AP Biology: DNA Mastery Quiz 2

During a high school biology experiment, students are asked to identify the enzyme responsible for unwinding the DNA double helix in a model of DNA replication. Which enzyme performs this function?

• DNA polymerase

• Helicase

• Ligase

• Topoisomerase

Imagine you are overseeing the construction of a new DNA model. In this process, the section representing the lagging strand is being built:

• As a continuous structure

• In discontinuous segments known as Okazaki fragments

• As a single piece from 5' to 3'

• As a single piece from 3' to 5'

In the headquarters of a large corporation, which of the following activities is analogous to a process that occurs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells?

• Translating a business report from one language to another

• Writing the initial draft of a business report

• Generating energy to power the office building

• Transporting goods from one department to another

Imagine a factory where the blueprint for a product is converted into the actual product. In this analogy, what is the role of mRNA in the process of translation?

• To bring the raw materials to the assembly line

• To carry the blueprint from the design department to the assembly line

• To form the structure of the assembly line itself

• To make copies of the blueprint

In the process of genetic mutation, if a single base pair in the DNA sequence is altered leading to the change of an amino acid in a protein, this is referred to as a:

• Silent mutation

• Nonsense mutation

• Missense mutation

• Frameshift mutation

In a forensic lab, which technique would be most suitable for amplifying DNA samples found at a crime scene for further analysis?

• Gel electrophoresis

• DNA sequencing

• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

• Southern blotting

Imagine a factory where the assembly line uses a specific code to grab the correct part from the supply room. In the cell's protein-making factory, which type of RNA acts like the worker who reads the code and brings the correct amino acid to the ribosome based on the codon sequence?

• mRNA

• rRNA

• tRNA

• snRNA

Imagine you are studying a gene responsible for flower color in roses. In analyzing the DNA sequence upstream of this gene, you identify a TATA box. What is the significance of this TATA box in the gene's expression?

• It signals the termination of transcription

• It is the start codon for translation

• It is a promoter sequence that indicates where transcription begins

• It is a spliceosome recognition site for mRNA splicing

A frameshift mutation is caused by:

• The substitution of one nucleotide for another

• The insertion or deletion of one or more nucleotides

• The reversal of a segment of DNA

• The duplication of a large segment of DNA

During a forensic investigation, which of the following methods would be used for DNA sequencing to identify a suspect?

• Polymerase chain reaction

• Sanger sequencing

• Gel electrophoresis

• Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis