NAME: FORM ONE (1)

C#:
Seat#:

HONOR CODE
Students are required to uphold the student Honor Code. It is the policy of the
Biology Department that academic dishonesty or complicity with the dishonest will
result in a failing grade in the course.

INSTRUCTIONS

FIRST: Clearly write your name, C#, form number and seat number on your
scantron and this exam paper.

PART I

 10 True/False Comprehension Questions (10 points)

 21 Multiple Choice Questions (20 points plus 1 bonus points)
 TOTAL 30 Questions (30 points + 2 bonus points)

Answer Part I of the exam using the scantron sheet provided. Make only one
choice per question. If you fail to use the scantron sheet to answer the questions in
Part I of this exam your answers will not be graded.

PART II

 5 Short Answer Questions (20 points)

 One Worked Problem (5 points plus 5 bonus points)
 TOTAL 6 Questions (25 points + 5 bonus points)

Answer Part II of the exam in the space provided on the exam question
sheet. Your handwriting must be legible!

A sheet of scratch paper is provided as the back page of this exam booklet.

TOTAL POINTS = 55 + 6 bonus points

Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (1 point each)

1. There are three hydrogen bonds between GC pairs.
a. True
b. False
2. The pyrimidine bases in nucleic acids are cytosine, adenine, and uracil.
a. True
b. False
3. When DNA base sequences are cited in scientific literature, the sequence of
the template strand is given, because this is the strand that the RNA is read
from.
a. True
b. False
4. Genes are encoded on both strands of a DNA helix but an individual gene is
encoded on only one of the two strands.
a. True
b. False
5. The relationship between genome size and gene number is linear. Bigger
genomes have more genes.
a. True
b. False
6. The human genome has 22 pairs of autosomes.
a. True
b. False
7. During transcription, the template strand is read 5’ to 3’, and RNA is
synthesized in the 3’ to 5’ direction.
a. True
b. False
8. Autosomal dominant disorders are transmitted equally to sons and daughters.
a. True
b. False
9. All organisms contain DNA that is roughly 25% A, 25% T, 25% G, and 25%
C.
a. True
b. False
10. Not all RNAs are translated.
a. True
b. False

FORM 1 2
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING

ANSWERS (1 point each)
11. What is the expected proportion of adenine in a sample of normal double-
stranded DNA that has a cytosine content of 20%?
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40%
e. 60%
12. How many different DNA molecules six nucleotide pairs long are theoretically
possible?
a. 24
b. 48
c. 1,296
d. 4,096
e. 8,192
13. In a double strand of DNA, is it ever possible for the number of cytosines to
be greater than the number of guanines?
(a) Yes
(b) No
14. Which type of DNA segment codes for a protein?
a. rDNA
b. Centromere
c. Telomere
d. Nucleolar organizer
e. Open reading frame
15. How many telomeres are there in a human sperm?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 23
d. 46
e. 92
16. Exons are:
a. Excised during mRNA processing
b. Exclusively found in eukaryotes
c. Expressed into protein
d. Exceptionally long
17. The most common elements in living organisms are carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur. Which of them is not found in
DNA?
a. hydrogen
b. oxygen
c. nitrogen
d. phosphorous
e. sulfur
18. In a certain 1 kb DNA molecule the A+T content is 60%. How many
hydrogen bonds hold the two strands of this molecule together?
a. 400
b. 600
c. 1000
d. 1200
e. 2400

FORM 1 3
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

19. Heterochromatin contains

a. no genes
b. only nonfunctional genes
c. only a few genes
d. the same number of genes per unit as euchromatin
e. more genes per unit than euchromatin
20. The following diagram shows a fragment of transcribed DNA (the upper strand
is the template strand):
5’-GCCTAA-3’
3’-CGGATT-5’
The transcribed RNA is:
a. 5’-GCCUAA-3’
b. 5’-CGGTUU-3’
c. 3’-UUTGGC-5’
d. 3’-CGGTUU-5’
e. 3’-CGGTAA-5’
21. A process that occurs in meiosis but not mitosis is:
a. Chromatid formation
b. Cell division
c. One cross-over per homologous pair of chromosomes
d. Separation of homologous centromeres to opposite poles
e. Chromosome condensation
22. The genetic material of an RNA virus, a DNA virus, and a wombat (an
Australian mammal) were analyzed by a very disorganized laboratory
technician, who lost identification tags to the samples. Identify the source of
the nucleic acid for each sample.
Sample Adenine Cytosine Guanine Thymine Uracil

(i) 28.0 22.0 22.0 0.0 28.0

(ii) 21.0 29.0 29.0 21.0 0.0

(iii) 27.0 24.0 26.0 23.0 0.0

a. (i) wombat DNA (ii) double-stranded RNA virus (iii) single-stranded

DNA virus
b. (i) double-stranded DNA virus (ii) wombat DNA (iii) single-stranded
RNA virus
c. (i) double-stranded RNA virus (ii) wombat DNA (iii) single-stranded
DNA virus
d. (i) single-stranded RNA virus (ii) wombat DNA (iii) double-stranded
DNA virus
23. A characteristic of homologous chromosomes is that
a. They all carry alleles for the same genes in the same relative positions
b. They regularly exchange DNA by crossing over at meiosis
c. They physically pair at meiosis
d. All of the above

FORM 1 4
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

24. A phenotypically normal woman is a carrier of the recessive allele that causes
albinism. What proportion of her eggs will carry the mutation that results in
an absence of melanin?
a. None
b. All
c. ¾
d. ½
e. ¼
25. The name of the Father of Genetics is:
a. Wendelssohn
b. Kendel
c. Mendel
d. Mendelssohn
26. Sex determination in aphids is:
a. XY
b. ZW
c. XO
d. Temperature dependent
e. Haplodiploid
27. A couple in Indiana are each heterozygous for the autosomal recessive allele
for phenylketonuria (PKU). They have two children. What is the probability
that both children will also be carriers?
a. 3/4
b. 1/16
c. 1/4
d. 9/16
e. 5/8
28. If genes assort independently, a selfed dihybrid characteristically produces
progeny phenotypes in the ratio:
a. 1:1
b. 1:2:1
c. 3:1
d. 9:3:3:1
e. 1:1:1:1
29. In a cross made with variegated Four O’Clock plants, pollen is provided from
flowers on a white sector, and ovules from a green sector. The progeny are
expected to be
a. All green
b. All white
c. All variegated
d. Some variegated, some green and some white
e. Some variegated and some white
30. In Drosophila, the two genes w and sn are X-linked and 25 map units apart. A
female of genotype w+sn+/w sn is crossed to a male from a wild-type line.
What percent of progeny will be w+sn?
a. 0
b. 12.5
c. 25
d. 37.5
e. 50

FORM 1 5
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

31. The following pedigree shows the inheritance of attached earlobes (black
symbols) and unattached earlobes (open symbols). Both alternate
phenotypes are quite common in human populations.

If the phenotypes are determined by alleles of one gene, then attached

earlobes are inherited as
a. An autosomal dominant trait
b. An autosomal recessive trait
c. An X-linked dominant trait
d. An X-linked recessive trait
e. A Y-linked trait

FORM 1 6
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

32. The following is a diagram of a eukaryotic gene and its mRNA: (4 points)
DNA
A B C D E F G H I

mRNA
B D F H
F

The regulatory regions of this gene are: ___________

The exons of this gene are: _____________________

The introns of this gene are: ____________________

The termination signal of this gene is: ____________

33. In the chart below indicate by a “+” if the characteristic is present in at least
some members of the group. Use an “0” if the characteristic is absent in all
members of the group. (0.2 points per correctly filled cell for a total of 3
points + one point if whole table is correct).

Trait Bacteria Bacteriophages Eukaryotes

(a) RNA as its genetics material

(b) Shine-Dalgarno sequences

(c) 5’ end capping

(d) open reading frames

(e) spliceosomes

34. What is semiconservative replication? (2 points)

FORM 1 7
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

35. If a mutation that inactivated the telomerase occurred in a cell (telomerase

activity in the cell = zero), what do you expect the outcome to be? (2 points)

36. If the genes assort independently, what will be the progeny genotypes and
their proportions in the cross: A/a ; B/b x A/a ; b/b ? (Ch6 Q1) (6 points)

FORM 1 8
Spring 2008 Dr Alex Wilson
Mid-term I – Thursday February 7th 2008
NAME: C#:

WORKED PROBLEM (5 points plus 5 bonus points = 10 points)

A mutant allele in mice causes a bent tail. Six pairs of mice were crossed. Their
phenotypes and those of their progeny are given below. N is normal phenotype; B is
bent phenotype. Deduce the mode of inheritance of this phenotype. (Ch5, Q21)

Cross Parents Progeny

female male female male
1 N B All B All N
2 B N 1/2B, 1/2N 1/2B, 1/2N
3 B N All B All B
4 N N All N All N
5 B B All B All B
6 B B All B 1/2B, 1/2N

a. Is it recessive or dominant? (2 points)

b. Is it autosomal or sex-linked? (2 points)

c. What are the genotypes of all the parents and progeny? (1/4 point of each
correctly filled cell for a total of 6 points).

Cross Parents Progeny

female male female male

FORM 1 9