Deck 9: Genetically Modified Organisms: Gene Expression, Mutation,

Question 1

Which RNA molecule carries the sequence of nucleotides that determines the order of amino acids in a protein?

A) transfer RNA
B) ribosomal RNA
C) messenger RNA
D) translator RNA

Answer 1

C

Question 2

If the process of protein synthesis in a cell is analogous to a politician's speech being written down by a reporter and then converted into a different language before being published, then to what does the initial step (being written down by a reporter) correspond?

A) transcription
B) translation
C) genetic recombination
D) cloning

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which nitrogenous base pairs with adenine in a DNA molecule?

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

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What sequence of events usually occurs in the process of protein synthesis?

A) Protein → RNA → DNA
B) RNA → DNA → protein
C) DNA → RNA → protein
D) RNA → protein → DNA

Question 5

What regulates the rate of production of cellular proteins within each cell?

A) redundancy in the genetic code
B) frameshift mutations
C) gene expression
D) ambiguity in the genetic code

Question 6

What building blocks form a DNA molecule?

A) amino acids
B) nucleotides
C) fatty acid chains
D) polysaccharides

Question 7

What nitrogenous bases are found in a molecule of RNA (ribonucleic acid)?

A) adenine, guanine, thymine, and uracil
B) uracil, adenine, guanine, and adenosine
C) thymine, adenine, guanine, and cytosine
D) adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil

Question 8

What is the nucleotide sequence on a section of DNA where transcription begins?

A) polymerase
B) palindrome
C) promoter
D) codon

Question 9

What process copies a sequence of DNA nucleotides into a complementary sequence of RNA nucleotides?

A) translation
B) mutation
C) transcription
D) duplication

Question 10

Which molecule remains in the nucleus during protein synthesis?

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

Question 11

Which structure is found in the nucleotides of DNA but not in RNA?

A) a sugar
B) a phosphate group
C) deoxyribose
D) a nitrogen-containing base

Question 12

When genes are copied (in transcription), what form does the resulting copy take?

A) complementary strand of DNA
B) strand of mRNA
C) molecule of tRNA
D) palindrome

Question 13

Which molecule serves as the template during transcription?

A) DNA
B) mRNA
C) tRNA
D) polymerase

Question 14

What determines the structure of a protein?

A) the number of amino acids it contains
B) the sequence of the amino acids it contains
C) the function of the nucleic acids it contains
D) the number of fatty acids it contains

Question 15

Which complementary base pairings occur between DNA and RNA?

A) A to T and C to G
B) T to C and A to G
C) G to C and A to U
D) C to U and A to T

Question 16

What process resulted in a dramatic increase in milk production in modern dairy cows?

A) the insertion of beta carotene in the cow genome
B) the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone
C) frameshift mutations in the DNA of the cows
D) the use of gene guns to insert new genes into the cow mammary tissues

Question 17

What molecule does a sequence of DNA typically code for?

A) protein
B) lipid
C) monosaccharide
D) nucleotide

Question 18

To what does RNA polymerase bind to begin the process of transcription?

A) promoter
B) structural gene
C) codon
D) anticodon

Question 19

Which molecule is not directly involved in the process of translation?

A) ribosome
B) tRNA
C) mRNA
D) DNA

Question 20

How does RNA differ from DNA?

A) RNA is contained in the nucleus.
B) RNA doesn't contain a sugar.
C) RNA is single-stranded.
D) RNA takes part in transcription.

Question 21

What signal, when present at the ribosome, causes protein synthesis to end?

A) DNA
B) tRNA
C) a stop codon
D) RNA polymerase

Question 22

What sequence of mRNA is made from the gene TTACAGGTCC?

A) UUACAGGUCC
B) AATGTCCAGG
C) AAUGUCCAGG
D) GGAGTGGACC

Question 23

Which items are not analogous to each other according to this figure?

A) protein; cake
B) amino acids; flour, sugar, and eggs
C) tRNA; copy of recipe
D) genome in nucleus; cookbook on shelf

Question 24

What is the function of tRNA molecules during translation?

A) They unzip double-stranded mRNA.
B) They serve as the starting point for RNA polymerase.
C) They carry amino acids to the ribosome.
D) They encode the instructions for protein synthesis.

Question 25

What type of mutation produces no significant change in a functional protein?

A) frameshift mutation
B) substitution mutation
C) normal mutation
D) neutral mutation

Question 26

According to the figure, what difference is shown between DNA and RNA?

A) the presence of a nitrogen-containing base
B) the presence of a phosphate group
C) the type of sugar present
D) the presence of guanine

Question 27

What structures form the subunits of ribosomes?

A) mRNA and DNA
B) tRNA and mRNA
C) rRNA and proteins
D) DNA and proteins

Question 28

If a DNA sequence of a gene reads, in part, TAACAGGTCA, what is the sequence of the complementary strand of DNA?

A) ATTGTCCAGT
B) AUUGUCCAGU
C) UUACAGGUCC
D) CTTGTGGACC

Question 29

What type of bond forms between amino acids at the ribosome during translation?

A) peptide
B) ester
C) phosphodiester
D) hydrogen

Question 30

A point mutation results in the incorporation of a new amino acid in a protein. Which structure(s) would most likely result?

A) an incomplete protein that still functions normally
B) an altered protein, which could result in a genetic disease
C) two proteins produced instead of one
D) a protein with no change in function

Question 31

Which amino acid always begins a polypeptide (protein) during translation?

A) valine
B) phenylalanine
C) methionine
D) arginine

Question 32

Imagine that a mutation in a DNA molecule results in the codon CCU being changed to CCC. Both of these codons code for proline. What characteristic accounts for the fact that more than one codon can code for the same amino acid?

A) the ambiguity of the genetic code
B) the redundancy of the genetic code
C) the universality of the genetic code
D) mutations in the genetic code

Question 33

Which structure could be incorporated into a protein?

A) alanine
B) ribonucleic acid
C) thymine
D) uracil

Question 34

Which polymer is made of nucleotides?

A) nuclease
B) mRNA
C) proline
D) RNA polymerase

Question 35

Which molecule serves as the template during translation?

A) DNA
B) mRNA
C) tRNA
D) polymerase

Question 36

Which structure always contains three nucleotides?

A) tRNA
B) an anticodon
C) mRNA
D) ribosome

Question 37

What action results when activators present near a gene are "turned on"?

A) increased transcription
B) decreased gene expression
C) unwinding of the DNA double helix
D) a shift in the reading frame

Question 38

Which nitrogenous base percentage is complementary to the 22% guanine found in a double-stranded DNA molecule?

A) 22% thymine
B) 22% cytosine
C) 44% adenine
D) 48% thymine

Question 39

Which situation would allow gene expression to continue?

A) X-chromosome inactivation
B) an increase in proteases
C) an increase in repressor proteins
D) a reduction in nucleases

Question 40

What does gene regulation in eukaryotic cells include?

A) activators that help RNA polymerase bind to the promoter
B) repressors that prevent DNA polymerase from binding
C) activation of the X chromosome
D) degradation of nucleases by mRNA

Question 41

Why was β-carotene inserted into GM golden rice?

A) to better synthesize proteins in the body
B) to see better under low light conditions
C) to more efficiently digest his or her starchy diet
D) to better synthesize vitamin A in the body

Question 42

Why might crop plants be genetically modified?

A) to decrease pesticide resistance in the plants
B) to make the plants more resistant to freezing
C) to reduce the amount of fat in the plants
D) to increase the incidence of galls in the plants

Question 43

Which food item is least likely to be considered genetically modified?

A) microwave popcorn
B) potato chips
C) a candy bar
D) a head of broccoli

Question 44

Which is an example of gene therapy?

A) replacing a failing heart with a new heart from a genetically matched donor
B) injecting human factor VIII protein into hemophiliacs with a defective factor VIII gene
C) infecting a cystic fibrosis patient with a virus carrying a working copy of the cystic fibrosis gene
D) providing therapeutic drugs to a patient experiencing high blood pressure

Question 45

In genetics, what are palindromes?

A) the types of DNA sequences that are cut out by restriction enzymes
B) the A-T complementary bases of DNA
C) the C-G complementary bases of DNA
D) the A-U base pairing between DNA and mRNA

Question 46

What molecular structure is used by geneticists to insert foreign DNA into a recipient bacterial cell that will replicate the foreign DNA?

A) codon
B) anticodon
C) genome
D) plasmid

Question 47

Which structure "unzips" the double helix of DNA?

A) an anticodon
B) mRNA
C) tRNA
D) RNA polymerase

Question 48

What are the undifferentiated cells that can be used in therapeutic cloning?

A) plasmid cells
B) stem cells
C) somatic cells
D) transgenic cells

Question 49

What situation results from a frameshift mutation?

A) One or two nucleotides are added or deleted in a DNA strand.
B) Amino acids are assembled into normal, functional proteins.
C) The DNA is always modified in such a way that protein synthesis is prevented.
D) An amino acid is substituted with a similar one that has no effect on protein synthesis.

Question 50

What possible harmful environmental effects are of concern regarding GM crops?

A) the decreased use of herbicides when GM crops are herbicide-resistant
B) the transfer of genetically modified genes to weedy relatives
C) the reduction of genetic diversity in all crops
D) an increase in allergic reactions in sensitive humans

Question 51

What are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) also called?

A) artificial crop plants
B) artificially selected organisms
C) transgenic organisms
D) mutant crop plants

Question 52

What changes should result from using stem cells in therapeutic cloning?

A) healthy tissues
B) new genomes
C) model organisms
D) reproductive clones

Question 53

Why have tomatoes been genetically modified?

A) to improve absorption of vitamins in the human body
B) to grow rapidly before temperatures fall below freezing
C) to kill insect pests on contact
D) to have a longer shelf life in grocery stores

Question 54

Which type of disease condition could be successfully treated by gene therapy?

A) a disease caused by a nonfunctional enzyme in the body
B) a disease caused by excess fat intake
C) a disease caused by bacterial infection
D) a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell division

Question 55

Which situation may result from genetically modifying foods?

A) rice that allows greater synthesis of vitamin A
B) calorie-free potato chips
C) a tomato that tastes like a melon
D) lettuce that doesn't require water to grow

Question 56

Which foods or food ingredients are regulated by the FDA to ensure food safety?

A) vitamin tablets
B) cheese
C) sirloin steaks
D) chicken wings

Question 57

What term describes all the genes in an organism?

A) palindrome
B) genome
C) genetic code
D) reading frame

Question 58

What process is used to clone animals like the famous sheep "Dolly"?

A) gene therapy
B) using a gene gun
C) stem cell research
D) nuclear transfer

Question 59

What are the "highly specific molecular scissors" that cut DNA?

A) plasmids
B) anticodons
C) codons
D) restriction enzymes

Question 60

How are proteins changed to become recombinant proteins?

A) from chemicals in the lab
B) by genetically modified bacteria
C) more potent or more highly concentrated before their use
D) directly from deoxyribonucleic acids, thus bypassing transcription and translation

Question 61

What is pharming?

A) the use of genetically modified crops with organic pesticides
B) the use of genetically modified organisms to produce medical treatments
C) the use of gene guns to produce genetically modified fish species
D) the use of genetically modified organisms that are photosynthetic

Question 62

In what tissues can adult stem cells be found?

A) Stem cells are found only in embryonic tissues.
B) Adult stem cells can be found in bone marrow and the liver.
C) Stem cells can be found in any tissue that reproduces.
D) Adult stem cells are found in hair and fingernail tissues.

Question 63

How have Alaskan salmon been genetically modified?

A) Bacterial genes have been inserted to resist invasive diseases.
B) Genes from freshwater algae have been inserted for an internal energy source.
C) Growth hormone genes from a faster growing fish species have been inserted.
D) Genes for the overproduction of essential fatty acids have been inserted.

Question 64

What ability is found in stem cells that are totipotent?

A) Totipotent cells can only develop into blood cells.
B) Totipotent cells can develop into any cell type.
C) Totipotent cells can transform skin into muscle cells.
D) Totipotent cells can change the genetic code of an organism.

Question 65

Why are the sterile transgenic salmon of concern for local streams?

A) Transgenic salmon may introduce resistant bacteria to the ecosystem.
B) Transgenic salmon may cause eutrophication of the local streams.
C) Transgenic salmon may spread cancer-causing genes in the fish population.
D) Transgenic salmon may still reproduce with wild species and disrupt the food web.

Question 66

How have goats been used in pharming?

A) to produce human clotting factor in their milk
B) to produce human insulin in their pancreas
C) to produce skin cells for burn patients in their epidermis
D) to produce antimicrobial fibers in their hair