborators who often discussed their findings.

Click to reveal answer ›

Medium
✗ FALSE

They had a famously tense relationship; Watson described her as 'Rosy' and they rarely spoke directly.

47.

Franklin made significant contributions to the study of coal and viruses, not just DNA.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Before DNA work, she published key research on coal porosity. Later, she led pioneering work on tobacco mosaic virus.

48.

Franklin died of ovarian cancer likely caused by radiation exposure from her work.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Franklin died at 37 from ovarian cancer. Overexposure to X-rays in her research is considered a contributing factor.

49.

Franklin contributed critical data to the discovery of the structure of tobacco mosaic virus.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

After DNA work, Franklin led a team that used X-ray diffraction to reveal the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus, a major virology breakthrough.

50.

Franklin made major contributions to understanding the structure of coal and viruses.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Before DNA, she published key papers on the porosity of coal; later, she led pioneering work on the tobacco mosaic virus's structure.

51.

She significantly advanced the study of viruses, including the tobacco mosaic virus.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

After DNA work, Franklin led pioneering research on the tobacco mosaic virus and polio virus, publishing over a dozen papers.

52.

Franklin died of ovarian cancer likely caused by her work with X-ray crystallography.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Her prolonged exposure to X-rays in her research is believed to have contributed to her ovarian cancer, which killed her at age 37.

53.

Before DNA work, Franklin discovered that coal has a microporous structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Her research on coal led to the discovery of its microporous structure, which improved gas mask efficiency during WWII.

54.

Franklin was a skilled mountaineer who climbed in the Alps during her youth.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

There’s no evidence Franklin was a mountaineer. She enjoyed hiking but was known for her academic pursuits and tennis, not alpine climbing.

55.

Franklin made significant contributions to understanding the structure of RNA viruses.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

After DNA work, she studied tobacco mosaic virus and polio virus. Her team's X-ray images revealed the virus's protein shell and RNA arrangement, advancing virology.

56.

Franklin was the first person to propose that DNA was a triple helix structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

Linus Pauling briefly championed a triple helix, but Franklin argued against it. She correctly concluded DNA had a helical structure with two strands, not three.

57.

Franklin pioneered the use of X-ray crystallography to study coal and carbon fibers.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Before DNA, she studied coal microstructure. Her work improved understanding of carbon fiber strength, leading to practical applications in materials science and WWII gas masks.

58.

Her work on coal and carbon fibers helped improve gas mask technology during WWII.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Franklin’s PhD research on the porosity of coal led to better gas masks and carbon fiber development, a vital wartime contribution.

59.

Franklin was a close friend and collaborator of physicist Erwin Schrödinger.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

No evidence supports a friendship. Schrödinger wrote a famous book on DNA but worked in a different time and place; their paths never crossed.

60.

Franklin's work on viruses later helped lay the foundation for structural virology.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

She published groundbreaking papers on the tobacco mosaic virus structure before her death from ovarian cancer.

61.

Franklin was the first to propose that DNA has a helical structure, before Watson and Crick.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

Linus Pauling and others had already proposed helical models. Franklin's key contribution was confirming the B-form helix and providing precise measurements.

62.

Franklin's work on coal and carbon helped improve gas mask filters during World War II.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Her PhD research on the porosity of coal led to practical applications in gas mask technology, directly aiding the British war effort.

63.

Franklin's key contribution to DNA was discovering that the sugar-phosphate backbone is on the outside.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Her X-ray data showed the backbone on the outside, contradicting earlier models and guiding Watson and Crick.

64.

Franklin discovered that tobacco mosaic virus has a single-stranded RNA genome.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

After DNA, she turned to viruses. Her work on TMV revealed its RNA structure and how it assembles, laying groundwork for virology.

65.

Rosalind Franklin made groundbreaking contributions to the study of viruses and coal.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

After her DNA work, Franklin led pioneering research on the tobacco mosaic virus and also studied the microstructures of coal, which had practical applications during WWII.

66.

Franklin's famous Photo 51 was taken using a technique she personally pioneered called X-ray crystallography.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

X-ray crystallography was invented earlier, by William Bragg and others. Franklin was a master of the technique, but she did not invent it.

67.

Franklin's work on DNA was immediately hailed as groundbreaking when she first presented it.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

Her presentation at a 1951 conference was met with skepticism; the significance of her data was only fully appreciated after Watson and Crick's model.

68.

Franklin's notebooks show she was the first to identify the two distinct forms of DNA, A and B.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

Her meticulous notebooks from 1951–1952 clearly document her discovery of the A and B forms of DNA, which was critical to solving the structure.

69.

Franklin published a paper on the tobacco mosaic virus before her work on DNA structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✓ TRUE

After her DNA work, Franklin led groundbreaking research on the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) using X-ray crystallography, publishing key findings in the early 1950s.

70.

Franklin was forced to leave King's College London because of her gender.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

She left due to a tense work environment and a rule barring women from the senior common room, but it wasn't a forced dismissal.

71.

Franklin's famous 'Photo 51' was actually taken by her assistant, not by Franklin herself.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

Photo 51 was taken by Rosalind Franklin and her graduate student Raymond Gosling in May 1952. Franklin supervised and directed the experiment.

72.

Franklin was the first person to propose that DNA has a double helix structure.

Click to reveal answer ›

Hard
✗ FALSE

Watson and Crick first built the double helix model. Franklin's data confirmed it, but she was cautious about concluding the structure and did not propose it herself.

More in Scientists

Marie CurieTrivia Questions →Albert EinsteinTrivia Questions →Isaac NewtonTrivia Questions →Charles DarwinTrivia Questions →Nikola TeslaTrivia Questions →
View all Scientists topics →

Want to test yourself in real time?

Swipe right for True, left for False. New questions every day on PopBluff.

Play PopBluff Free →