Biology Ch. 12 Test – DNA and RNA
Name____________________________________
Multiple Choice- Write the letter on the line provided that best answers the question or statement (1 pt
each)
1. _____ How did Watson and Crick describe their model of DNA?
A. A round circle
C. A twisted ladder
B. A straight line
D. A zig-zag corndog
2. _____ ______________ is made up of consecutive nucleotides in a sequence.
A. DNA
C. RNA
B. Codons
D. All of the above
3. _____ DNA is located in the ____________ of the cell.
A. Nucleus
C. Cytoplasm
B. Ribosome
D. None of the above
4. _____ How does DNA condense itself for mitosis?
A. By getting rid of part of it
C. By shrinking
B. By wrapping around histones
D. It doesn’t
5. _____ DNA replication results in two DNA molecules,
A. each with two new strands
B. one with two new strands and the other with two original strands
C. each with one new strand and one original strand
D. each with two original strands
6. _____ During mitosis, the
A. DNA molecules unwind
B. Histones and DNA molecules separate
C. DNA molecules become more tightly coiled
D. Nucleosomes become less tightly packed
7. _____ Unlike DNA, RNA contains
A. Adenine
C. Uracil
B. Phosphate groups
D. Thymine
8. _____ Which type(s) of RNA is(are) involved in protein synthesis?
A. transfer RNA only
B. messenger RNA only
C. ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA only
D. messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, and transfer RNA
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Biology Ch. 12 Test – DNA and RNA
9. _____ During transcription, an RNA molecule is formed
A. that is complementary to both strands of DNA
B. that is double-stranded
C. that is identical to part of a single strand of DNA
D. inside the nucleus
10. _____ Which type of RNA functions as a blueprint of the genetic code?
A. rRNA
C. tRNA
B. mRNA
D. RNA polymerase
11. _____ During which phase of the cell cycle would you expect to see DNA condensed into
chromosomes?
A. Replication
C. Mitosis
B. Interphase
D. Translation
12. _____ Transcription occurs in the ____________ and translation occurs at ____________.
A. Ribosome, cytoplasm
C. Cytoplasm, cell membrane
B. Nucleus, ribosomes
D. Mitochondria, nucleus
13. _____ What is the function of ribosomes?
A. To make proteins
C. to make energy
B. To copy DNA
D. to make RNA
14. _____ Genes contain instructions for assembling
A. Purines
C. Nucleosomes
B. Proteins
D. Pyrimidines
15. _____ In a DNA molecule, a sugar, phosphate, and nitrogenous base are collectively referred to
as
A. DNA
C. RNA
B. Nucleotide
D. A codon
Matching- match the term with the description (1 pt each)
A. Carries amino acids for translation
_____ transcription
B. 3 consecutive nucleotides coding for an amino acid
_____ anticodon
C. Located in the cytoplasm
_____ ribosomal RNA
D. A temporary copy of DNA’s instructions
_____ translation
E. The process of assembling a protein from RNA
_____ transfer RNA
F. Makes up part of a ribosome
_____ codon
G. The process of copying DNA into RNA
_____ messenger RNA
H. Complimentary to codon
_____ ribosome
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Biology Ch. 12 Test – DNA and RNA
Short answer- Answer each question completely using complete sentences.
17. What are the 3 parts of a nucleotide? (3 pts)
18. Why is DNA replication important? What is one reason that a cell would need to replicate its
DNA? (3 pts)
19. How did Watson and Crick describe the structure of DNA? (2 pts)
20. Erwin Chargoff developed his rule based on observation of DNA. What is Chargoff’s rule and
why is it always correct? (3 pts)
21. What does it mean when we say DNA replication is semiconservative? Why is semiconservative
replication advantageous to producing new strands without any mistakes? (3 pts)
22. What are the 3 main differences between DNA and RNA? (4 pts)
23. Describe why the effects of a frameshift mutation are more significant than a point mutation. (2
pts)
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Biology Ch. 12 Test – DNA and RNA
24. In the correct order, what are the main steps in DNA replication? (4 pts)
25. Transcribe the following strand of DNA. Then label which amino acids are being coded for
during transcription. (2 pts)
TACCGTACAGGTCAGAT GATGTACATC
EXTRA CREDIT- Epigenetics
26. If a histone is methylated, causing the DNA to wrap more tightly around the histone, will the
gene be turned on or off? (1 pt)
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