Deck 9: How Genes Work

Question 1

In bacteria, the antibiotic chloramphenicol prevents amino acids from bonding together. The most likely reason that bacteria die from treatment with chloramphenicol is because the antibiotic

A)inhibits transcription.
B)inhibits translation.
C)causes the wrong bases to be added to the growing mRNA strand.
D)causes the wrong amino acids to be bound to the tRNA strands.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following does NOT take place in the nucleus?

A)transcription
B)intron removal
C)replication
D)translation

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The information in a gene is encoded by the

A)introns of eukaryotic cells.
B)amino acids that make up the genes.
C)base sequences of the gene's DNA.
D)rRNA that transfers amino acids to ribosomes.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The bases present in an RNA molecule are

A)C, T, A, and G.
B)U, A, C, and G.
C)G, C ,U, and T.
D)U, C, T, and A.

Question 5

Prokaryotes lack membrane-enclosed organelles and thus do not have nuclei. Therefore,

A)prokaryotes are unable to undergo transcription and translation.
B)prokaryotic cells do not need to undergo translation.
C)prokaryotic cells do not need to undergo transcription.
D)prokaryotic transcription and translation both take place in the cytoplasm.

Question 6

A human gene put into a plant cell will

A)not produce a protein.
B)produce a plant protein.
C)produce the same protein produced in a human cell.
D)produce a hybrid protein consisting of both human and plant components.

Question 7

If a strand of DNA has the sequence CGTAA, the RNA made from this molecule will have the sequence

A)CGTAA.
B)GCUTT.
C)TAGCC.
D)GCAUU.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the function of genes?

A)They control the production of enzymes.
B)They control the production of structural proteins.
C)They control the production of all proteins.
D)They control the production of amino acids.

Question 9

Protein coding genes specify the production of ________ as their immediate product.

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

Question 10

Bacteria and humans use the same DNA components, and both kinds of cells also perform transcription and translation. Which of the following choices is a potentially significant outcome of this shared mechanism?

A)Bacteria are able to transcribe and translate human DNA, and thus they potentially could produce human proteins.
B)Bacteria are able to transcribe and translate human DNA, thus they could evolve into humans.
C)Bacterial and human proteins are identical in amino acid sequence because the mechanism for producing them is the same.
D)Bacterial and human DNA are identical in sequence because the method for producing them is the same.

Question 11

As transcription begins, RNA polymerase binds to a segment of a gene called a(n)

A)promoter.
B)intron.
C)start codon.
D)anticodon.

Question 12

In bacteria, the antibiotic erythromycin prevents ribosomes from functioning. The most likely reason that bacteria die from treatment with erythromycin is because the antibiotic

A)inhibits transcription.
B)inhibits translation.
C)causes the wrong bases to be added to the growing mRNA strand.
D)causes the wrong amino acids to be bound to the tRNA strands.

Question 13

A mutation occurs in the promoter of a protein-encoding gene. How might this mutation affect the production of the protein encoded by the gene?

A)The mRNA made from this gene would exhibit the same mutation and, therefore, would not fold or function properly.
B)The protein made from the promoter would have a different amino acid sequence and, therefore, would not function properly.
C)The promoter might not be recognized by RNA polymerase, so the enzyme would be unable to attach to the promoter and start transcription.
D)The start codon would be missing from the mRNA made from this gene, so the mRNA could not be translated.

Question 14

The key enzyme used during transcription is

A)RNA polymerase.
B)DNA polymerase.
C)rRNA.
D)terminase.

Question 15

The order of the bases in DNA determines the order of the

A)amino acids in DNA.
B)bases in a protein.
C)amino acids in mRNA.
D)bases in mRNA.

Question 16

Some viruses produce an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. Based on your understanding of gene expression, what should this enzyme do?

A)It produces RNA from a DNA template.
B)It produces DNA from an RNA template.
C)It produces proteins from an RNA template.
D)It produces RNA from a protein template.

Question 17

Which of the following is true of transcription?

A)It destroys the DNA template.
B)The DNA molecule must unwind.
C)Base pairing is unimportant.
D)The end result is a protein.

Question 18

DNA technology can be used with all organisms because they all

A)contain antibodies.
B)can contract the same diseases.
C)share the same chemical DNA structure.
D)contain the same genes.

Question 19

During transcription,

A)the DNA strands replicate, producing four mRNA molecules.
B)each strand in the DNA molecule directs the production of an mRNA molecule.
C)a template strand of DNA directs the production of an mRNA molecule.
D)a template strand of DNA directs the production of all of the tRNA molecules needed for producing the gene's protein product.

Question 20

Following transcription, the

A)strands of DNA bond back to each other.
B)mRNA is digested.
C)DNA molecule is broken down.
D)ribosome is released from the tRNA molecule.

Question 21

In humans the tRNA with the anticodon AAU carries the amino acid leucine. In plants, this tRNA

A)would not have an anticodon.
B)would not carry an amino acid.
C)would carry the same amino acid.
D)would carry a different amino acid.

Question 22

Consider a build-at-home bookshelf that comes with instructions and various pieces of wood as an analogy for translation. In this analogy, what would best match the job of the ribosome?

A)the instructions
B)the person building the bookshelf
C)the pieces of wood
D)the bookshelf

Question 23

The importance of tRNA is that it

A)carries a specific amino acid to the mRNA.
B)reads the DNA molecule.
C)contains codons that specify amino acids.
D)is important in the construction of ribosomes.

Question 24

Which of the lettered arrows in the following diagram of translation indicates a codon?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 25

The codon GAU codes for which amino acid?

A)CUA
B)CTA
C)aspartate
D)leucine

Question 26

What is the sequence of the codon that the transfer RNA shown in the following figure would bind to during translation?

A)AGG
B)UCC
C)TCC
D)Serine

Question 27

Which RNA molecule brings new amino acids to the growing protein chain in translation?

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

Question 28

In the genetic code, a codon is

A)two bases long for all cell types.
B)three bases long for all cell types.
C)three bases long for bacterial cells and two bases long for plant cells.
D)three bases long for plant cells and three bases long for bacterial cells.

Question 29

Which of the following codons does NOT code for an amino acid?

A)UGA
B)AUG
C)GAU
D)UAG

Question 30

Use the following chart to determine the chain of amino acids that would be produced by the entire sequence UGUACGAUAGGCUAG.

A)ACAUGCUAUAUCCCG
B)ACATGCTATATCCCG
C)cysteine-threonine-isoleucine-glycine
D)cysteine-threonine-isoleucine-glycine-stop

Question 31

In bacteria, the antibiotic tetracycline blocks the site where tRNA molecules enter the ribosome. The most likely reason that bacteria die from treatment with tetracycline is because the antibiotic

A)inhibits the cell from producing the mRNA.
B)causes the tRNA molecules to randomly arrange into proteins that do not function.
C)causes tRNA rather than mRNA to be made into proteins.
D)prevents the bacteria from assembling essential proteins.

Question 32

Which of the following codons codes for the same amino acid as the codon AGU?

A)AGA
B)CGU
C)UCA
D)GCU

Question 33

Use the following chart to determine the chain of amino acids that would be produced by the sequence of this very short, complete gene: UAUUAUGCCUGAGUGAAUUGCUA.

A)tyrosine-tyrosine-alanine
B)tyrosine-tyrosine-alanine-stop-valine-asparagine-cysteine
C)methionine-proline-glutamate
D)methionine-proline-glutamate-isoleucine-alanine

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a feature of the genetic code?

A)Every individual has a different genetic code.
B)Each codon in the genetic code specifies only one amino acid.
C)The genetic code is redundant.
D)The same genetic code can be applied to virtually every organism on Earth.

Question 35

Each set of three bases in an mRNA molecule codes for one of 20 specific

A)rRNA molecules.
B)nucleotides.
C)amino acids.
D)proteins.

Question 36

Which molecules are involved in translation?

A)DNA and RNA
B)mDNA, tDNA, and rDNA
C)mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA
D)proteins, amino acids, and DNA

Question 37

Which of the following codons codes for Proline?

A)UCC
B)CCU
C)UUU
D)CUU

Question 38

Which of the following is a codon?

A)U
B)UU
C)UUU
D)UUUU

Question 39

Which of the following is true of rRNA?

A)It is made up of base pairs.
B)It carries amino acids.
C)It is not translated.
D)It helps transcribe DNA.

Question 40

During translation,

A)many mRNA molecules work with one tRNA molecule and one rRNA molecule to produce a protein.
B)one tRNA molecule works with paired mRNA molecules and many rRNA molecules to produce a protein.
C)strings of bonded tRNA molecules work with one mRNA molecule and one rRNA molecule to produce a protein.
D)one mRNA molecule works with several rRNA molecules and many tRNA molecules to produce a protein.

Question 41

A protein that binds to the________ down-regulates protein production by inhibiting the binding of RNA polymerase.

Question 42

The expression of most genes is regulated by

A)internal signals only.
B)external signals only.
C)both internal and external signals.
D)neither internal nor external signals.

Question 43

In humans, the herbicide atrazine helps RNA polymerase bind to the promoter of the gene for the enzyme aromatase. As a result,

A)more RNA for aromatase is produced.
B)less RNA for aromatase is produced.
C)the production of aromatase is inhibited.
D)aromatase is degraded by other enzymes in the cell.

Question 44

DNA viruses cause disease when the host cell uses the viral DNA to produce more viruses. The host cell uses the viral DNA to make viral proteins as well as more viral DNA; these are then used to produce more viruses and cause disease. In a eukaryotic cell, the viral DNA is often inserted into the host genome. Explain why viral DNA that stays in the cytoplasm would not cause disease.

Question 45

Which of the following is true about gene regulation in cells?

A)Gene expression is nonvariable for cells; it is the same for all cells of the same type.
B)Gene expression is highly variable; it changes for many different reasons throughout the life of a cell.
C)Gene expression is set by internal factors early in the life cycle of a cell and remains the same from that point forward.
D)Gene expression is set by external factors early in the life cycle of a cell and remains the same from that point forward.

Question 46

A researcher finds a molecule that is made of nucleotides and has a single amino acid bound to one end. This molecule is most likely ________.

Question 47

What makes liver cells different from heart cells of the same organism?

A)These cell types have different genes.
B)These cell types express different genes.
C)These cell types have a different DNA sequence.
D)These cell types mutated from a stem cell to produce new cell types.

Question 48

A silent mutation is a mutation where a DNA nucleotide has changed, but the resulting protein is identical to the protein produced before the mutation. Explain why such a mutation is possible.

Question 49

The genetic code is ________, which means that all cells use the same code.

Question 50

A gene in a region of DNA that is wound more tightly around proteins in the nucleus will be

A)transcribed more often than other genes.
B)transcribed less often than other genes.
C)transcribed equally often as any other gene.
D)digested and recycled to produce new DNA.

Question 51

The process of using an RNA template to make proteins is called ________.

Question 52

Organisms can regulate both transcription and translation to control gene expression. What is one advantage and one disadvantage of regulating transcription rather than translation?

Question 53

A mutation that changes the anticodon of a tRNA is generally much more detrimental to a cell than a mutation that changes the codon of an mRNA. Explain why this might be the case.

Question 54

Identify if the following increase or decrease transcription or translation.
a.Transcription is up-regulated
b.Transcription is down-regulated
c.Translation is up-regulated
d.Translation is down-regulated
RNA polymerase binds to the promoter more easily.

Question 55

Transforming plants with a human gene produces a protein that is identical to the original human protein. Explain how this evidence demonstrates that the genetic code is universal, and list another experiment that could be used to further support this theory.

Question 56

If a molecule of mRNA is a sentence, its bases are the letters and the codons are the ________.

Question 57

Gene regulation is the ability to

A)cut out a certain region of DNA to save energy.
B)increase or decrease protein synthesis from a given gene.
C)change the sequence of a gene to produce a new protein.
D)share genetic information between different organisms.

Question 58

In bacteria, a particular gene codes for a protein that helps the bacteria break down and use lactose as a food source. If no lactose is present,

A)the gene will be broken down so no enzyme is made.
B)the gene will mutate to produce another, more useful, enzyme.
C)the promoter for this gene will be blocked so RNA polymerase can't bind.
D)the promoter for this gene will be enhanced so RNA polymerase binds more readily.

Question 59

Bacteria do not have a nucleus, and therefore do not use RNA splicing after translation. The initial mRNA that is produced is translated directly. An experiment transforms a bacterial cell and a eukaryotic cell with an identical gene (of identical length). Explain how the proteins from each cell would differ.

Question 60

A tRNA with the anticodon GGG would have the amino acid ________ bound to it.

Question 61

Identify if the following increase or decrease transcription or translation.
a.Transcription is up-regulated
b.Transcription is down-regulated
c.Translation is up-regulated
d.Translation is down-regulated
The mRNA molecules are broken down quickly.

Question 62

Identify if the following increase or decrease transcription or translation.
a.Transcription is up-regulated
b.Transcription is down-regulated
c.Translation is up-regulated
d.Translation is down-regulated
Fewer RNA polymerase enzymes are produced.

Question 63

Identify if the following increase or decrease transcription or translation.
a.Transcription is up-regulated
b.Transcription is down-regulated
c.Translation is up-regulated
d.Translation is down-regulated
Fewer tRNA molecules are produced.

Question 64

Identify if the following increase or decrease transcription or translation.
a.Transcription is up-regulated
b.Transcription is down-regulated
c.Translation is up-regulated
d.Translation is down-regulated
More ribosomes are produced.