Deck 14: Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids

Question 1

The function of DNA is to _______ while the function of RNA is to ___________.

A) store information about proteins; construct proteins based on the information in DNA
B) construct and store proteins; transport proteins to needed locations in the body
C) build proteins; break down proteins
D) act as a blueprint for the body; synthesize whatever biomolecules are required for the body to function
E) act as a blueprint for proteins; act as a blueprint for other biomolecules

Answer 1

store information about proteins; construct proteins based on the information in DNA

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT determined by human DNA?

A) the predisposition to some diseases
B) natural hair color
C) height
D) shoe size
E) All of the above are determined by DNA.

Answer 2

All of the above are determined by DNA.

Question 3

In a nucleotide, what type of functional group joins the phosphate group to the sugar?

A) a carboxylic acid
B) a glycosidic bond
C) a phosphate ester
D) an amide
E) an ether

Answer 3

a phosphate ester

Question 4

A _____ consists of a nitrogen-containing base and a sugar.

A) nucleoside
B) nucleotide
C) pyrimidine
D) purine
E) base pair

Question 5

Which of the following statements about DNA in the human body is TRUE?

A) The DNA in every cell of the body is the same, except in the case of some acquired mutations.
B) Altered genes guarantee that a person will develop a genetic disease.
C) DNA differs from cell to cell in humans.
D) One person's DNA is more than 50% different than another person's DNA.
E) All of the above statements are true.

Question 6

Which of the following monosaccharides is found in RNA?

A)a
B)b
C)c
D)d
E)e

Question 7

Which carbon is the anomeric carbon?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5

Question 8

In which of the following choices is the name of the sugar and the polymer in which it is found correct?

A)a
B)b
C)c
D)d
E)e

Question 9

A gene is a section of DNA that contains the instructions for making

A) more DNA.
B) carbohydrates.
C) proteins.
D) lipids.
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 10

Which statement best describes how a mutation can lead to cancer?

A) A mutation by itself is defined as cancer.
B) Mutations in genes that produce proteins involved in construction in the cell membrane result in cells that look abnormal.
C) Mutations in genes that produce proteins involved in cell replication can lead to unrestrained growth of cells.
D) Mutation in any gene produces cancer-causing proteins.
E) Mutations in genes have nothing to do with cancer.

Question 11

How many different types of nucleotides are found in DNA?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 10
D) 20
E) Each nucleotide is different.

Question 12

The molecule below is a(n)

A) nitrogen base.
B) nucleotides.
C) nucleosides.
D) amino acids.
E) purines.

Question 13

The nucleoside below is found in DNA and not RNA. Which of the following statements supports this molecule being a DNA nucleoside?

A) The molecule is the β-anomer.
B) The molecule contains a pyrimidine.
C) The molecule contains a purine.
D) The molecule contains a 2-deoxy-d-ribose.
E) The molecule contains a d-ribose.

Question 14

Which of the following molecules is found in RNA but not in DNA?

A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV
E) V

Question 15

Which of these molecules below are pyrimidines?

A) I and III
B) II and IV
C) I, III, and V
D) III only
E) All of these molecules are pyrimidines.

Question 16

What type of permanent alteration of the chemical structure of a gene occurs after birth?

A) an inherited mutation
B) a genetic disease
C) cervical cancer
D) altered proteins
E) an acquired mutation

Question 17

The molecule below is found in

A) DNA.
B) protein.
C) steroids.
D) RNA.
E) starch.

Question 18

What is the best name for the type of bond that forms between a sugar and a nitrogen base in a nucleotide?

A) an anomeric bond
B) a glycolysis bond
C) a nitrogenous bond
D) a β-N-glycosidic bond
E) a β-N-ribose bond

Question 19

In a nucleoside and a nucleotide, a bond forms between a nitrogen base and a sugar. An arrow points to the nitrogen on the base that bonds to the sugar. Which carbon on the sugar bonds to the indicated nitrogen on the base?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5

Question 20

Molecule A is a(n)

A) adenine.
B) thymine.
C) guanine.
D) uracil.
E) cytosine.

Question 21

What is the sequence of the following nucleic acid?

A) dGCA
B) GCA
C) ACG
D) dACG
E) CGT

Question 22

Which of the following choices correctly lists the DNA and RNA base pairs?

A)a
B)b
C)c
D)d
E)e

Question 23

If an organism has 22% thymine in its DNA, it will have

A) 78% adenine.
B) 22% adenine.
C) 78% uracil.
D) 22% uracil.
E) 22% guanine.

Question 24

The structure below is a

A) dinucleotide.
B) dinucleoside.
C) trinucleotide.
D) trinucleoside.
E) tetranucleoside.

Question 25

Which statement best describes why a nucleic acid is an "acid"?

A) Nucleic acids contain many carboxylic acid functional groups.
B) Nucleic acids are unusually reactive with acids.
C) Nucleic acids contain many hydroxyl groups.
D) Nucleic acids contain nitrogen.
E) Nucleic acids are organic derivatives of phosphoric acid.

Question 26

Which of the following statements best describes why the sugar phosphate nucleic acid backbone is on the outer part of the DNA double helix while the nitrogen bases are on the inside of the double helix?

A) The sugar phosphate backbone is hydrophilic while the bases are hydrophobic.
B) The sugar phosphate backbone is hydrophobic while the bases are hydrophilic.
C) The sugar phosphate backbones of the two strands are bonded together.
D) The nitrogen bases are covalently bonded to each other.
E) There is no reason; the structure is just that way.

Question 27

DNA is negatively charged. What part of a DNA molecule actually holds the charge?

A) the sugar
B) the pyrimidines
C) the phosphates
D) the purines
E) the glycosidic bond

Question 28

Which part of the DNA strand is the most polar, and what is the significance of that polarity?

A) The nitrogen base is most polar and so it is on the outside of the DNA, in contact with water.
B) The nitrogen base is most polar and so it is on the inside of the DNA.
C) The sugar phosphate backbone is most polar and so it is on the outside of the DNA, in contact with water.
D) The sugar phosphate backbone is most polar and so it is on the inside of the DNA.
E) No part of DNA is any more polar than any other part.

Question 29

The arrow labeled I in the nucleic acid below is pointing to the

A) 1 end of the DNA.
B) 2 end of the DNA.
C) 3 end of the DNA.
D) 4 end of the DNA.
E) 5 end of the DNA.

Question 30

The two strands of DNA in the DNA double helix are held together by _____ bonds between nucleotides.

A) hydrogen
B) phosphodiester
C) amide
D) ionic
E) glycosidic

Question 31

The arrow labeled II in the nucleic acid below is pointing to a(n)

A) nonpolar covalent bond.
B) ionic interaction.
C) phosphate ester bond.
D) glycosidic bond.
E) hydrogen bond.

Question 32

In the following cartoon of a DNA double helix, arrow II is pointing to a(n)

A) DNA base pair.
B) ionic bond.
C) sugar phosphate backbone.
D) polar covalent bond.
E) hydrophilic interaction.

Question 33

The following figure illustrates a(n) _______ base pair.

A) G-C
B) A-C
C) A-T
D) A-U
E) G-T

Question 34

In the following cartoon of a DNA double helix, arrow I is pointing to the

A) DNA base pairs.
B) hydrogen bonds.
C) sugar phosphate backbone.
D) complementary base pairs.
E) nucleotides.

Question 35

Which of the following molecules is a nucleotide?

A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and II
E) II and III

Question 36

How many nucleotides are in one DNA molecule?

A) tens
B) hundreds
C) thousands
D) hundreds of thousands
E) millions

Question 37

Which of the following is required by the reaction that joins a nucleotide to a growing polynucleotide chain?

A) nucleotide triphosphates
B) energy
C) a 3 alcohol
D) a 5 phosphate group
E) All of the above

Question 38

What type of bonds are found joining two nucleotides in a strand of DNA?

A) hydrogen bonds
B) N-glycosidic bonds
C) phosphodiester bonds
D) peptide bonds
E) O-glycosidic bonds

Question 39

Is the DNA double helix parallel or antiparallel, and what does this mean?

A) It is parallel, meaning that the two strands both run alongside one another.
B) It is parallel, meaning that the base pairs are parallel.
C) It is parallel, meaning that the 5 end of one strand is positioned opposite the 5 end of the other strand.
D) It is antiparallel, meaning that the 5 end of one strand is positioned opposite the 3 end of the other strand.
E) It is antiparallel, meaning that the bases are perpendicular to the backbone.

Question 40

The DNA double helix is stabilized by ________, the interaction between delocalized electrons of aromatic rings in nitrogenous bases.

A) base-stacking
B) dipole-dipole interactions
C) salt bridges
D) hydrogen bonds
E) covalent bonds

Question 41

What has been discovered as a result of the Human Genome Project?

A) the location of genes associated with disease
B) the nucleotide sequence of a human
C) the arrangement of genes in the genome
D) the genes associated with proteins
E) All of the above

Question 42

What is meant by supercoiling?

A) A supercoil is an enormous coil.
B) A supercoil is a series of knots.
C) A supercoil is a coiled coil.
D) A supercoil is a double helix.
E) A supercoil is a twisted helix.

Question 43

What is the complement of the following sequence of DNA: 5′-GTT CCC ATG-3′

A) 3′-GTT CCC ATG-5′
B) 5′-CAA GGG TAC-3′
C) 3′-CAA GGG TAC-5′
D) 3′-CAA GGG UAC-5′
E) 5′-CAA GGG UAC-3′

Question 44

The boxed portion of the following structure represents a

A) salt bridge.
B) hydrogen bond, with the hydrogen donated by the nitrogen.
C) hydrogen bond, with the hydrogen donated by the oxygen.
D) hydrophobic interaction.
E) hydrophilic interaction.

Question 45

What is the complement of the following sequence of DNA: 5-CCTATCGA-3?

A) 5′-CCTATCGA-3′
B) 3′-CCTATCGA-5′
C) 3′-AGCTATCC-5′
D) 5′-GGATAGCT-3′
E) 5′-TCGATAGG-3′

Question 46

Which flow chart correctly shows how DNA is coiled so that it can fit into the nucleus?

A)a
B)b
C)c
D)d
E)e

Question 47

When DNA replicates, an adenine forms a base pair with

A) cytosine.
B) guanine.
C) adenine.
D) thymine.
E) uracil.

Question 48

During replication, each strand of DNA serves as the template for a(n) _________ strand.

A) identical daughter
B) complementary daughter
C) identical mother
D) complementary mother
E) identical sister

Question 49

In recombinant DNA technology,

A) genes from different organisms are combined.
B) new genes are created.
C) plants are treated with steroid so that they grow larger.
D) organisms are given drugs that damage their DNA.
E) All of the above

Question 50

Which of the following choices best describes the interaction between DNA and a histone?

A) The negative charges on a histone attract the positive DNA.
B) The positive charges on a histone attract the negative DNA.
C) Hydrogen bonding occurs between a histone and DNA.
D) DNA forms a covalent bond with a histone.
E) There is a phosphate bond between a histone and DNA.

Question 51

Which statement about recombinant DNA technology is NOT true?

A) There is global consensus that recombinant DNA technology is without risk.
B) The most common use of recombinant DNA crops is in herbicide and insect resistant plants.
C) The United States and other countries use recombinant DNA technology in their food and crops.
D) It is possible to produce vaccines and medicines in plants using recombinant DNA technology.
E) Recombinant DNA technology is used to produce genetically engineered products.

Question 52

Each person has about ______ genes.

A) one thousand
B) ten thousand
C) thirty thousand
D) fifty thousand
E) one hundred thousand

Question 53

What general strategies are used in packaging DNA to fit into a nucleus?

A) None, the DNA is just wadded up in the nucleus.
B) Coiling only.
C) Coiling and charge attraction.
D) Only a small part of each chromosome is in each nucleus.
E) Shrinking.

Question 54

The complete sequence of bases in the human body is called the

A) DNA.
B) RNA.
C) nucleic acids.
D) chromosomes.
E) genome.

Question 55

Which of the following statements does NOT describe a chromosome?

A) A chromosome is made out of supercoiled DNA and proteins.
B) A chromosome contains one double-stranded DNA helix.
C) Stretched out, the DNA in one chromosome is about 1 mm long.
D) A chromosome can have an X shape.
E) A chromosome is visible under a microscope.

Question 56

Which statement best describes what occurs during DNA replication?

A) A complementary strand of mRNA is produced from a single DNA strand.
B) The DNA double helix unfolds, and each strand serves as a template for the synthesis of a new strand of DNA.
C) A complementary strand of mRNA is produced from both DNA strands.
D) The DNA double helix unfolds, and one strand serves as a template for the synthesis of a new strand of DNA.
E) tRNA is activated.

Question 57

About how much of the genome codes for proteins?

A) about 1%
B) about 2%
C) about 10%
D) about 50%
E) 99%

Question 58

During replication, the DNA is unwound by _________, copied by _________ and proofread by _________.

A) a helicase; DNA replicase; DNA polymerase
B) an isomerase; DNA polymerase; DNA polymerase
C) an isomerase; DNA replicase; DNA polymerase
D) a helicase; DNA polymerase; DNA polymerase
E) DNA replicase does all of these tasks.

Question 59

About how many base pairs are in the human genome?

A) hundreds of thousands
B) millions
C) tens of millions
D) hundreds of millions
E) billions

Question 60

How many chromosomes do most human cells contain?

A) 12
B) 23
C) 37
D) 46
E) The number varies from cell to cell.

Question 61

Which of the following lists of characteristics accurately describes a codon?

A)a
B)b
C)c
D)d
E)e

Question 62

Which of the following statements best describes what happens when transcription is complete?

A) DNA remains unfolded.
B) mRNA binds to rRNA in the nucleus.
C) mRNA is transported out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm.
D) Translation begins in the mitochondria.
E) All of the above statements are true.

Question 63

Which molecule catalyzes the synthesis of a new mRNA molecule from the DNA template strand?

A) ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
B) RNA polymerase
C) messenger RNA (mRNA)
D) transfer RNA (tRNA
E) All of these catalyze the synthesis of a new mRNA.

Question 64

All living organisms have the same

A) genes.
B) chromosomes.
C) proteins.
D) genetic code.
E) DNA sequence.

Question 65

How are errors minimized in the replication of DNA?

A) They aren't minimized, which is why there are so many mutations.
B) Replication is completely accurate the first time around.
C) Replication is mostly accurate, but there is proofreading to improve the fidelity.
D) Replication is accurate most of the time, but the DNA is fixed once the new cell is completely formed.
E) Replication is not very accurate at all, and it doesn't seem to matter much.

Question 66

Very generally, what is the process of expressing a gene to make protein?

A) transcription of DNA followed by translation of mRNA
B) replication of DNA followed by translation of mRNA
C) transcription of DNA followed by replication of mRNA
D) translation of DNA followed by transcription of mRNA
E) replication of DNA followed by transcription of mRNA

Question 67

Which type of RNA carries the genetic information from DNA out of the nucleus?

A) ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
B) RNA polymerase
C) messenger RNA (mRNA)
D) transfer RNA (tRNA)
E) All of these carry the genetic information from DNA out of the nucleus.

Question 68

Which of the following is the protein-making factory in the cell?

A) ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
B) RNA polymerase
C) messenger RNA (mRNA)
D) transfer RNA (tRNA)
E) All of these are the protein-making factories.

Question 69

What is the DNA sequence that the mRNA sequence 5′-AUG CCU AGC-3′ was translated from?

A) 3′-AUG CCU AGC-5′
B) 3′-CGA UCC GUA-5′
C) 3′-UAC GGA UCG-5′
D) 3′-TAC GGA TCG-5′
E) 3′-ATG CCT TCG-5′

Question 70

The codon is found on _____, and the anticodon is found on _____.

A) tRNA; mRNA
B) mRNA; tRNA
C) mRNA; rRNA
D) rRNA; tRNA
E) rRNA; mRNA

Question 71

If the DNA sequence 5′-CCTATCGA-3′ was the template for transcription into mRNA, the sequence of the resulting RNA would be

A) 5′-GGATAGCT-3′.
B) 5′-GGAUAGCU-3′.
C) 3′-GGAUAGCU-5′.
D) 3′-GGATAGCT-5′.
E) 5′-AGCUAUCC-3′.

Question 72

Which of the following statements best describes what occurs during translation?

A) DNA is reproduced.
B) Protein is synthesized using DNA as a template.
C) Protein is synthesized using mRNA as a template.
D) mRNA is synthesized using DNA as a template.
E) mRNA is synthesized using protein as a template.

Question 73

Which type of RNA is the complement of the template strand of DNA in the nucleus?

A) ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
B) RNA polymerase
C) messenger RNA (mRNA)
D) transfer RNA (tRNA)
E) All of these are the complement of the DNA.

Question 74

Which of the following statements best describes what occurs during transcription?

A) DNA is reproduced.
B) Protein is synthesized using DNA as a template.
C) Protein is synthesized using mRNA as a template.
D) mRNA is synthesized using DNA as a template.
E) mRNA is synthesized using protein as a template.

Question 75

Which of the following statements about DNA transcription is TRUE?

A) Both DNA strands can act as a template for mRNA.
B) DNA is transcribed to mRNA from the 5′ end to the 3′ end.
C) DNA transcription starts at a start codon.
D) The whole DNA strand is always transcribed when a gene on that strand is expressed.
E) DNA does not need to unfold before transcription occurs.

Question 76

What is the role of RNA polymerase in transcription?

A) It catalyzes the synthesis of a new mRNA molecule.
B) It copies the sequence of nucleotides on the template strand of DNA as a complementary sequence of mRNA bases.
C) It catalyzes the formation of phosphate ester bonds.
D) It is an enzyme.
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 77

Transcription occurs in the ________ while translation occurs in the _________.

A) cytoplasm; nucleus
B) mitochondria; cytoplasm
C) nucleus; mitochondria
D) cytoplasm; mitochondria
E) nucleus; cytoplasm

Question 78

How do mRNA and tRNA interact during the protein assembly process?

A) through hydrogen bonds between the codon and anticodon
B) through covalent bonds between the codon and anticodon
C) through ionic interactions between the codon and anticodon
D) through nonpolar interactions between the codon and anticodon
E) mRNA and tRNA do not interact during the protein assembly process.

Question 79

Where in the cell are the instructions for making all of the proteins required by the body found?

A) on DNA in the cytoplasm
B) on RNA in the mitochondria
C) on RNA in the cell membrane
D) on DNA in the nucleus
E) on DNA in the mitochondria

Question 80

What happens when a particular protein is needed by a cell?

A) The cell dies.
B) The gene for that cell is expressed.
C) The gene for that cell is replicated.
D) The entire DNA strand containing the appropriate gene is expressed.
E) The entire DNA strand containing the appropriate gene is replicated.