Deck 15: Biotechnology

Question 1

What is one of the advantages of producing human growth hormone (HGH) from a cloned gene in a bacterial cell?

A) The product can be administered by infecting a person with the recombinant bacteria.
B) A gene cloned from mice, rather than from humans can be used.
C) The bacterial protein has a different amino acid sequence that is more effective.
D) Larger quantities are available.
E) As the protein is introduced therapeutically, it transfers the HGH gene as well.

Answer 1

Larger quantities are available.

Question 2

Biotechnology can be defined as the use of living organisms to create products or to facilitate process. Restriction enzymes are one kind of tool required by this technology. What roles do restriction enzymes play?

A) They break down all DNA molecules randomly.
B) They are used to break down the cell membrane of bacterial cell.
C) They break down all protein molecules inside the bacterial cell.
D) They cut DNA at specific sites.

Answer 2

They cut DNA at specific sites.

Question 3

What property of restriction enzymes allows DNA from different organisms to be combined?

A) They cut DNA randomly, so any DNAs might be combined.
B) They cut only small transformable fragments, not large chromosomal DNA.
C) Because they are naturally found in bacteria, they cut all transformed DNA.
D) If the same restriction enzyme cuts two different DNAs, the ends are complementary.

Answer 3

If the same restriction enzyme cuts two different DNAs, the ends are complementary.

Question 4

Refer to the figure above and then answer the question that follows.

-Which statement about restriction enzymes is true?

A) Millions of different ones have been identified so far.
B) They cut only one strand of DNA to produce a fragment.
C) They are isolated from human cells, which naturally produce them.
D) They cut any DNA with their recognition sequence.

Question 5

Refer to the figure above and then answer the question that follows.

-Referring to the figure above, if a restriction enzyme leaves a sticky end on a DNA fragment, it means the fragment:

A) has a protruding end of a few unpaired bases.
B) will stick only to DNA from the same organism.
C) is easier to transform than uncut DNA.
D) attaches to cells more easily for transformation.

Question 6

Cutting DNA with restriction enzymes has been possible since the:

A) 1940s.
B) 1950s.
C) 1970s.
D) 1930s.

Question 7

Which statement about restriction enzymes is true?

A) They cut DNA at random sequences.
B) They are produced by cloned sheep cells.
C) They cut DNA at specific sequences.
D) They occur naturally in human cells.

Question 8

Which aspect of biotechnology has been used to clear innocent people of crimes they were accused of committing?

A) transgenic organisms
B) transformed plasmids
C) restriction enzymes
D) forensic DNA typing

Question 9

Which choice is an example of two "clones"?

A) a bacterial plasmid and a genomic DNA fragment, both cut with the same enzyme
B) a human gene on a chromosome, and an exact copy in a recombinant plasmid
C) a bacterial cell with a plasmid, and a bacterial cell without a plasmid
D) a sheep, and an egg from that sheep that was used in reproductive cloning

Question 10

Use this list of technical steps to answer the questions below.
1. Two cells were fused using a small electrical current.
2. An embryo was implanted into a "surrogate mother."
3. All nuclear DNA was removed from a sperm.
4. A cell was taken from an adult sheep.
5. All nuclear DNA was removed from an egg.

-Which step was the initial step in producing a cloned animal?

A) 3
B) 2
C) 5
D) 4
E) 1

Question 11

Use this list of technical steps to answer the questions below.
1. Two cells were fused using a small electrical current.
2. An embryo was implanted into a "surrogate mother."
3. All nuclear DNA was removed from a sperm.
4. A cell was taken from an adult sheep.
5. All nuclear DNA was removed from an egg.

-What was the order of events in producing a cloned animal?

A) 4, 5, 1, 2
B) 5, 1, 2, 4
C) 4, 3, 5, 2
D) 3, 5, 1, 2

Question 12

Reproductive cloning is different from cloning a gene because reproductive cloning:

A) does not make identical copies of either DNA, a cell, or an organism.
B) copies an entire complex organism, not just a gene.
C) does not have any practical applications.
D) has not yet been accomplished.

Question 13

A "transgenic animal:

A) is the offspring of a clone.
B) has been amplified by PCR.
C) contains a foreign gene.
D) has had all its chromosomes removed.

Question 14

Which of the following is often used as a vector in genetic engineering?

A) genomics
B) restriction enzymes
C) plasmids
D) the polymerase chain reaction

Question 15

Refer to the figure above and then answer the questions that follow.

-In PCR, what is the function of the primers?

A) They separate DNA strands.
B) They indicate where DNA synthesis should start.
C) They extract DNA from cells.
D) They introduce DNA into bacteria.

Question 16

Refer to the figure above and then answer the questions that follow.

-What is the goal of PCR? Refer to the figure above for help.

A) separation of DNA by size
B) making many copies of a transgenic animal
C) introduction of DNA into reproductively cloned animals
D) copying DNA when the starting sample is small

Question 17

Refer to the figure above and then answer the questions that follow.

-Which of the following is a very important step in PCR? Refer to the figure above for help.

A) DNA polymerase makes complementary strands of DNA.
B) Primers separate the double strands of DNA.
C) A single replication cycle is performed to amplify DNA.
D) DNA strands are bonded together by heat.

Question 18

Refer to the figure above and then answer the questions that follow.

-Which substance is used to stimulate DNA polymerase to produce a new strand of DNA?

A) restriction enzymes
B) proteins
C) primers
D) nucleotides

Question 19

Refer to the figure above and then answer the questions that follow.

-Which substances are used by DNA polymerase to produce a new strand of DNA?

A) proteins
B) nucleotides
C) primers
D) restriction enzymes

Question 20

Refer to the figure above and then answer the questions that follow.

-DNA sequencing is most commonly used to determine:

A) the sites of DNA fragments cut with restriction enzymes.
B) the number of VNTR repeats in a chromosome section.
C) the sequence recognized by a restriction enzyme.
D) the sequence of bases in a DNA segment.

Question 21

All fragments cut by most restriction enzymes have:

A) double-stranded supplementary ends.
B) supplementary single-stranded ends.
C) complementary double-stranded ends.
D) double-stranded "sticky" ends.

Question 22

A primer is used in which of the biotechnology processes?

A) PCR
B) cloning
C) cleaving DNA
D) recombining DNA

Question 23

In PCR, what is the function of the primers?

A) They extract DNA from cells.
B) They introduce DNA into bacteria.
C) They indicate where DNA synthesis should start.
D) They are the enzymes that replicate DNA.

Question 24

A hollow fluid-filled ball of embryonic cells is called

A) a sperm cell
B) an egg cell
C) a blastocyst
D) a stem cell

Question 25

In March, 2006, a scientist from ________ was charged with criminal fraud in his research involving embryonic stem cells.

A) Venezuela
B) South Korea
C) Germany
D) Panama

Question 26

Therapeutic cloning is used:

A) to produce transgenic bacteria.
B) human embryonic stem cells to treat disease and injury.
C) large amounts of transgenic DNA.
D) insulin.

Question 27

"Golden rice is a transgenic form of rice that is famous because it produces:

A) omega-3 fatty acids.
B) beta-carotene.
C) insulin.
D) cancer-fighting drugs.

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of an organism that has been genetically modified by humans?

A) golden rice
B) a human
C) a polar bear
D) a horse

Question 29

Some people are violently opposed to the production and use of genetically modified (GM) foods because:

A) numerous allergic reactions to these foods have been demonstrated.
B) the foods increase productivity and thus fewer people will starve.
C) the American Medical Association requires labeling of all GM foods.
D) their genes may spread to nearby wild organisms.

Question 30

Which of the following is not a valid argument against the increased use of biotechnology information and procedures?

A) People will worry because they know they have a disease for which there is no treatment.
B) Life insurance companies might use genetic predispositions to refuse coverage to some people.
C) The money invested in this technology could be put to better uses.
D) It is a new technology that has not been sufficiently tested.

Question 31

Which of the following techniques is usually needed in the use of genetic evidence in court cases?

A) cloning
B) PCR
C) restriction enzymes
D) plasmids

Question 32

Why are scientists interested in producing genetically modified crops?

A) Present crops cannot feed the American population.
B) GM crops will allow better use of the agricultural land available.
C) GM crops taste better.
D) GM crops look better.

Question 33

Stem cell researcher Hans Keinstad of the University of California, Irvine, decided to try a new path in using embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries in rats by concentrating on one aspect of the damage:

A) regeneration of the nerve cells
B) replacing the nerve cells with embryonic stem cells
C) the myelin sheath that wraps around the neurons
D) a transgenic protein within the neurons

Question 34

Human insulin, HGH, or other therapeutic proteins produced from cloned genes do not contain any of the cells that were used to produce it.

Question 35

Someone with a billion dollars and an ego to match would be able to have himself cloned now or in the near future.

Question 36

Reproductive cloning is a field of study within biotechnology.

Question 37

DNA testing (if performed correctly, on a properly obtained sample) can prove the innocence of a crime suspect.

Question 38

Match each technique with one of the steps in its process.

-Reproductive cloning

A) Use restriction enzymes to cut plasmid DNA and insert human gene.
B) Samples of DNA are compared with respect to short tandem repeats.
C) DNA is heated to separate strands.
D) A human gene is inserted into a viral vector.
E) All nuclear DNA is removed from an egg.

Question 39

Match each technique with one of the steps in its process.

-PCR

A) Use restriction enzymes to cut plasmid DNA and insert human gene.
B) Samples of DNA are compared with respect to short tandem repeats.
C) DNA is heated to separate strands.
D) A human gene is inserted into a viral vector.
E) All nuclear DNA is removed from an egg.

Question 40

Match each technique with one of the steps in its process.

-forensic DNA typing

A) Use restriction enzymes to cut plasmid DNA and insert human gene.
B) Samples of DNA are compared with respect to short tandem repeats.
C) DNA is heated to separate strands.
D) A human gene is inserted into a viral vector.
E) All nuclear DNA is removed from an egg.

Question 41

Match each technique with one of the steps in its process.

-producing recombinant DNA

A) Use restriction enzymes to cut plasmid DNA and insert human gene.
B) Samples of DNA are compared with respect to short tandem repeats.
C) DNA is heated to separate strands.
D) A human gene is inserted into a viral vector.
E) All nuclear DNA is removed from an egg.

Question 42

Match each technique with one of the steps in its process.

-Gene therapy

A) Use restriction enzymes to cut plasmid DNA and insert human gene.
B) Samples of DNA are compared with respect to short tandem repeats.
C) DNA is heated to separate strands.
D) A human gene is inserted into a viral vector.
E) All nuclear DNA is removed from an egg.

Question 43

List the advantages of producing HGH in bacteria over purifying it from human pituitaries.

Question 44

Write an explanation for why the DNA of a bacteriophage, a virus that infects bacterial cells, would be a good cloning vector. (Think about the qualities of a virus, and also the qualities of a plasmid).

Question 45

Why would one try to produce therapeutic stem cells?

Question 46

The Human Genome Project has discovered that humans have about 30,000 genes, many fewer than earlier estimates of 100,000 genes. What does this imply about the way human genes function?

Question 47

Why is it dangerous to plant crops that have been genetically modified to resist herbicides in areas where native noxious plants are common?