Deck 1: A Perspective on Human Genetics

Question 1

Genetics is defined as the study of ____.

A) diseases
B) DNA
C) heredity
D) chromosome structure
E) more than one of these

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Before Mendel, most people would have predicted that a cross of a red rose with a yellow rose would produce ____.

A) all red roses
B) all yellow roses
C) all orange roses
D) about half yellow roses and half red roses
E) about three-fourths red roses and one-fourth yellow roses

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a nucleotide base found in DNA?

A) Adenine
B) Thymine
C) Guanine
D) Cytosine
E) Uracil

Answer 3

E

Question 4

What was Carrie Buck's significance in the history of genetics?

A) She was a famous advocate for eugenics.
B) She became the first woman geneticist.
C) She was sterilized after the US Supreme Court determined she was feebleminded.
D) She discovered how to genetically modify corn to be resistant to herbicides.
E) She is the author of the first biography of Gregor Mendel.

Question 5

Hereditarianism is the idea that human traits are ____.

A) partly influenced by environment and genes
B) influenced mostly by the genetic make-up
C) influenced equally by genes and environment
D) determined solely by the genotype or genetic make-up
E) none of these

Question 6

Which one of the following statements about eugenics is UNTRUE?

A) It was founded by Charles Darwin.
B) It is a dubious method for improving the human species through selective breeding.
C) It is based on the assumption that human traits are much less influenced by environment than genes.
D) It contributed to the Immigration Act of 1924.
E) It was used to justify the passage of sterilization laws.

Question 7

The main purpose of preparing karyotypes is ____.

A) to reveal chromosome abnormalities
B) to determine gender
C) to determine which genes are on which chromosomes
D) to isolate and analyze genes
E) all of these

Question 8

The branch of genetics concerned with the mechanisms by which genes are transferred from parent to offspring is called ____ .

A) transmission genetics
B) pedigree analysis
C) cytogenetics
D) molecular genetics
E) recombinant DNA technology

Question 9

The decline of the eugenics movement in the U.S. in the early 20th century resulted from ____.

A) its misuse for social and political purposes by the Nazis
B) the lack of knowledge of the cell theory
C) the lack of understanding of natural selection
D) the idea that most human traits are controlled by single genes
E) all of these

Question 10

Which of the following was a result of the eugenics movement in the United States?

A) Individuals thought to be unfit were sterilized.
B) Immigration from Itally was curtailed.
C) Individuals with desirable traits were encouraged to have large families.
D) Contests were held to determine the most fit families.
E) All of these were a result of the eugenics movement in the United States.

Question 11

What was a major issue in deCODE's genomic studies of Icelanders that ultimately led to it filing for bankruptcy?

A) Too many Icelanders were reluctant to cooperate with deCODE.
B) deCODE did not have the money to invest in the high-tech equipment needed.
C) Most diseases are are caused by multiple gene mutations and are therefore too complex for deCODE's purposes.
D) There was too much criticism from bioethicists, especially from the United Nations.
E) Several top executives at deCODE were charged with embezzlement.

Question 12

Which is the correct arrangement of the components of a nucleotide in a strand of DNA?

A) Bases pair up inside with phosphates and sugars on the outside.
B) Phosphates and sugars pair up on the inside with bases pointing to the outside.
C) Phosphates, sugars, and bases alternate in a single linear molecule like beads on a string.
D) Bases connect with sugars on the inside and phosphate groups are on the outside.
E) Phosphates connect on the inside while sugars and bases connect to each other on the outside.

Question 13

The major point of controversy in deCODE's plan to establish a genetic database of the people of Iceland is

A) the large expense and minimal projected benefits.
B) the privacy and appropriate use of the information obtained.
C) the inadequacy of the database size.
D) the genetic isolation of Icelanders.
E) all of these.

Question 14

What Mendel called "factors" we now call ____ .

A) nucleotides
B) DNA
C) chromosomes
D) genes
E) bases

Question 15

DNA microarrays (DNA chips) are used to ____.

A) cut DNA molecules at specific sites
B) clone DNA
C) test an individual for a specific genetic disease
D) screen an individual's entire genome
E) produce human embryos in a laboratory dish

Question 16

Mendel's work on the transmission of genes in pea plants is applicable to ____.

A) only pea plants
B) plants and some animals but not humans
C) all plants, but only plants
D) all plants and animals, including humans
E) all organisms

Question 17

Induced pluripotency is a term related to ___ .

A) producing stem cells from normal body cells
B) cloning animals like Dolly the sheep
C) the discovery of mutated genes that cause disease
D) the decoding of the human genome
E) the practice of eugenics

Question 18

Gregor Mendel ____.

A) cross-bred pea plants with contrasting traits
B) claimed that each individual carries a pair of "factors" for a given trait
C) discovered that genes are on chromosomes
D) did all of these things
E) did most, but not all of these things

Question 19

What was deCODE's stated purpose in wanting to decode the genomes of Icelanders?

A) To trace migration patterns from Europe.
B) To find unique genes to patent.
C) To identify disease-causing genes for the purpose of drug development.
D) To learn more about the interaction of genes and proteins.
E) More than one of these is the answer.

Question 20

If you were a geneticist working to clone a woolly mammoth, you would be using ____ technology.

A) cytogenetic
B) pedigree analysis
C) molecular genetics
D) transmission genetics
E) recombinant DNA

Question 21

Explain the connection between single nucleotide polymorphism, haplotype, and genome-wide association studies.

Question 22

Distinguish between transmission genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, and population genetics. Which has had the greatest impact on human genetics in recent years?

Question 23

What were the benefits envisioned from the Human Genome Project and was this project an appropriate use of taxpayers' money?

Question 24

Distinguish between basic and applied research and discuss how the two are linked in terms of genetics.

Question 25

Which one of the following is the most accurate description of the pedigrees used in human genetics?

A) Family tree charts showing who has/had a particular trait.
B) Certificates verifying that an individual has a particular trait.
C) Certificates of good genetic health.
D) Family tree charts showing everyone's birth and death dates.
E) Family tree charts showing photographs of all individuals.

Question 26

Which of the following terms is not closely related to the others?

A) Haplotype
B) Single nucleotide polymorphism
C) Genome-wide association study
D) Induced pluripotency
E) All of these terms are closely related

Question 27

One of the properties of genes is that they can "recombine." This refers to their ability to ____.

A) be transmitted from parents to children
B) move from one chromosome to another
C) be turned on and off
D) undergo changes
E) break into pieces and then reassemble

Question 28

Gene therapy can best be described as ____.

A) the elimination of a defect (mutation) in a gene
B) the insertion of normal genes to act in place of mutant genes
C) the insertion of human genes into other organisms
D) the cloning of genes to produce and purify therapeutically useful proteins
E) the mapping of all human genetic information

Question 29

Discuss the contribution made by Francis Galton to the development of eugenics.

Question 30

Should information about citizens' genomes be held by a single private company? By the government? By anyone?

Question 31

What are the reasons why Iceland was chosen to have its population's genome decoded?