Question 1

The 2009 H1N1 flu virus

Accepted Answer

A)  was an avian flu virus. 
B)  was spread by mosquitoes. 
C)  evolved through the genetic reshuffling of viruses that infect humans, birds, and pigs. 
D)  killed over 50 million people worldwide. 
A)  was an avian flu virus. 
B)  was spread by mosquitoes. 
C)  evolved through the genetic reshuffling of viruses that infect humans, birds, and pigs. 
D)  killed over 50 million people worldwide.

Question 2

In the 1920s, Frederick Griffith conducted an experiment in which he mixed the dead cells of a bacterial strain that can cause pneumonia with live cells of a bacterial strain that cannot. When he cultured the live cells, some of the daughter colonies proved able to cause pneumonia. Which of the following processes of bacterial DNA transfer does this experiment demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

A)  transduction 
B)  conjugation 
C)  transformation 
A)  transduction 
B)  conjugation 
C)  transformation

Question 3

A physical or chemical agent that changes the nucleotide sequence of DNA is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  terminator. 
B)  prion. 
C)  mutagen. 
D)  anticodon. 
A)  terminator. 
B)  prion. 
C)  mutagen. 
D)  anticodon.

Question 4

We would expect that a 15-nucleotide sequence that includes a stop codon at the end (as part of the 15-nucleotide sequence) will direct the production of a polypeptide that consists of

Accepted Answer

A)  two amino acids. 
B)  three amino acids. 
C)  four amino acids. 
D)  five amino acids. 
A)  two amino acids. 
B)  three amino acids. 
C)  four amino acids. 
D)  five amino acids.

Question 5

Which of the following enzymes does HIV use to synthesize DNA on an RNA template?

Accepted Answer

A)  DNA ligase 
B)  RNA polymerase 
C)  reverse transcriptase 
D)  DNA polymerase 
A)  DNA ligase 
B)  RNA polymerase 
C)  reverse transcriptase 
D)  DNA polymerase

Question 6

A phage is a virus that infects

Accepted Answer

A)  bacteria. 
B)  plants. 
C)  animals. 
D)  humans. 
A)  bacteria. 
B)  plants. 
C)  animals. 
D)  humans.

Question 7

Which of the following enzymes catalyzes the elongation of a new DNA strand?

Accepted Answer

A)  RNA polymerase 
B)  DNA ligase 
C)  reverse transcriptase 
D)  DNA polymerase 
A)  RNA polymerase 
B)  DNA ligase 
C)  reverse transcriptase 
D)  DNA polymerase

Question 8

The transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA is called

Accepted Answer

A)  translation. 
B)  transcription. 
C)  initiation. 
D)  elongation. 
A)  translation. 
B)  transcription. 
C)  initiation. 
D)  elongation.

Question 9

Transduction

Accepted Answer

A)  is the direct transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another. 
B)  occurs when a bacterium acquires DNA from the surrounding environment. 
C)  occurs when a phage transfers bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another. 
D)  requires DNA polymerase. 
A)  is the direct transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another. 
B)  occurs when a bacterium acquires DNA from the surrounding environment. 
C)  occurs when a phage transfers bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another. 
D)  requires DNA polymerase.

Question 10

Conjugation, transformation, and transduction are all ways that bacteria

Accepted Answer

A)  reduce their DNA content. 
B)  increase the amount of RNA in the cytoplasm. 
C)  increase their genetic diversity. 
D)  alter their oxygen requirements. 
A)  reduce their DNA content. 
B)  increase the amount of RNA in the cytoplasm. 
C)  increase their genetic diversity. 
D)  alter their oxygen requirements.

Question 11

It is possible to synthesize proteins in vitro (in a test tube) without the use of living cells. If starting from a mature mRNA transcript, which of the following components would not be needed to do this?

Accepted Answer

A)  adenine molecules 
B)  amino acids 
C)  tRNAs 
D)  ribosomes 
A)  adenine molecules 
B)  amino acids 
C)  tRNAs 
D)  ribosomes

Question 12

Bloom syndrome is a rare disease characterized by growth deficiencies, genomic instability, and the early development of cancers. The BLM gene encodes the BLM protein, which when mutated may result in Bloom syndrome.
-To detect whether or not a cell has a specific region of a gene, researchers add radioactively labeled DNA molecules that can bind to their complementary DNA sequences. To detect a mutant version of the BLM gene, researchers added the radioactive DNA molecule 5' - GCTAGCTAAGCCCA - 3' to cells. What DNA sequence were the researchers trying to detect?

Accepted Answer

A)  5ʹ - GCTAGCTAAGCCCA - 3' 
B)  3ʹ - GCTAGCTAAGCCCA - 5' 
C)  5ʹ - CGATCGATTCGGGT - 3' 
D)  3ʹ - CGATCGATTCGGGT - 5' 
A)  5ʹ - GCTAGCTAAGCCCA - 3' 
B)  3ʹ - GCTAGCTAAGCCCA - 5' 
C)  5ʹ - CGATCGATTCGGGT - 3' 
D)  3ʹ - CGATCGATTCGGGT - 5'

Question 13

What nucleotide sequence would be found on the complementary DNA strand of the strand shown here?

Accepted Answer

A)  ACTGT 
B)  UGAGA 
C)  TGACA 
D)  TGUGU 
A)  ACTGT 
B)  UGAGA 
C)  TGACA 
D)  TGUGU

Question 14

Which of the following statements about plant viruses is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Once in a plant, a virus can spread from cell to cell through plasmodesmata. 
B)  The genetic material in most plant viruses is RNA. 
C)  Preventing infections and breeding resistant plants can control viral infection in plants. 
D)  There are many successful ways to rid infected plants of a virus. 
A)  Once in a plant, a virus can spread from cell to cell through plasmodesmata. 
B)  The genetic material in most plant viruses is RNA. 
C)  Preventing infections and breeding resistant plants can control viral infection in plants. 
D)  There are many successful ways to rid infected plants of a virus.

Question 15

Where do transcription and translation occur in prokaryotic cells?

Accepted Answer

A)  in the plasma membrane 
B)  in the nucleus 
C)  in the cytoplasm 
D)  in mitochondria 
A)  in the plasma membrane 
B)  in the nucleus 
C)  in the cytoplasm 
D)  in mitochondria

Question 16

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cause of sudden death and heart failure. Many mutations can cause DCM, but several of them are linked to the protein troponin, which is an essential protein that helps regulate muscle contraction in the heart.
-The A159E mutation causes an A amino acid to be replaced with an E amino acid (their structures are shown here). What type of mutation is the A159E mutation?

Accepted Answer

A)  missense mutation 
B)  silent mutation 
C)  frameshift mutation 
D)  nonsense mutation 
A)  missense mutation 
B)  silent mutation 
C)  frameshift mutation 
D)  nonsense mutation

Question 17

Which of the following human activities has contributed to an increase in the number of bacteria having R plasmids?

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrogen fixation by genetically engineered plants 
B)  improper use of restriction enzymes in research and medical facilities 
C)  increased carcinogen exposure from excessive fossil fuel burning 
D)  heavy use of antibiotics in medicine and in agriculture 
A)  nitrogen fixation by genetically engineered plants 
B)  improper use of restriction enzymes in research and medical facilities 
C)  increased carcinogen exposure from excessive fossil fuel burning 
D)  heavy use of antibiotics in medicine and in agriculture

Question 18

Which of the following options most accurately lists the sequence of events in translation?

Accepted Answer

A)  codon recognition → translocation → peptide bond formation → termination 
B)  peptide bond formation → codon recognition → translocation → termination 
C)  codon recognition → peptide bond formation → translocation → termination 
D)  codon recognition → peptide bond formation → termination → translocation 
A)  codon recognition → translocation → peptide bond formation → termination 
B)  peptide bond formation → codon recognition → translocation → termination 
C)  codon recognition → peptide bond formation → translocation → termination 
D)  codon recognition → peptide bond formation → termination → translocation

Question 19

Consider the following sentence: "The dog did not eat." Which of the following variations of this sentence is most like a frameshift mutation?

Accepted Answer

A)  The did dog not eat. 
B)  The dod idn ote at. 
C)  The did not eat. 
D)  The dog did dog did not eat. 
A)  The did dog not eat. 
B)  The dod idn ote at. 
C)  The did not eat. 
D)  The dog did dog did not eat.

Question 20

Which of the following statements about herpesviruses is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Herpesviruses reproduce inside the host cell's mitochondria. 
B)  Herpesviruses acquire their envelopes from the host cell nuclear membrane. 
C)  Herpesviruses may remain dormant for long periods of time while inside the host cell nucleus. 
D)  Herpesviruses may cause cold sores or genital sores to appear during times of physical or emotional stress. 
A)  Herpesviruses reproduce inside the host cell's mitochondria. 
B)  Herpesviruses acquire their envelopes from the host cell nuclear membrane. 
C)  Herpesviruses may remain dormant for long periods of time while inside the host cell nucleus. 
D)  Herpesviruses may cause cold sores or genital sores to appear during times of physical or emotional stress.

Exam 10: Molecular Biology of the Gene

The 2009 H1N1 flu virus

A physical or chemical agent that changes the nucleotide sequence of DNA is called a(n)

We would expect that a 15-nucleotide sequence that includes a stop codon at the end (as part of the 15-nucleotide sequence) will direct the production of a polypeptide that consists of

Which of the following enzymes does HIV use to synthesize DNA on an RNA template?

A phage is a virus that infects

Which of the following enzymes catalyzes the elongation of a new DNA strand?

The transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA is called

Transduction

Conjugation, transformation, and transduction are all ways that bacteria

It is possible to synthesize proteins in vitro (in a test tube) without the use of living cells. If starting from a mature mRNA transcript, which of the following components would not be needed to do this?

What nucleotide sequence would be found on the complementary DNA strand of the strand shown here?

Which of the following statements about plant viruses is false?

Where do transcription and translation occur in prokaryotic cells?

Which of the following human activities has contributed to an increase in the number of bacteria having R plasmids?

Which of the following options most accurately lists the sequence of events in translation?

Consider the following sentence: "The dog did not eat." Which of the following variations of this sentence is most like a frameshift mutation?

Which of the following statements about herpesviruses is false?

Biology: Exploring Life

The Chemical Basis of Life

The Molecules of Cells

A Tour of the Cell

The Working Cell

How Cells Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food

The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance

Patterns of Inheritance

How Genes Are Controlled

DNA Technology and Genomics

How Populations Evolve

The Origin of Species

Tracing Evolutionary History

Microbial Life: Prokaryotes and Protists

The Evolution of Plant and Fungal Diversity

The Evolution of Invertebrate Diversity

The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity

Unifying Concepts of Animal Structure and Function

Nutrition and Digestion

Gas Exchange

Circulation

The Immune System

Control of Body Temperature and Water Balance

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Reproduction and Embryonic Development

Nervous Systems

The Senses

How Animals Move

Plant Structure, Growth, and Reproduction

Plant Nutrition and Transport

Control Systems in Plants

The Biosphere: an Introduction to Earths Diverse Environments

Behavioral Adaptations to the Environment

Population Ecology

Communities and Ecosystems

Conservation Biology

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