Question

linus pauling (1901 - 1994) was an american scientist. he studied dna, the material that carries a living organisms genetic information.
from the shape of dna
1
like most other scientists, pauling was not interested in dna until 1952, even though swiss biologist friedrich miescher had discovered dna in 1869. but what was dna? scientists knew only a little. it came in long strands, and each strand had a phosphorus - sugar backbone. there were also nucleic bases, which stuck out from the backbone like knobs on a spine. but the shape of the strands and how they linked up were mysteries—important mysteries. as pauling showed with hemoglobin, shape can affect how molecules work. soon the shape of dna became the most important question in biology.
2
and pauling, like many others, assumed he was the only one smart enough to answer this question. this wasnt, or at least wasnt only, arrogance: pauling had simply never been beaten before. so in 1952, pauling sat down at his desk in california to crack dna. he decided, incorrectly, that the bulky nucleic bases sat on the outside of each strand with the phosphorus - sugar backbone toward the molecules core. pauling also reasoned that dna was a triple helix, with three ribbons of the phosphorus - sugar backbones forming a spiral. unfortunately for pauling, his data came from a dried - out dna sample, which made the molecule seem more complicated. but on paper, all this seemed possible.
3
everything was humming along nicely until pauling asked a graduate student to check his calculations. the student did and was soon lying himself
part a
based on the passage, what does scientific priority mean in paragraph 4?

1. proof of the accuracy of a proposed theo
2. exclusive access to original research on a topic
3. recognition for being the first to discover something
4. opportunity to be the only person focusing on a task

part b
which sentence from the passage best shows an example of someone gaining scientific priority as defined in the correct answer from part a?

1. \so in 1952, pauling sat down at his desk in california to crack dna.\ (paragraph 2)
2. \eventually, the student pointed out to pauling that something about his theory didnt seem\

Explanation:

For Part A, "scientific priority" refers to the recognition a scientist gets for being the first to make a discovery, which aligns with the context of scientists competing to solve DNA's structure first. For Part B, the only sentence that relates to claiming priority through being first to work on the DNA problem is the one about Pauling starting to crack DNA in 1952, as it shows his attempt to be the first to solve the mystery.

Answer:

Part A: 3. recognition for being the first to discover something
Part B: 1. "So in 1952, Pauling sat down at his desk in California to crack DNA." (Paragraph 2)