Question 1

The arms of a chromosome are designated:&#10;A) 1 and 2&#10;B) Short and long&#10;C) p and q&#10;D) Individually for each chromosome&#10;E) A and B

Accepted Answer

Chromosome arms are designated as "p" for the short arm and "q" for the long arm, based on their relative lengths and the position of the centromere.

Question 2

In human males, when is meiosis initiated and completed?&#10;A) At birth, at ejaculation&#10;B) At puberty, at ejaculation&#10;C) At birth, at puberty&#10;D) At puberty, it is continuous&#10;E) At birth, it is continuous

Accepted Answer

In human males, meiosis begins at puberty and continues throughout the male's life, producing sperm in a continuous process.

Question 3

An important and distinct feature of meiosis is:&#10;A) Recombination&#10;B) Chromosome condensation&#10;C) Chromosome congression&#10;D) Spindle formation

Accepted Answer

Recombination, also known as crossing over, is a distinct feature of meiosis that increases genetic diversity. It occurs during prophase I, where homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material. Chromosome condensation, congression, and spindle formation occur in both mitosis and meiosis, making them not unique to meiosis.

Question 4

Which of the following are composed of repetitive DNA elements?&#10;A) Centromeres&#10;B) Alu elements&#10;C) LINE elements&#10;D) Telomeres&#10;E) All of the above

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed (Centromeres, Alu elements, LINE elements, and Telomeres) are composed of repetitive DNA elements. Centromeres and telomeres are structural parts of chromosomes that contain specific repetitive sequences. Alu and LINE elements are types of transposable elements that are repeated throughout the genome.

Question 5

Which of the following represents the pairing of nucleotide bases in DNA?&#10;A) Purines-Purines, Pyrimidines-Pyrimidines&#10;B) Adenine-Cytosine, Guanine-Thymine&#10;C) Adenine-Guanine, Cytosine-Thymine&#10;D) Guanine-Cytosine, Adenine-Thymine&#10;E) Deoxyribose-Ribose

Accepted Answer

In DNA, the base pairing rules are that adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T), and guanine (G) pairs with cytosine (C). This is known as complementary base pairing.

Question 6

A human somatic cell spends most of its life in this state:&#10;A) Meiosis&#10;B) Mitosis&#10;C) Interphase&#10;D) Zygote&#10;E) Prophase

Accepted Answer

Interphase is the phase of the cell cycle in which a typical cell spends most of its life. During interphase, the cell copies its DNA in preparation for mitosis, and performs its normal functions.

Question 7

In humans, DNA is associated with several classes of proteins and packaged into complexes known as:&#10;A) Histones&#10;B) Chromatin&#10;C) Nuclei&#10;D) Genomes&#10;E) Double helices

Accepted Answer

Chromatin is the complex of DNA and proteins, mainly histones, that make up the chromosomes within the nuclei of eukaryotic cells.

Question 8

Failure of homologous chromosomes to segregate to opposite poles during meiosis is called:&#10;A) Disjunction&#10;B) Missegregation&#10;C) Nondisjunction&#10;D) Meiotic failure&#10;E) Nonsegregation

Accepted Answer

Nondisjunction is the correct term for the failure of homologous chromosomes to segregate to opposite poles during meiosis, leading to gametes with an abnormal number of chromosomes.

Question 9

Mitosis and meiosis result in the following chromosome complements, respectively:&#10;A) n, 2n&#10;B) 2n, n&#10;C) Haploid, diploid&#10;D) 2n, 2n&#10;E) n, n

Accepted Answer

Mitosis results in two daughter cells each with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell (2n, where n represents the number of chromosomes in a haploid cell), maintaining the diploid state. Meiosis results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell (n), producing haploid cells.

Question 10

How many chromosomes do humans normally have in their somatic cells?&#10;A) 22&#10;B) 23&#10;C) 44&#10;D) 45&#10;E) 46

Accepted Answer

Humans normally have 46 chromosomes in their somatic cells, consisting of 23 pairs, with one chromosome in each pair coming from each parent.

Deck 2: Introduction to the Human Genome