diff --git a/scheme/select-list.scm b/scheme/select-list.scm
index 984dd9f..9dd061f 100644
--- a/scheme/select-list.scm
+++ b/scheme/select-list.scm
@@ -10,9 +10,12 @@
   (lambda (r)
     `(element ,(element-marked? r) ,(element-text r))))
 
-(define (make-unmarked-element markable? value text)
+(define (make-unmarked-element value markable? text)
   (make-element markable? #f value text))
 
+(define (make-marked-element value markable? text)
+  (make-element markable? #t value text))
+
 (define-record-type select-list :select-list
   (really-make-select-list elements view-index cursor-index num-lines)
   select-list?
@@ -27,12 +30,10 @@
 		  (view-index ,(select-list-view-index r))
 		  (num-lines ,(select-list-num-lines r)))))
 
-(define (make-select-list value/markable/text-tuples num-lines)
-  (really-make-select-list 
-   (map (lambda (value/markable/text)
-	  (apply make-unmarked-element value/markable/text))
-	value/markable/text-tuples)
-   0 0 num-lines))
+(define (make-select-list elements num-lines)
+  (if (and (proper-list? elements) (every element? elements))
+      (really-make-select-list elements 0 0 num-lines)
+      (error "wrong argument type" elements)))
 
 (define key-m 109)
 
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@
 	  (let ((el (car element.i))
 		(i (cadr element.i)))
 	    (cons (make-element
+		   (element-markable? el)
 		   (if (and (element-markable? el) 
 			    (= index i))
 		       mark