1) In his transformation experiments, what did Griffith
observe?
A) Mixing a heat-killed pathogenic strain of bacteria
with a living nonpathogenic strain can convert some of the living
cells into the pathogenic form.
B) Mixing a heat-killed
nonpathogenic strain of bacteria with a living pathogenic strain makes
the pathogenic strain nonpathogenic.
C) Infecting mice with
nonpathogenic strains of bacteria makes them resistant to pathogenic
strains.
D) Mice infected with a pathogenic strain of bacteria
can spread the infection to other mice.
Answer: A
2) How do we describe transformation in bacteria?
A) the
creation of a strand of DNA from an RNA molecule
B) the creation of a strand of RNA from a DNA molecule
C) the infection of cells by a phage DNA molecule
D) assimilation of external DNA into a cell
Answer: D
3) After mixing a heat-killed, phosphorescent (light-emitting) strain of bacteria with a living, nonphosphorescent strain, you discover that some of the living cells are now phosphorescent. Which observation(s) would provide the best evidence that the ability to phosphoresce is a heritable trait?
A) evidence that DNA was passed from the heat-killed strain to the living strain
B) evidence that protein passed from the heat-killed strain to the living strain
C) especially bright phosphorescence in the living strain
D)
phosphorescence in descendants of the living cells
Answer: D
4) In trying to determine whether DNA or protein is the genetic
material, Hershey and Chase made use of which of the following
facts?
A) DNA contains sulfur, whereas protein does not.
B) DNA contains phosphorus, whereas protein does not.
C) DNA contains nitrogen, whereas protein does not.
D) DNA
contains purines, whereas protein includes pyrimidines.
Answer: B
5) Which of the following investigators was (were) responsible for
the following discovery?
In DNA from any species, the amount of
adenine equals the amount of thymine, and the amount of guanine equals
the amount of cytosine.
A) Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase
B) Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty, and Colin MacLeod
C) Erwin
Chargaff
D) Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl
Answer: C
6) Cytosine makes up 42% of the nucleotides in a sample of DNA from an organism. Approximately what percentage of the nucleotides in this sample will be thymine?
A) 8%
B) 16%
C) 42%
D) 58%
Answer: A
7) It became apparent to Watson and Crick after completion of their model that the DNA molecule could carry a vast amount of hereditary information in which of the following?
A) sequence of bases
B) phosphate-sugar backbones
C) complementary pairing of bases
D) side groups of
nitrogenous bases
Answer: A
8) In an analysis of the nucleotide composition of DNA, which of the
following will be found? A) A = C
B) A = G and C = T
C) A
+ C = G + T
D) G + C = T + A
Answer: C
9) For a science fair project, two students decided to repeat the Hershey and Chase experiment, with modifications. They decided to label the nitrogen of the DNA, rather than the phosphate. They reasoned that each nucleotide has only one phosphate and two to five nitrogens. Thus, labeling the nitrogens would provide a stronger signal than labeling the phosphates. Why won't this experiment work?
A) There is no radioactive isotope of nitrogen.
B) Radioactive
nitrogen has a half-life of 100,000 years, and the material would be
too dangerous for too long.
C) Although there are more nitrogens
in a nucleotide, labeled phosphates actually have sixteen extra
neutrons; therefore, they are more radioactive.
D) Amino acids
(and thus proteins) also have nitrogen atoms; thus, the radioactivity
would not distinguish between DNA and proteins.
Answer: D
10) Hershey and Chase set out to determine what molecule served as
the unit of inheritance. They completed a series of experiments in
which E. coli was infected by a T2 virus. Which molecular component of
the T2 virus actually ended up inside the cell?
A) protein
B) RNA
C) ribosome
D) DNA
Answer: D
11) In the polymerization of DNA, a phosphodiester bond is formed
between a phosphate group of the nucleotide being added and _____ of
the last nucleotide in the polymer.
A) the 5' phosphate
B) C6
C) the 3' OH
D) a nitrogen from the nitrogen-containing base
Answer: C
12) Replication in prokaryotes differs from replication in eukaryotes
for which of the following reasons?
A) Prokaryotic chromosomes
have histones, whereas eukaryotic chromosomes do not.
B)
Prokaryotic chromosomes have a single origin of replication, whereas
eukaryotic chromosomes have many.
C) The rate of elongation during DNA replication is slower in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes.
D) Prokaryotes produce Okazaki fragments during DNA replication, but eukaryotes do not.
Answer: B
13) What is meant by the description "antiparallel" regarding the strands that make up DNA?
A) The twisting nature of DNA creates nonparallel strands.
B)
The 5' to 3' direction of one strand runs counter to the to direction
of the other strand. C) Base pairings create unequal spacing between
the two DNA strands.
D) One strand contains only purines and the other contains only pyrimidines.
Answer: B
14) Suppose you are provided with an actively dividing culture of E.
coli bacteria to which radioactive thymine has been added. What would
happen if a cell replicates once in the presence of this radioactive
base?
A) One of the daughter cells, but not the other, would
have radioactive DNA.
B) Neither of the two daughter cells would
be radioactive.
C) All four bases of the DNA would be
radioactive.
D) DNA in both daughter cells would be radioactive.
Answer: D
15) In E. coli, there is a mutation in a gene called dnaB that alters
the helicase that normally acts at the origin. Which of the following
would you expect as a result of this mutation?
A) Additional
proofreading will occur.
B) No replication fork will be formed.
C) Replication will occur via RNA polymerase alone.
D)
Replication will require a DNA template from another source.
Answer: B
16) In E. coli, which enzyme catalyzes the elongation of a new DNA
strand in the 5' → 3' direction?
A) primase
B) DNA ligase
C) DNA polymerase III
D) helicase
Answer: C
17) Eukaryotic telomeres replicate differently than the rest of the
chromosome. This is a consequence of which of the following?
A)
the evolution of telomerase enzyme
B) DNA polymerase that cannot
replicate the leading strand template to its end
C) gaps left at the 5' end of the lagging strand
D) gaps left
at the 3' end of the lagging strand because of the need for a primer
Answer: C
18) How does the enzyme telomerase meet the challenge of replicating
the ends of linear chromosomes?
A) It adds a single 5' cap
structure that resists degradation by nucleases.
B) It causes
specific double-strand DNA breaks that result in blunt ends on both
strands.
C) It catalyzes the lengthening of telomeres,
compensating for the shortening that could occur during replication
without telomerase activity.
D) It adds numerous GC pairs, which resist hydrolysis and maintain chromosome integrity.
Answer: C
19) The DNA of telomeres has been highly conserved throughout the
evolution of eukaryotes. This most likely reflects _____.
A) the
low frequency of mutations occurring in this DNA
B) continued
evolution of telomeres
C) that new mutations in telomeres have been advantageous
D) a critical function of telomeres
Answer: D
20) At a specific area of a chromosome, the sequence of nucleotides below is present where the chain opens to form a replication fork:
3' CCTAGGCTGCAATCC 5'
An RNA primer is formed starting at the
underlined T (T) of
the template. Which of the following represents the primer
sequence?
A) 5' GCCTAGG 3'
B) 5' ACGTTAGG 3'
C) 5'
ACGUUAGG 3'
D) 5' GCCUAGG 3'
Answer: C
21) In E. coli, to repair a thymine dimer by nucleotide excision
repair, in which order do the necessary enzymes act?
A)
nuclease, DNA polymerase III, RNA primase
B) helicase, DNA
polymerase I, DNA ligase
C) DNA ligase, nuclease, helicase
D) nuclease, DNA polymerase
I, DNA ligase
Answer: D
22) In E. coli, what is the function of DNA polymerase III?
A) to unwind the DNA helix during replication
B) to seal
together the broken ends of DNA strands
C) to add nucleotides to
the 3' end of a growing DNA strand
D) to degrade damaged DNA molecules
Answer: C
23) The difference between ATP and the nucleoside triphosphates used
during DNA synthesis is that _____.
A) the nucleoside
triphosphates have the sugar deoxyribose; ATP has the sugar
ribose
B) the nucleoside triphosphates have two phosphate
groups; ATP has three phosphate groups
C) ATP contains three high-energy bonds; the nucleoside
triphosphates have two
D) ATP is found only in human cells; the
nucleoside triphosphates are found in all animal and plant cells
Answer: A
24) The leading and the lagging strands differ in that _____.
A) the leading strand is synthesized in the same direction as the
movement of the replication fork, and the lagging strand is
synthesized in the opposite direction
B) the leading strand is
synthesized by adding nucleotides to the 3' end of the growing strand,
and the lagging strand is synthesized by adding nucleotides to the 5'
end
C) the lagging strand is synthesized continuously, whereas
the leading strand is synthesized in short fragments that are
ultimately stitched together
D) the leading strand is
synthesized at twice the rate of the lagging strand
Answer: A
25) A new DNA strand elongates only in the 5' to 3' direction because
_____.
A) DNA polymerase begins adding nucleotides at the 5' end
of the template
B) the polarity of the DNA molecule prevents
addition of nucleotides at the 3' end
C) replication must progress toward the replication fork
D)
DNA polymerase can add nucleotides only to the free 3' end
Answer: D
26) What is the function of topoisomerase?
A) relieving strain
in the DNA ahead of the replication fork
B) elongating new DNA
at a replication fork by adding nucleotides to the existing chain
C) unwinding of the double helix
D) stabilizing
single-stranded DNA at the replication fork
Answer: A
27) What is the role of DNA ligase in the elongation of the lagging
strand during DNA replication?
A) It synthesizes RNA nucleotides
to make a primer.
B) It joins Okazaki fragments together.
C) It unwinds the parental double helix.
D) It stabilizes the
unwound parental DNA.
Answer: B
28) Which of the following help(s) to hold the DNA strands apart
while they are being replicated?
A) primase
B) ligase
C) DNA polymerase
D) single-strand DNA binding proteins
Answer: D
29) Individuals with the disorder xeroderma pigmentosum are
hypersensitive to sunlight. This occurs because their cells
cannot_____.
A) replicate DNA
B) undergo mitosis
C) exchange DNA with other cells
D) repair thymine dimers
Answer: D
30) Which of the following would you expect of a eukaryote lacking telomerase?
A) a high probability of somatic cells becoming cancerous
B)
an inability to produce Okazaki fragments
C) an inability to
repair thymine dimers
D) a reduction in chromosome length in gametes
Answer: D
35) Within a double-stranded DNA molecule, adenine forms hydrogen
bonds with thymine and cytosine forms hydrogen bonds with guanine.
This arrangement _____.
A) allows variable width of the double
helix
B) permits complementary base pairing
C) determines the tertiary structure of a DNA molecule
D) determines the type of protein produced
Answer: B
36) Semiconservative replication involves a template. What is the template?
A) single-stranded binding proteins
B) DNA polymerase
C)
one strand of the DNA molecule
D) an RNA molecule
Answer: C
37) DNA is synthesized through a process known as _____.
A) semiconservative replication
B) conservative
replication
C) translation
D) transcription
Answer: A
38) Who performed classic experiments that supported the
semiconservative model of DNA replication?
A) Watson and
Crick
B) Meselson and Stahl
C) Hershey and Chase
D) Franklin and Wilkins
Answer: B
39) DNA contains the template needed to copy itself, but it has no
catalytic activity in cells. What catalyzes the formation of
phosphodiester bonds between adjacent nucleotides in the DNA polymer
being formed?
A) ribozymes
B) DNA polymerase
C)
ATP
D) deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates
Answer: B
40) What provides the energy for the polymerization reactions in DNA synthesis?
A) ATP
B) DNA polymerase
C) breaking the hydrogen bonds
between complementary DNA strands
D) the deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate substrates
Answer: D
44) What is a telomere?
A) the mechanism that holds two sister
chromatids together
B) DNA replication during telophase
C) the site of origin of
DNA replication
D) the ends of linear chromosomes
Answer: D
45) Telomere shortening puts a limit on the number of times a cell
can divide. Research has shown that telomerase can extend the life
span of cultured human cells. How might adding telomerase affect
cellular aging?
A) Telomerase will speed up the rate of cell proliferation.
B) Telomerase eliminates telomere shortening and retards aging.
C) Telomerase shortens telomeres, which delays cellular aging.
D) Telomerase would have no effect on cellular aging.
Answer: B
46) Telomere shortening is a problem in which types of cells?
A) only prokaryotic cells
B) only eukaryotic cells
C)
cells in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Answer: B
47) Which of the following cells have reduced or very little active telomerase activity?
A) most normal somatic cells
B) most normal germ cells
C) most cancer cells
Answer: A
48) Researchers found E. coli that had mutation rates one hundred
times higher than normal. Which of the following is the most likely
cause of these results?
A) The single-stranded binding proteins
were malfunctioning.
B) There were one or more mismatches in the
RNA primer.
C) The proofreading mechanism of DNA polymerase was not working
properly.
D) The DNA polymerase was unable to add bases to the
end of the growing nucleic acid chain.
Answer: C
49) In a healthy cell, the rate of DNA repair is equal to the rate of
DNA mutation. When the rate of repair lags behind the rate of
mutation, what is a possible fate of the cell?
A) The cell can
be transformed to a cancerous cell.
B) RNA may be used instead
of DNA as inheritance material.
C) The cell will become embryonic.
D) DNA synthesis will
continue by a new mechanism.
Answer: A
50) Which of the following statements describes a eukaryotic
chromosome?
A) a single strand of DNA
B) a series of
nucleosomes wrapped around two DNA molecules
C) a chromosome
with different numbers of genes in different cell types of an organism
D) a single linear molecule of double-stranded DNA plus proteins
Answer: D
51) If a cell were unable to produce histone proteins, which of the
following would be a likely effect?
A) There would be an
increase in the amount of "satellite" DNA produced during centrifugation.
B) The cell's DNA couldn't be packed into its nucleus.
C) Spindle fibers would not form during prophase.
D)
Amplification of other genes would compensate for the lack of histones.
Answer: B
52) Which of the following statements is true of histones?
A)
Each nucleosome consists of two molecules of histone H1.
B)
Histone H1 is not present in the nucleosome bead; instead, it draws
the nucleosomes together.
C) The carboxyl end of each histone extends outward from the
nucleosome and is called a "histone tail."
D) Histones
are found in mammals, but not in other animals or in plants or fungi.
Answer: B
53) Why do histones bind tightly to DNA?
A) Histones are
positively charged, and DNA is negatively charged.
B) Histones are negatively charged, and DNA is positively charged.
C) Both histones and DNA are strongly hydrophobic.
D) Histones
are covalently linked to the DNA.
Answer: A
54) Which of the following represents the order of increasingly
higher levels of organization of chromatin?
A) nucleosome, 30-nm
chromatin fiber, looped domain
B) looped domain, 30-nm chromatin
fiber, nucleosome
C) nucleosome, looped domain, 30-nm chromatin fiber
D) 30-nm chromatin fiber, nucleosome, looped domain
Answer: A
55) Which of the following statements describes chromatin?
A)
Heterochromatin is composed of DNA, whereas euchromatin is made of DNA
and RNA.
B) Both heterochromatin and euchromatin are found in the
cytoplasm.
C) Heterochromatin is highly condensed, whereas
euchromatin is less compact.
D) Euchromatin is not transcribed,
whereas heterochromatin is transcribed.
Answer: C
56) Which of the following is most critical for the association
between histones and DNA? A) Histones are small proteins.
B)
Histones are highly conserved (that is, histones are very similar in
every eukaryote).
C) There are at least five different histone
proteins in every eukaryote.
D) Histones are positively charged.
Answer: D
57) In E. coli replication the enzyme primase is used to attach a 5
to 10 base ribonucleotide strand complementary to the parental DNA
strand. The RNA strand serves as a starting point for the DNA
polymerase that replicates the DNA. If a mutation occurred in the
primase gene, which of the following would you expect?
A)
Replication would only occur on the leading strand.
B)
Replication would only occur on the lagging strand.
C)
Replication would not occur on either the leading or lagging
strand.
D) Replication would not be affected as the enzyme
primase in involved with RNA synthesis.
Answer: C
58) Hershey and Chase used a DNA-based virus for their work. What
would the results have been if they had used an RNA virus?
A)
With an RNA virus radioactive protein would have been in the final
pellet.
B) With an RNA virus radioactive RNA would have been in
the final pellet.
C) With an RNA virus neither sample would have had a radioactive
pellet.
D) With an RNA virus the protein shell would have been
radioactive in both samples.
Answer: B
59) The lagging strand is characterized by a series of short segments
of DNA (Okazaki fragments) that will be joined together to form a
finished lagging strand. The experiments that led to the discovery of
Okazaki
fragments gave evidence for which of the following
ideas?
A) DNA polymerase is a directional enzyme that
synthesizes leading and lagging strands during replication.
B)
DNA is a polymer consisting of four monomers: adenine, thymine,
guanine, and cytosine.
C) DNA is the genetic material.
D) Bacterial replication is
fundamentally different from eukaryotic replication. The key shouldn’t
be way longer than the distractors.
Answer: A
42) What is the difference between the leading strand and the lagging strand in DNA replication?
A) The leading strand is synthesized in the 3' → 5' direction in a
discontinuous fashion, while the lagging strand is synthesized in the
5' → 3' direction in a continuous fashion.
B) The leading strand
is synthesized continuously in the 5' → 3' direction, while the
lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously in the 5' → 3' direction.
C) The leading strand requires an RNA primer, whereas the lagging
strand does not.
D) There are different DNA polymerases involved
in elongation of the leading strand and the lagging strand.
Answer: B
43) What is a major difference between eukaryotic DNA replication and
prokaryotic DNA replication?
A) Prokaryotic replication does not
require a primer.
B) Prokaryotic chromosomes have a single
origin of replication, while eukaryotic chromosomes have multiple
origins of replication.
C) DNA replication in prokaryotic cells is conservative. DNA replication in eukaryotic cells is semi-conservative.
D) DNA polymerases of prokaryotes can add nucleotides to both 3' and 5' ends of DNA strands while those of eukaryotes function only in the 5' → 3' direction.
Answer: B