SCORE NAME: ____________________

DATE:_____________________

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or
answers the question.

1) For a couple of decades, biologists knew the nucleus contained DNA and proteins. The
prevailing opinion was that proteins were the genetic material and not DNA. The reason for this
belief was that proteins were more complex than DNA. This is because
A) proteins have a greater variety of three-dimensional forms than does DNA.
B) proteins have two different levels of structural organization; DNA has four.
C) proteins are made of 20 amino acids and DNA is made of four nucleotides.
D) A and C only are correct.
E) A, B, and C are correct.

2) Which of the following is least related to the others in the list?

A) DNA
B) phage
C) Avery
D) transformation
E) Griffith

3) What does transformation involve in bacteria?

A) the type of semiconservative replication shown by DNA
B) the creation of a strand of RNA from a DNA molecule
C) assimilation of external DNA into a cell
D) the infection of cells by a phage DNA molecule
E) the creation of a strand of DNA from an RNA molecule

4) Tobacco mosaic virus has RNA rather than DNA as its genetic material. In a hypothetical
situation where RNA from a tobacco mosaic virus is mixed with proteins from a related DNA virus,
the result could be a hybrid virus. If that virus were to infect a cell and reproduce, what would the
resulting "offspring" viruses be like?
A) tobacco mosaic virus
B) a hybrid: tobacco mosaic virus RNA and protein from the DNA virus
C) the related DNA virus
D) a virus with a double helix made up of one strand of DNA complementary to a strand of RNA
surrounded by viral protein
E) a hybrid: tobacco mosaic virus protein and nucleic acid from the DNA virus

5) Which of the following names is least related to the others?

A) Griffith B) Meselson C) Watson D) Avery E) Hershey

6) The following scientists made significant contributions to our understanding of the structure
and functions of DNA:
I. Avery, McCarty, MacLeod
II. Chargaff
III. Hershey and Chase
IV. Meselson and Stahl
V. Watson and Crick
Place the scientists' names in the correct chronological order, starting with the oldest contribution.
A) I, II, V, IV, III
B) V, IV, II, I, III
C) II, I, III, V, IV
D) II, III, IV, V, I
E) I, II, III, V, IV

7) All of the following elements are present in DNA except

A) nitrogen.
B) sulfur.
C) carbon.
D) oxygen.
E) phosphorus.

8) In trying to determine whether DNA or protein was the genetic material, Al Hershey and
Martha Chase made use of which of the following facts?
A) DNA contains phosphorus, but protein does not.
B) DNA does not contain sulfur, whereas protein does.
C) DNA contains greater amounts of nitrogen than does protein.
D) A and B only are correct.
E) A, B, and C are correct.

9) If radioactive sulfur (35S) is used in a culture medium of bacteria that contains phage viruses,
it will later appear in the
A) bacterial RNA.
B) bacterial cell wall.
C) viral RNA.
D) viral DNA.
E) viral coats.

10) For a science fair project, two students decided to repeat the Hershey and Chase
experiment, with modifications. They decide that labeling the phosphates of the DNA wasn't good
enough. Each nucleotide has only one phosphate, whereas each has two to five nitrogens. Thus,
labeling the nitrogens would provide a stronger label than labeling the phosphates. This
experiment will not work because
A) Meselson and Stahl already did this experiment.
B) radioactive nitrogen has a half-life of 100,000 years and the material would be too dangerous
for too long.
C) although there are more nitrogens in a nucleotide, labeled phosphates actually have 16 extra
neutrons, so they are more radioactive.
D) amino acids (and thus proteins) also have nitrogen atoms, thus the radioactivity would not
distinguish between DNA and proteins.
E) there is no radioactive isotope of nitrogen.

SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or
answers the question.
Refer to the following information to answer the following questions. For each of the important
discoveries that led to our present knowledge of the nature of genes described below, select the
investigator(s) associated with each.

A. Griffith
B. Hershey and Chase
C. Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty
D. Chargaff
E. Meselson and Stahl

11) Chemicals from heat-killed S cells were purified. The chemicals were tested for the ability to
transform live R cells. The transforming agent was found to be DNA.

12) The DNA of a phage was injected into the bacterial host, but the protein coat stayed outside.
The viral DNA directed the host to replicate new phage viruses.

13) In any DNA sample, the amount of adenine equals the amount of thymine and the amount of
guanine equals the amount of cytosine.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or
answers the question.
14) What happens when T2 phages are grown in the presence of radioactive phosphorus?
A) Their DNA becomes radioactive.
B) They transfer their radioactivity to E. coli chromosomes during infection.
C) Their DNA is found to be of medium density in a centrifuge tube.
D) They are no longer able to transform bacterial cells.
E) Their proteins become radioactive.

15) When T2 phage viruses that infect bacteria make more viruses in the presence of radioactive
sulfur, which of the following results?
A) The viral proteins are tagged by radioactivity.
B) Both the viral DNA and the viral proteins are tagged by radioactivity.
C) They transfer their radioactivity to E. coli DNA.
D) The viral DNA is tagged by radioactivity.
E) The viral DNA is found to be of medium density in a centrifuge tube.

16) Cytosine makes up 38% of the nucleotides in a sample of DNA from an organism. What
percent of the nucleotides in this sample will be thymine?
A) 38
B) 24
C) 31
D) 12
E) It cannot be determined from the information provided.

17) All of the following were determined directly from X-ray diffraction photographs of crystallized
DNA except
A) the linear distance required for one full turn of the double helix.
B) the sequence of nucleotides.
C) the diameter of the double helix.
D) the helical shape of DNA.
E) the width of the helix.

18) What kind of chemical bonds are found between paired bases of the DNA double helix?
A) ionic B) hydrogen C) phosphate D) covalent E) sulfhydryl

19) All of the following statements apply to the Watson and Crick model of DNA except:
A) The two strands of the helix are held together by covalent bonds.
B) The distance between the strands of the helix is uniform.
C) The framework of the helix consists of sugar-phosphate units of the nucleotides.
D) The two strands of the DNA form a double helix.
E) The purines are attracted to pyrimidines.

20) It became apparent to Watson and Crick after completion of their model that the DNA
molecule could carry a vast amount of hereditary information in its
A) different five-carbon sugars.
B) side groups of nitrogenous bases.
C) complementary pairing of bases.
D) sequence of bases.
E) phosphate-sugar backbones.

21) In an analysis of the nucleotide composition of DNA, which of the following is true?
A) A + C = G + T
B) A + T = G + C
C) A = G and C = T
D) A = C
E) Both B and C are true.

22) Suppose one were provided with an actively dividing culture of E. coli bacteria to which
radioactive thymine had been added. What would happen if a cell replicated once in the presence
of this radioactive base?
A) All four bases of the DNA would be radioactive.
B) DNA in both daughter cells would be radioactive.
C) One of the daughter cells, but not the other, would have radioactive DNA.
D) Radioactive thymine would pair with nonradioactive guanine.
E) Neither of the two daughter cells would be radioactive.

SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or
answers the question.
Use Figure 16.1 to answer the following questions.

Figure 16.1

23) In the late 1950s Meselson and Stahl grew bacteria in a medium containing "heavy" nitrogen
( 15N) and then transferred them to a medium containing 14N. Which of the results in Figure 16.1
would be expected after one DNA replication in the presence of 14N?

24) A space probe returns with a culture of a microorganism found on a distant planet. Analysis
shows that it is a carbon-based life form that has DNA. You grow the cells in 15N medium for
several generations and then transfer it to 14N medium. Which pattern in Figure 16.1 would you
expect if the DNA was replicated in a conservative manner?

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or
answers the question.
25) Which enzymes catalyze the elongation of a DNA strand in the 5' rightarrow 3' direction?
A) topoisomerase
B) primase
C) DNA ligase
D) helicase
E) DNA polymerases

26) What is the function of DNA polymerase?

A) to unwind the DNA helix during replication
B) to degrade damaged DNA molecules
C) to rejoin the two DNA strands (one new and one old) after replication
D) to seal together the broken ends of DNA strands
E) to add nucleotides to the end of a growing DNA strand

27) Which of the following is least related to the others in the list?
A) semiconservative
B) replication fork
C) DNA polymerases
D) Okazaki fragments
E) telomerase

SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or
answers the question.
Refer to the following list of enzymes to answer the following questions. The answers may be
used once, more than once, or not at all.

A. helicase
B. nuclease
C. ligase
D. DNA polymerase
E. primase

28) catalyzes synthesis of a new strand of DNA

29) enhances separation of DNA strands during replication

30) covalently connects segments of DNA

31) synthesizes short segments of RNA

32) a DNA-cutting enzyme in the repair of damage to DNA

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or
answers the question.
33) The difference between ATP and nucleoside triphosphate is that
A) NTP has 2 phosphate groups while ATP has 3 phosphate groups.
B) ATP is only found in human cells, while the other is negatively charged.
C) NTP has the sugar deoxyribose; ATP has the sugar ribose.
D) triphosphate monomers are active in NTP but not ATP.
E) ATP contains 3 high-energy bonds while NTP has 2.

34) The strands that make up DNA are antiparallel. This means that
A) base pairings create unequal spacing between the two DNA strands.
B) one strand is positively charged while the other is negatively charged.
C) the twisting nature of DNA creates nonparallel strands.
D) the 5' to 3' direction of one strand runs counter to the 5' to 3' direction of the other strand.
E) the chromosomes are circular in shape.

35) In DNA, the designations 3' and 5' refer to the

A) cross-linking of the third and fifth carbon atoms of deoxyribose.
B) bonds that form between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine.
C) carbon atoms of deoxyribose to which phosphate groups may bond.
D) bonding between purines and deoxyribose and between pyrimidines and deoxyribose.
E) carbon or nitrogen atoms on the rings of purine or pyrimidine bases.
36) The two strands of a DNA molecule run in opposite directions. The 3' and 5' ends of one
strand are opposite the 5' and 3' ends of the complementary strand. This is analogous to
A) an "up" escalator next to a "down" escalator.
B) a photograph and a photographic negative.
C) one side of a divided highway.
D) a baseball and a bat.
E) both A and C.

37) A new DNA strand only elongates in the 5' to 3' direction because
A) the polarity of the DNA molecule prevents addition of nucleotides at the 3' end.
B) DNA polymerase begins adding nucleotides at the 5' end.
C) Okazaki fragments prevent elongation in the 3' to 5' direction.
D) DNA polymerase adds nucleotides only to the free 3' end.
E) replication must progress toward the replication fork.

38) The problem of replicating the lagging strand of DNA¹that is, adding bases in the 3'
rightarrow 5' direction¹requires which of the following?
A) Okazaki fragments
B) RNA primers
C) DNA ligase
D) A and B only
E) A, B, and C

39) Which of the following is least related to the others in the list?
A) lagging strand
B) primer
C) telomere
D) leading strand
E) Okazaki fragment

40) What is the primer that is required to initiate the synthesis of a new DNA strand?
A) ligase B) protein C) DNA D) primase E) RNA

41) What is the function of DNA ligase?

A) unwinding of the double helix
B) elongation of new DNA at a replication fork by addition of nucleotides to the existing chain
C) the addition of methyl groups to bases of DNA
D) covalent bonding of the 3' end of a new DNA fragment to the 5' end of a growing chain
E) Both B and C are correct.

42) What is the role of DNA ligase in the elongation of the lagging strand during DNA replication?
A) synthesize RNA nucleotides to make a primer
B) catalyze the lengthening of telomeres
C) unwind the parental double helix
D) stabilize the unwound parental DNA
E) join Okazaki fragments together

43) All of the following are functions of DNA polymerase in DNA replication except
A) initiating a polynucleotide strand.
B) replacing RNA primers with DNA.
C) proofreading each added nucleotide for correct base pairing.
D) covalently adding nucleotides to the new strands.

44) Which of the following is least related to the others in the list?
A) primase
B) ligase
C) helicase
D) DNA polymerase
E) nuclease

45) Which of the following help to hold the DNA strands apart while they are being replicated?
A) single-stranded binding proteins
B) ligase
C) helicase
D) DNA polymerase
E) exonuclease

46) Which of these mechanisms ensures that DNA replication is accurate?

A) proofreading
B) excision repair
C) complementary base pairing
D) mismatch repair
E) all of the above

47) In making a movie, sometimes an editor will cut out one piece of film and insert another. This
is analogous to which of the following?
A) transformation repair
B) telomerase repair
C) recombinational repair
D) excision repair
E) mismatch repair

48) In the following list of DNA properties, which relates to the disorder xeroderma
pigmentosum?
A) information storage
B) replication
C) exchange with other organisms
D) mutation
E) repair of thymine dimers

49) Which of the following is analogous to telomeres?

A) the mechanism of a zipper that allows the separated parts to be joined
B) the correct letters used to replace errors in a document after they have been deleted in a word
processor
C) the pull tab on a soft-drink can
D) the two ends of a shoe lace
E) the center spindle that a compact disk fits around while in the case

50) With each replication of the DNA molecule, the DNA molecule becomes shorter.
A) This problem is resolved by telomerase, which extends the 3' end of the DNA.
B) This is not a problem because the telomere is a nonessential repeating unit.
C) This is best explained by the fact that DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides to a 3' end.
D) This is true only if the organism has been exposed to excessive amounts of ultraviolet rays of
sunlight.
E) This is due to the fact that thymine dimers cause DNA to buckle and interfere with DNA
replication.

51) A eukaryotic cell lacking telomerase would

A) be highly sensitive to sunlight.
B) be unable to replicate.
C) undergo a reduction in chromosome length.
D) produce Okazaki fragments.
E) have a high probability of becoming cancerous.
1) Answer: D

2) Answer: B

3) Answer: C

4) Answer: A

5) Answer: A

6) Answer: E

7) Answer: B

8) Answer: D

9) Answer: E

10) Answer: D

11) Answer: C

12) Answer: B

13) Answer: D

14) Answer: A

15) Answer: A

16) Answer: D

17) Answer: B

18) Answer: B

19) Answer: A

20) Answer: D

21) Answer: A

22) Answer: B

23) Answer: D

24) Answer: B

25) Answer: E

26) Answer: E

27) Answer: E

28) Answer: D
29) Answer: A

30) Answer: C

31) Answer: E

32) Answer: B

33) Answer: C

34) Answer: D

35) Answer: C

36) Answer: A

37) Answer: D

38) Answer: E

39) Answer: C

40) Answer: E

41) Answer: D

42) Answer: E

43) Answer: A

44) Answer: E

45) Answer: A

46) Answer: E

47) Answer: D

48) Answer: E

49) Answer: D

50) Answer: A

51) Answer: C