Extra Credit Questions for Transcription and Translation Test
Name:___________________________
1. A single nucleotide of DNA is composed of which of the following substances?
A. adenine, guanine, and cytosine
B. hydrogen, a phosphate group, and adenine
C. ribose sugar, deoxyribose sugar, and thymine
D. deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
2. In the 1940s and 1950s, scientists did experiments to determine the molecule
responsible for heredity. Their experiments demonstrated that the molecule that
encodes and transmits information in organisms is
A. DNA.
B. glucosamine.
C. insulin.
D. vitamin D.
3. Which of the following is an example of a mutation?
A. A red blood cell loses its nucleus.
B. A zygote receives two X chromosomes.
C. A strand of mRNA is produced from DNA.
D. A nucleotide is missing in a replicated DNA strand.
4. Which of the following statements describes each new molecule of DNA produced
when DNA replicates?
A. Each new molecule is half the length of the original molecule.
B. Each new molecule has only the coding portions of the original molecule in its
sequence.
C. Each new molecule contains one strand from the original molecule and one newly
synthesized strand.
D. Each new molecule retains the A, C, and G bases in the DNA sequence but
replaces the T base with U.
5. When an extra nitrogenous base is inserted into the DNA sequence of a gene, the
protein product of the gene is usually nonfunctional. Which of the following
statements best explains why?
A. The inserted base increases the rate of translation in the corresponding mRNA
sequence.
B. The inserted base causes the DNA sequence to be transcribed into the RNA in the
opposite direction.
C. The inserted base causes the codons in the mRNA sequence to be incorrect for the
desired protein.
D. The inserted base signals enzymes to translate the DNA sequence rather than the
RNA sequence into the protein.
The diagram below shows a process that occurs in cells.
Which process is shown in the diagram?
A. diffusion
B. recombination
C. respiration
D. translation
6. Which of the following processes relies directly on the complementary base
pairing of nucleotides?
A. synthesis of ATP
B. replication of DNA
C. formation of peptide bonds
D. pairing of chromosomes in meiosis
7. The table below presents a variety of mRNA three-base sequences (codons) and
the amino acids for which these sequences code.
First Base Second Base Third Base Amino Acid
of mRNA
of mRNA
of mRNA
G
A
G
U
A
glutamic acid
C
aspartic acid
G
glutamic acid
U
aspartic acid
A
glycine
C
glycine
G
glycine
U
glycine
A
valine
C
valine
G
valine
U
valine
Based on the information in the table, which of the following changes is least likely to
produce a phenotypic change in an organism?
A. GAU to GGU
B. GAU to GUU
C. GAU to GAA
D. GAU to GAC
8. Radon is a radioactive gas that is sometimes present in homes. If radon is
inhaled, its decay products are deposited in the lungs. Radioactive particles can
penetrate cells and cause changes to the cells’ DNA. These changes in DNA are an
example of which of the following?
A. homeostasis
B. mitosis
C. mutation
D. transcription
9. Which of the following statements describes a DNA molecule?
A. It contains the base uracil.
B. It has a double helix shape.
C. It contains five phosphate groups per nucleotide.
D. It has a backbone of twenty different nucleotides.
10. Specific DNA sequences called “promoters” provide binding sites for the enzyme
that synthesizes RNA. Promoters are directly involved in which cellular process?
A. active transport
B. crossing over
C. replication
D. transcription
11.
11. An RNA sequence is shown below.
AUGCCGAAACGU
Which of the following statements describes how the RNA sequence specifies the
production of an amino acid chain?
A. Each individual RNA base codes for a single amino acid.
B. Each group of three RNA bases codes for a single amino acid.
C. Each group of three RNA bases codes for an enzyme that helps join amino acids
together.
D. Each individual RNA base codes for the ribosome location where amino acids are
assembled.
12. The diagram below shows a pair of DNA nucleotides. The nitrogenous base
guanine (G) is labeled.
Which nitrogenous base pairs with guanine?
A. adenine (A)
B. cytosine (C)
C. thymine (T)
D. uracil (U)
13. The diagram below represents a process that occurs in the nucleus of a eukaryotic
cell.
Which of the following statements describes what is happening in this process?
A. Molecules of RNA are forming chromosomes.
B. A molecule of mRNA is directing the production of tRNA.
C. Molecules of DNA are being packaged for export to the ribosomes.
D. A molecule of DNA is being replicated to make two identical copies.
14. The diagram below represents the beginning and end products of a process that
occurs in the nucleus of a cell.
Which process does the diagram represent?
A. recombination
B. replication
C. transcription
D. translation
15. A laboratory technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produces millions
of copies of a DNA molecule in only a few hours. PCR is most similar to which of
the following cellular processes?
A. mitosis
B. replication
C. transcription
D. translocation
16. Which of the following models most accurately represents the structure of DNA?
A.
B.
C.
D.