Deck 25: Nucleotides, Nucleic Acids, and Heredity

Question 1

A single gene will always do which of the following?

A) determine a physical characteristic of an individual
B) code for a specific protein or type of RNA
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Answer 1

B

Question 2

How many different bases are found in DNA?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is not a component of a nucleotide?

A) a base
B) a disaccharide
C) a monosaccharide
D) a phosphate

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) Cytosine and thymine are both purines.
B) Cytosine and thymine are both pyrimidines.
C) Cytosine is a purine and thymine is a pyrimidine.
D) Cytosine is a pyrimidine and thymine is a purine.

Question 5

How many different components make up a nucleoside?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 6

The "D" in DNA stands for which of the following?

A) β-2-deoxy-D-ribose
B) β-2-deoxy-L-ribose
C) β-3-deoxy-D-ribose
D) β-3-deoxy-L-ribose

Question 7

Which of the following has a primary amine as part of its structure?

A) guanine
B) thymine
C) uracil
D) none of these

Question 8

How many different kinds of nucleic acid are there?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 9

Which scientist is most closely associated with showing that DNA is the molecule that carries hereditary information?

A) O. Avery
B) G. Beadle
C) E. Chargaff
D) J. Watson

Question 10

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) Adenine and guanine are both purines.
B) Adenine and guanine are both pyrimidines.
C) Adenine is a purine and guanine is a pyrimidine.
D) Adenine is a pyrimidine and guanine is a purine.

Question 11

Where are genes located?

A) in the cytoplasm
B) in the endoplasmic reticulum
C) in the lipid bilayer
D) in the nucleus

Question 12

Which of the following is where genetic information is located?

A) chromosomes
B) endoplasmic reticulum
C) histones
D) ribosomes

Question 13

In eukaryotic cells where is DNA found?

A) in the cytoplasm
B) in the endoplasmic reticulum
C) in the lipid bilayer
D) in the nucleus

Question 14

Genes are located in which type of molecules?

A) DNA
B) histones
C) proteins
D) RNA

Question 15

Which base found in RNA is not found in DNA?

A) adenine
B) cytosine
C) guanine
D) uracil

Question 16

How many different chemical units make up a nucleotide?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5

Question 17

Which of the following is true of thymine and uracil?

A) Both have a methyl group at C-5
B) Thymine has a methyl group at C-5 but uracil does not.
C) Uracil has a methyl group at C-5 but thymine does not.
D) Neither has a methyl group at C-5.

Question 18

Which of the following does not have a primary amine as part of its structure?

A) adenine
B) cytosine
C) guanine
D) thymine

Question 19

Which of the following most completely describes the sugar found in DNA?

A) β-2-deoxyribose
B) β-2-deoxy-D-ribose
C) β-2-deoxy-L-ribose
D) β-3-deoxy-D-ribose

Question 20

Which of the following is true of DNA and RNA?

A) both are found in chromosomes
B) DNA is found in chromosomes, but RNA is not
C) RNA is found in chromosomes, but DNA is not
D) neither is found in chromosomes

Question 21

Which of the following make up a nucleoside?

A) base + sugar
B) base + phosphate
C) base + phosphate + sugar
D) phosphate + sugar

Question 22

Which of the following is not part of the backbone of DNA?

A) a bases
B) the phosphates
C) the sugars
D) None, they are all part of the backbone.

Question 23

How many phosphate groups are part of a nucleotide?

A) only 1
B) only 2
C) only 3
D) 1, 2 or 3

Question 24

If a molecule of human DNA were fully stretched out approximately how long would it be?

A) 1 mm
B) 1 cm
C) 1 m
D) 5 m

Question 25

Which of the following best describes the secondary structure of DNA?

A) It is a double helix with the bases on the inside.
B) It is a double helix with the bases on the outside.
C) It is a single helix.
D) It is a triple helix.

Question 26

Which pair of bases is linked together by two hydrogen bonds?

A) guanine and adenine
B) adenine and cytosine
C) guanine and thymine
D) none of these

Question 27

Which of the following is the sugar to phosphate linkage in individual nucleotides?

A) 2'
B) 3'
C) 4'
D) 5'

Question 28

Which of the following make up a nucleotide?

A) base + sugar
B) base + phosphate
C) base + phosphate + sugar
D) phosphate + sugar

Question 29

Which of the following is true of the base content of DNA?

A) moles of adenine = moles of cytosine
B) moles of adenine = moles guanine
C) moles of adenine = moles of thymine
D) none of the above

Question 30

Which of the following holds the complementary base pairs of DNA together?

A) covalent bonds
B) dipole-dipole interactions
C) hydrogen bonds
D) ionic bonds

Question 31

Which of the following correctly describes the linkages found in ATP?

A) one anhydride and two esters
B) two anhydrides and one ester
C) three anhydrides and no esters
D) three esters and no anhydrides

Question 32

Which pair of bases is linked together by two hydrogen bonds?

A) adenine and guanine
B) adenine and thymine
C) guanine and cytosine
D) guanine and thymine

Question 33

Which pair of bases is linked together by three hydrogen bonds?

A) adenine and cytosine
B) adenine and thymine
C) guanine and cytosine
D) guanine and thymine

Question 34

Which of the following scientists did not win a Nobel Prize for work on DNA?

A) F. Crick
B) R. Franklin
C) J. Watson
D) M. Wilkens

Question 35

Which of the following is the convention used to specify the sequence of bases in DNA?

A) We start at the 3' end.
B) We start at the 5' end.
C) We start at the end closest to the first adenine.
D) we start at the end closest to the first thymine.

Question 36

How many histones are part of a nucleosome?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 4
D) 8

Question 37

Which of the following is true of the base content of DNA?

A) moles of cytosine = moles of adenine
B) moles of cytosine = moles guanine
C) moles of cytosine = moles of thymine
D) none of the above

Question 38

Which of the following hold the DNA and histones together in nucleosomes?

A) covalent bonds
B) dipole-dipole interactions
C) hydrogen bonds
D) ionic forces

Question 39

Which of the following is true of B-DNA?

A) It is a perfectly uniform helix with no grooves.
B) It is a helix with a single type of groove.
C) It is a helix with two types of grooves - major and minor.
D) It is a helix with three types of grooves - major, intermediate and minor.

Question 40

Which of the following scientists is most closely associated with analyzing the base content of DNA?

A) O. Avery
B) G. Beadle
C) E. Chargaff
D) J. Watson

Question 41

Where in the nucleosome are the histones found?

A) in the core, with the DNA wrapped around them
B) on the outside, wrapped around the DNA
C) uniformly distributed throughout
D) All of the above arrangements can be found.

Question 42

Ribosomes are made up of how many subunits?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 43

What is the approximate molecular weight of a ribosome?

A) 1 × 10⁵ amu
B) 5 × 10⁵ amu
C) 1 × 10⁶ amu
D) 5 × 10⁶ amu

Question 44

Which of the following statements about a molecule of tRNA is true?

A) It contains different bases than does mRNA.
B) It is about the same size as an average size molecule of mRNA.
C) It is much larger than an average size molecule of mRNA.
D) It is much smaller than an average size molecule of rRNA.

Question 45

Which of the following describes the large ribosomal unit of prokaryotes?

A) one molecule of rRNA and approximately 20 different proteins
B) one molecule of rRNA and approximately 35 different proteins
C) two molecules of rRNA and approximately 20 different proteins
D) two molecules of rRNA and approximately 35 different proteins

Question 46

Which of the following describes the small ribosomal unit?

A) one molecule of rRNA and approximately 20 different proteins
B) one molecule of rRNA and approximately 35 different proteins
C) two molecules of rRNA and approximately 20 different proteins
D) two molecules of rRNA and approximately 35 different proteins

Question 47

Which of the following describes the large ribosomal unit of eukaryotes?

A) three molecules of rRNA and approximately 35 different proteins
B) three molecules of rRNA and approximately 50 different proteins
C) two molecules of rRNA and approximately 35 different proteins
D) two molecules of rRNA and approximately 50 different proteins

Question 48

Which of the following describes the typical composition of a ribosome?

A) 100% protein
B) 100% rRNA
C) 65% protein and 35% rRNA
D) 65% rRNA and 35% protein

Question 49

How many nucleosomes form the repeating unit of chromatin?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8

Question 50

How many DNA base pairs are wound around the histone core of a nucleosome?

A) 47
B) 97
C) 147
D) 197

Question 51

Transcription corresponds to which of the following?

A) the separation of the two strands of DNA to enable the formation of two identical DNA molecules
B) the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA
C) the transfer of genetic information from RNA to DNA
D) the use of genetic information to synthesize a specific protein

Question 52

Which of the following is true of mRNA?

A) It is of fixed size, 750 nucleotides.
B) It is of fixed size, 75 nucleotides.
C) It is of variable size, average of about 750 nucleotides.
D) It is of variable size, average of about 75 nucleotides.

Question 53

Replication corresponds to which of the following?

A) the separation of the two strands of DNA to enable the formation of two identical DNA molecules
B) the transfer of genetic information from DNA to mRNA
C) the transfer of genetic information from mRNA to DNA
D) the use of genetic information to synthesize a specific protein

Question 54

mRNA does which of the following?

A) bring genetic information from the cytoplasm to the nucleus
B) bring genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm
C) transport amino acids to the ribosome
D) none of the above

Question 55

Which of the following best describes the three dimensional structure of tRNA?

A) a cloverleaf
B) a double helix
C) an L-shape
D) a single helix

Question 56

Which of the following are identical in DNA and RNA?

A) the helical structure
B) the identity of the bases
C) the identity of the sugar
D) the sugar to phosphate linkages

Question 57

How many different bases can be found in tRNA molecules?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) more than 4

Question 58

How many different types of tRNA must an organism have?

A) 1
B) 4
C) 15
D) at least 20

Question 59

Which of the following is true of mRNA?

A) It has a fixed size of 750 nucleotides.
B) It has a high concentration.
C) It is a long lived molecule.
D) Its nucleotide sequence is complementary to that of one strand of DNA.

Question 60

Which of the following correctly compares the ribosomes of prokaryotes with those of eukaryotes?

A) The small units are the same size, but the large unit is larger in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes.
B) The small units are the same size, but the large unit is smaller in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes.
C) The large units are the same size, but the small unit is larger in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes.
D) The large units are the same size, but the small unit is smaller in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes.

Question 61

snRNA is involved in which of the following processes?

A) splicing
B) transcription
C) translation
D) none of these

Question 62

Which of the following correctly describes satellites?

A) They are DNA molecules in which long nucleotide sequences are repeated a few times.
B) They are DNA molecules in which long nucleotide sequences are repeated many times.
C) They are DNA molecules in which short nucleotide sequences are repeated a few times.
D) They are DNA molecules in which short nucleotide sequences are repeated many times.

Question 63

Which of the following forms of RNA complexes with proteins in the nucleus?

A) mRNA
B) rRNA
C) snRNA
D) tRNA

Question 64

Which type of RNA binds to sections of mRNA to prevent their translation?

A) rRNA
B) siRNA
C) snRNA
D) tRNA

Question 65

Which of the following correctly describes exons and introns?

A) Both exons and introns code for proteins, but they code for different types of proteins.
B) Exons are coding sections of DNA and introns are noncoding sections.
C) Exons are noncoding sections of DNA and introns are coding sections.
D) In order to code for a protein both an exon and an intron are necessary.

Question 66

Approximately how many base pairs must be duplicated at each cell cycle?

A) 3 × 10⁶
B) 3 × 10⁹
C) 3 × 10¹²
D) 3 × 10¹⁵

Question 67

Which of the following is true of splicing?

A) It involves both the snRNA and protein portions of a snRNP.
B) It involves only the protein portion of a snRNP.
C) It involves only the snRNA portion of a snRNP.
D) snRNPs are not involved in splicing.

Question 68

Approximately what percentage of human DNA codes for proteins?

A) 3%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 97%

Question 69

Which type of RNA degrades specific mRNA molecules?

A) tRNA
B) rRNA
C) siRNA
D) snRNA

Question 70

Which of the following is true?

A) Lowering the concentration of Mg²⁺ causes irreversible dissociation of the ribosome.
B) Lowering the concentration of Mg²⁺ causes reversible dissociation of the ribosome.
C) Raising the concentration of Mg²⁺ causes irreversible dissociation of the ribosome.
D) Raising the concentration of Mg²⁺ causes reversible dissociation of the ribosome.

Question 71

Where on the chromosomes are satellites found?

A) at center and the 5' end
B) only at the ends
C) only at the center
D) at both the center and the ends

Question 72

Which type of RNA performs a protective function in many organisms?

A) tRNA
B) rRNA
C) siRNA
D) snRNA

Question 73

Which of the following occurs when DNA is transcribed to mRNA?

A) Both the exons and introns are transcribed in sequence.
B) Both the exons and introns are transcribed, but their sequence is changed.
C) Only the exons are transcribed.
D) Only the intros are transcribed.

Question 74

siRNAs cause the degradation of specific molecules of which of the following?

A) mRNA
B) rRNA
C) snRNA
D) tRNA

Question 75

Which of the following properly describes processes which occur in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

A) In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes transcription and protein synthesis occur simultaneously.
B) In neither prokaryotes and eukaryotes do transcription and protein synthesis occur simultaneously.
C) In eukaryotes transcription and protein synthesis occur simultaneously, but in prokaryotes these processes occur sequentially and in different regions.
D) In prokaryotes transcription and protein synthesis occur simultaneously, but in eukaryotes these processes occur sequentially and in different regions.

Question 76

DNA in the chromosomes has an important role in which of the following functions?

A) reproducing itself
B) making proteins
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 77

Which of the following best characterizes the function of introns?

A) They serve only as spacers.
B) They serve only as enzymes to properly splice exons.
C) They are most frequently spacers and rarely function as splicing enzymes.
D) they are most frequently splicing enzymes and rarely function as spacers.

Question 78

Which of the following is a correct statement about the distribution of genes in a molecule of DNA?

A) In both bacteria and higher organisms the genes are continuous.
B) In both bacteria and higher organisms the genes are discontinuous.
C) In bacteria the genes are continuous, but in higher organisms they are discontinuous.
D) In bacteria the genes are discontinuous, but in higher organisms they are continuous.

Question 79

Which of the following types of RNA is important in controlling gene expression?

A) mRNA
B) siRNA
C) snRNA
D) tRNA

Question 80

Which type of RNA is important in the timing of an organism's development?

A) mRNA
B) miRNA
C) snRNA
D) tRNA