Deck 3: Nucleic Acids and Transcription

Question 1

A "googol" is the term given to the number 10¹⁰⁰ (that is, the number 1 followed by 100 zeros). The DNA molecules in the chromosomes in a human sperm or egg contain approximately 3 × 10⁹ (3 billion) base pairs. How many googol's worth of genetic information could be encoded in human chromosomal DNA molecules?

Answer 1

806 × 10⁷ googols. In other words, the number of theoretically possible human DNA sequences is about 20 million googols.

Question 2

Why did scientists many years ago believe that protein was the storage molecule for genetic information instead of DNA?

A)There are more building blocks for protein than there are for DNA.
B)Proteins have a wider variety of three-dimensional shapes than DNA.
C)Proteins carry out a great range of cellular functions.
D)All of these choices are correct.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Would a double-stranded DNA molecule carry more information than a single-stranded RNA molecule of the same length? Why?

Answer 3

Both could carry the same amount of information. Because the bases in double-stranded DNA are paired A with T and G with C, specifying the sequence of either strand also specifies the other. Therefore the number of possible sequences is identical in a double stranded DNA molecule and a single-stranded RNA molecular of the same length.

Question 4

The discovery that DNA from killed virulent bacterial can transform live harmless bacteria into virulent forms means that DNA:

A)is double stranded.
B)is transcribed into RNA.
C)codes for proteins.
D)contains information that controls an organism's traits.

Question 5

A "googol" is the term given to the number 10¹⁰⁰ (that is, the number 1 followed by 100 zeros). Given a double-stranded DNA molecule of length n base pairs, how big does n have to be to yield more than a googol of possible sequences?

Question 6

In the experiments conducted by Avery, McCarty, and MacLeod, which one of the following hypothetical results would indicate that protein, not nucleic acid, was Griffith's transforming principle?

A)None of the extracts from heat-killed cells is able to transform nonvirulent bacteria.
B)All of the extracts from heat-killed cells are able to transform nonvirulent bacteria.
C)Only the extracts from heat-killed cells treated with RNase are unable to transform nonvirulent bacteria.
D)Only the extracts from heat-killed cells treated with DNase are unable to transform nonvirulent bacteria.
E)Only the extracts from heat-killed cells treated with protease are unable to transform nonvirulent bacteria.

Question 7

Many mutations are detrimental to organisms that acquire them, but other mutations are beneficial and allow evolution of that species.

Question 8

In prokaryotes, newly synthesized proteins are found in the _____ and DNA are observed in the _____.

A)cytoplasm; nucleus
B)nucleus; cytoplasm
C)nucleus; nucleus also
D)cytoplasm; cytoplasm also
E)nucleus; nucleus also and the cytoplasm

Question 9

Deoxyribonucleic acid is used for:

A)transmission of information.
B)storage of information.
C)biological catalysis.
D)energy storage.
E)cell-to-cell communication.

Question 10

The flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein is referred to as the _____ of molecular biology.

Question 11

What is the order of processes that support the central dogma?

A)DNA replication, translation, protein synthesis
B)DNA replication, transcription, translation
C)Transcription, DNA replication, translation
D)DNA replication, translation, transcription

Question 12

The central dogma of molecular biology states that information flows from:

A)DNA directly to protein.
B)protein to RNA to DNA.
C)DNA to RNA to protein.
D)RNA to protein to DNA.
E)RNA to DNA to protein.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding Frederick Griffith's experiments?

A)He demonstrated that proteins serve as the genetic/hereditary material.
B)He demonstrated that DNA serves as the genetic/hereditary material.
C)He demonstrated that (only)dead virulent bacteria cause pneumonia in mice.
D)His experiments relied on RNase and DNase to identify the genetic/hereditary material.
E)None of the other answer options is correct.

Question 14

A single unit of heredity that contains the information for an individual protein is referred to as a(n) _____.

Question 15

Translation is the process by which:

A)the information in DNA is used to synthesize an exact copy of that DNA.
B)ribosomes synthesize protein from information in an RNA molecule.
C)a section of DNA is used as information to generate an RNA molecule.
D)an RNA molecule is used to repair damage to a related DNA molecule.
E)ribosomes read the information in a DNA molecule and use it to synthesize protein.

Question 16

Nonvirulent bacteria can still be transformed into virulent bacteria if it is combined with debris from heat-killed virulent bacteria that is first treated with:

A)DNase.
B)RNase.
C)protease.
D)no enzyme.

Question 17

When a mixture of debris from killed virulent bacteria and live nonvirulent bacteria are injected into mice:

A)the mice are killed because the virulent bacteria are revived.
B)the mice survive because none of the living bacteria are virulent.
C)the mice survive for a period of a few weeks and then die from an unrelated illness.
D)half the mice are killed and the other half survive.
E)the mice are killed because the nonvirulent bacteria are transformed into virulent bacteria.

Question 18

What is the central dogma?

A)DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into protein.
B)RNA is transcribed into DNA, which is translated into protein.
C)DNA is transcribed into protein, which is translated into RNA.
D)RNA is transcribed into protein, which is translated into DNA.

Question 19

If the Avery-MacLeod-McCarty transformation experiment was carried out in an RNA world, the transforming activity would be destroyed by:

A)DNase.
B)RNase.
C)protease.
D)lipase.

Question 20

Muscle cells make different proteins than nerve cells because they have different sequences of DNA.

Question 21

Imagine that you traveled back in time to the early 1940s. You meet a group of scientists, and tell them that DNA is the hereditary material. Why might the scientists refute your statement?

A)DNA is linear and appears relatively "simple."
B)DNA does not appear to (directly)carry out many cellular functions.
C)Proteins can have intricate three-dimensional structures.
D)Proteins are integral parts of many cellular processes.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 22

Imagine you have discovered a new species of bacteria. To begin your investigation of this organism, you run an assay on the total nucleotide content of the bacterial cells. If 40 percent of the nucleotides in the DNA are cytosine, what percentage of the DNA is made of adenine nucleotides?

Question 23

Which of the following is TRUE of DNA?

A)Successive nucleotides in a strand are connected by hydrogen bonds.
B)A phosphate group in a nucleotide is attached to the 3 carbon in ribose.
C)A purine always forms a complementary base pair with a pyrimidine.
D)The percentage of the purine A always equals the percentage of the purine G.
E)It is used by ribosomes for translation.

Question 24

DNA is often described as having a shape like a spiral staircase. What parts of the DNA molecule are represented by the railings and by the steps?

Question 25

If protease treatment in Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty's experiment prevented the transformation of bacteria, what would have been the conclusion of these researchers?

A)RNA is the genetic/hereditary material.
B)DNA is the genetic/hereditary material.
C)Protein is the genetic/hereditary material.
D)Protein and RNA are the genetic/hereditary materials.
E)Protein and DNA are the genetic/hereditary materials.

Question 26

When DNA or genetic information is passed between bacteria (and bacteria take up this material from their surrounding environment), this process is referred to as:

A)transmutation.
B)transferration.
C)transformation.
D)translation.
E)transcription.

Question 27

DNA is often described as having a shape like a spiral staircase. Which of the spiral staircases in the photos below is the better analogous representation of a DNA molecule?

A)A
B)B

Question 28

In the spiral staircase analogy of DNA structure, each railing represents a _____ and each step represents a _____.

A)sugar-phosphate backbone; pair of bases
B)sugar-phosphate backbone; base
C)base; the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA molecule

Question 29

A double-stranded DNA molecule contains 2% of the trinucleotide 5' -ATG-3'. What other trinucleotide also has an abundance of 2%?

Question 30

No exceptions to the central dogma exist. RNA is always transcribed from DNA, and RNA is translated to produce proteins.

Question 31

In order to evaluate gene expression, a researcher needs to determine if a protein is produced from her gene of interest.

Question 32

Give the CORRECT complementary base pairs found in DNA and in RNA molecules.

Question 33

Imagine you have discovered a new species of bacteria. To begin your investigation of this organism, you run an assay on the total nucleotide content of the bacterial DNA. If the cytosine content of DNA from the bacterial cells is 40%, what is the adenine content?

A)10 %
B)20%
C)40%
D)605
E)It is not possible to calculate this number for prokaryotes.

Question 34

Which of the following CORRECTLY describes the complementary base pairing of adenine in both DNA and RNA?

A)Adenine pairs with thymine in both DNA and RNA.
B)Adenine pairs with uracil in DNA and with thymine in RNA.
C)Adenine pairs with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA.
D)Adenine pairs with cytosine in DNA and with guanine in RNA.
E)Adenine pairs with guanine in DNA and with cytosine in RNA.

Question 35

In a double-stranded DNA molecule, the strands are said to be antiparallel because:

A)they wind around one another.
B)each purine of one strand pairs with a pyrimidine of another.
C)they form an uneven pair of grooves on the outside of molecule.
D)one strand runs 5' to 3' and the other 3' to 5'.

Question 36

The central dogma of molecular biology refers to:

A)replication only.
B)transcription only.
C)translation only.
D)replication and transcription.
E)transcription and translation.

Question 37

A double-stranded DNA molecule contains 4% of the dinucleotide 5' -AG-3'. What other dinucleotide also has an abundance of 4%?

Question 38

The complementary base pairing of nucleotides in a DNA molecule is a structural feature that has important implications for DNA's function. What is the structural relationship between purine and pyrimidine nucleotides?

Question 39

Consider Griffith's experiment: If he observed healthy mice after injecting these animals with dead virulent and live nonvirulent bacteria, what could he have concluded?

A)Genetic information cannot be transferred between mice.
B)Genetic information cannot be transferred between bacteria.
C)Genetic information is transferrable.
D)The RNA of the bacteria used in this experiment was degraded.
E)None of the other answer options is correct.

Question 40

In eukaryotes, newly synthesized proteins encoded in genes in the nucleus are found in the _____ and DNA are observed in the _____.

A)cytoplasm; nucleus
B)nucleus; cytoplasm
C)nucleus; nucleus also
D)cytoplasm; cytoplasm also
E)nucleus; nucleus also or the cytoplasm

Question 41

DNA is isolated from a virus and found to contain 27% A, 27% T, 23% C and 23% G. The DNA is likely to be:

A)contaminated with RNA.
B)circular.
C)single stranded.
D)double stranded.

Question 42

Which one of the following is LEAST likely to be found in a nucleotide?

A)one or more phosphate groups
B)a five-carbon sugar
C)a side chain
D)a nitrogen-containing base
E)All of the choices are equally likely to be found in a nucleotide.

Question 43

Which one of the following represents an actual Watson-Crick base pair with the LARGEST number of hydrogen bonds?

A)adenine and cytosine
B)cytosine and guanine
C)thymine and guanine
D)cytosine and thymine
E)adenine and thymine

Question 44

In a DNA strand, successive nucleotides are linked by:

A)hydrogen bonds
B)base stacking
C)3'-5' phosphodiester bonds
D)2'-5' phosphodiester bonds
E)peptide bonds

Question 45

Sometimes the sequence of DNA gets mutated and an adenine is paired to a cytosine. Why is this interaction unstable?

A)Because the phosphate groups of the two bases repel each other.
B)Because an ionic bond cannot be formed between the two.
C)Because the chemical groups that form hydrogen bonds are in the wrong positions.
D)Because the charges on the bases repel one another.

Question 46

In double-stranded DNA, the sugar-phosphate backbones are:

A)on the outside, separated by grooves of equal size.
B)on the outside, separated by grooves of unequal size.
C)on the inside, separated by grooves of equal size.
D)on the inside, separated by grooves of unequal size.

Question 47

Which one of the following activities would LEAST likely be found in a topoisomerase?

A)cutting a phosphodiester linkage
B)inducing or relaxing twists in double-stranded DNA
C)adding nucleotides to the end of a DNA strand
D)reforming phosphodiester linkages
E)Topoisomerases are equally likely to perform all of these functions.

Question 48

In double-stranded DNA, the amount of A equals that of T and the amount of C equals that of G because:

A)the strands wind around one another.
B)the strands have complementary sequences of bases.
C)pyrimidines always pair with each other, as do purines.
D)one strand runs 5' to 3' and the other 3' to 5'.

Question 49

Which type of protein does DNA wrap around so that it can be packaged in a cell?

A)histones
B)topoisomerase
C)ribosomal proteins
D)DNA polymerase
E)spliceosome proteins

Question 50

If the first nucleotide after the promoter on the top DNA strand is changed from G to T, what would the resulting nucleotide be on the mRNA?

A)A
B)C
C)T
D)G

Question 51

In the DNA of certain bacterial cells, 16% of the nucleotides are adenine. What are the percentages of the other nucleotides in the bacterial DNA?

A)16% thymidine, 34% guanine, 34% cytosine
B)34% uracil, 16% guanine, 16% cytosine
C)34% thymidine, 34% guanine, 16% cytosine
D)34% thymidine, 16% guanine, 34% cytosine

Question 52

Which of the following statements about DNA is/are CORRECT?

A)DNA typically exists in cells as a double helix.
B)There are 10 base pairs per turn in a helical DNA molecule.
C)Adenine is complementary to cytosine.
D)The strands in DNA wrap around each other in a helix that coils to the right.
E)Successive nucleotides are attached by peptide bonds.

Question 53

Which one of the following statements about RNA is INCORRECT?

A)The nucleotide at the 5' end of an RNA molecule is typically a nucleoside triphosphate.
B)RNA is usually found in double-stranded form, just like DNA.
C)RNA molecules are typically shorter than DNA molecules.
D)RNA molecules can form base pairs within a single strand.
E)RNA molecules are capable of evolving their enzymatic activity over time.

Question 54

A five-carbon sugar connected to a purine or pyrimidine ring is MOST accurately referred to as a(n) _____.

Question 55

Why aren't nucleosides incorporated into DNA?

A)The bases are not fully assembled.
B)The sugar is not in the right form.
C)There are no phosphates to make the phosphodiester bonds.
D)The peptide bonds don't form.

Question 56

Occasionally, a double-stranded DNA molecule contains a uracil base (U) instead of T. If a U were present in the template strand of DNA, what base do you think would be incorporated into the RNA transcript at that position?

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

Question 57

In a nucleotide, the phosphate is attached to the _____ carbon of the sugar, and the base is attached to the _____ carbon of the sugar.

A)1'; 5'
B)2'; 3'
C)3'; 5'
D)5'; 1'
E)5'; 3'

Question 58

If the first nucleotide after the promoter on the bottom DNA strand in the simulation is changed from C to T, what would the resulting nucleotide be on the mRNA? Test your prediction by making the change and running the simulation.

A)A
B)C
C)T
D)U

Question 59

Chromatin is composed of:

A)histones and DNA.
B)histones, DNA and RNA.
C)histones, DNA, and acidic proteins.
D)histones and DNA surrounded by a membrane.

Question 60

Which one of the following nucleotides hydrogen base pairs with adenine in an RNA molecule?

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

Question 61

If a DNA molecule is visualized as a wood screw from a hardware store, the threads in the screw would be spaced identical distances from each other.

Question 62

Which one of the following represents a standard Watson-Crick base pair interaction?

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

Question 63

The hydrophobicity of the planar nitrogenous ring structures of a nucleotide, leading to the exclusion of water and stability of DNA, is referred to as:

A)Watson-Crick base pairing.
B)supercoiling.
C)base-stacking interactions.
D)complementarity.
E)polarity.

Question 64

The strands in a DNA molecule are:

A)antiparallel.
B)complementary.
C)identical.
D)perpendicular.
E)covalently bonded to each other.

Question 65

The covalent linkage between nucleotides is referred to as a(n) _____ bond.

Question 66

Supercoils in DNA are induced or relaxed by enzymes called topoisomerases.

Question 67

Which of the following forces contribute to the stability of a DNA double helix?

A)hydrophobic interactions of bases in the same strand
B)hydrogen bonding between bases in opposite strands
C)ionic interactions between the positively charged component of one base and the negatively charged component of the neighboring base
D)hydrophobic interactions of bases in the same strand and hydrogen bonding between bases in opposite strands
E)hydrophobic interactions of bases in the same strand, hydrogen bonding between bases in opposite strands, and ionic interactions between the positively charged component of one base and the negatively charged component of the neighboring base

Question 68

The strands in a double helix of DNA are:

A)antiparallel.
B)complementary.
C)held together via hydrogen bonds.
D)wound around each other with 10 base pairs per turn.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 69

An organism's genomic DNA is analyzed and found to contain 22% thymine. What percentage of that organism's DNA is guanine?

A)22%
B)28%
C)44%
D)56%
E)78%

Question 70

In a deoxyribonucleotide, what chemical group is found at the 2' carbon of the sugar component?

A)an oxygen
B)a hydroxyl group
C)one or more phosphate groups
D)an amino group
E)a hydrogen

Question 71

An organism's genome is analyzed and found to contain 18% thymine. What percentage of that organism's DNA is cytosine?

A)32%
B)18%
C)82%
D)64%
E)36%

Question 72

In the DNA sequence 5'-TGAC-3', the phosphodiester linkage between the guanine and the adenine connects:

A)the 3' end of the guanine to the 5' end of the adenine.
B)the 2' end of the adenine to the 3' end of the guanine.
C)the 5' end of the guanine to the 1' end of the adenine.
D)the 3' end of the adenine to the 5' end of the guanine.
E)the 5' end of the guanine to the 2' end of the adenine.

Question 73

DNA wraps around histone and other proteins to form _____.

Question 74

Nucleic acid or protein sequences that are very similar from one organism to another are called:

A)conserved.
B)complementary.
C)antiparallel.
D)coding sequences.

Question 75

In the DNA of certain bacterial cells, 16% of the nucleotides are adenine. What are the percentages of the other nucleotides in the bacterial DNA?

Question 76

Select the answer option that arranges the following in order from smallest to largest.

A)genome, gene, nucleotide, nucleoside
B)gene, nucleotide, genome, nucleoside
C)nucleoside, nucleotide, gene, genome
D)nucleotide, nucleoside, gene, genome
E)nucleoside, nucleotide, genome, gene

Question 77

Imagine that you are an interior architecture/biology double major. While at home during break, one of your friends asks you to design and help build a spiral staircase that is modeled after a DNA molecule. The staircase must have 12 steps and each step needs to be 6 feet wide. You say, "OK, as long as you provide the materials." Then your friend shows you what you have to work with: a couple of spiral railings and some boards. The trouble is the only boards he has for you to work with are either 2 feet long or 4 feet long. Explain why you are still able to design and build the staircase using the materials he has on hand.

Question 78

In the sequence AGGCCT, an available phosphate group would be found at the 5' end of the nucleotide labeled "T."

Question 79

In a nucleotide, to which carbon in the sugar is the base attached?

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

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a component of a nucleotide?

A)a five-carbon sugar
B)one or more phosphate groups
C)a nitrogen-containing base
D)a carboxyl group
E)All of these choices are correct.