WorksheetsForensic DNA Technology
Total questions: 21
Worksheet time: 11mins
Which scientist is credited with developing the process of modern DNA profiling in the mid-1980s?
Frederick Sanger
Kary Mullis
Alec Jeffries
Rosalind Franklin
What do restriction enzymes do during RFLP analysis?
Join DNA ends together
Label DNA with dyes
Copy DNA into RNA
Cut DNA into fragments
Which DNA regions are most useful for distinguishing individuals in forensic profiling?
Mitochondrial genes
Protein-coding exons
Non-coding regions
Ribosomal RNA genes
In the acronym RFLP, what does the "P" stand for?
Protein
Polymorphism
Phosphorylation
Phenotyping
Why is DNA cut into smaller pieces before analysis in RFLP?
Fragments are easier to clone
Cutting increases mutation rate
Small fragments avoid contamination
Whole DNA is too large and complicated
Which technique separates DNA fragments by size after RFLP?
Sanger sequencing
Northern blotting
Polymerase chain reaction
Electrophoresis
What feature of DNA fragments allows RFLP to differentiate individuals?
Stronger hydrogen bonds
Short Tandem Repeats
Higher GC content
More coding sequences
Which statement best describes polymorphism in the context of RFLP?
Fragments vary in length among individuals
DNA always has identical sequences
Restriction sites never change
Electrophoresis changes base pairs
What important event marked a milestone in DNA forensics?
First genome fully sequenced
First conviction based on DNA evidence in 1980's
Nobel Prize for DNA structure
Discovery of PCR amplification
STR analysis is noted on the worksheet as most often used today. What does STR stand for?
Single transcript region
Sequence tracking readout
Specific target restriction
Short tandem repeats
Which step in gel electrophoresis separates DNA into different lengths before loading into the gel?
Staining with dye solution
Digestion (cut up) with restriction enzymes
Copying using base-pair rules
Amplification by PCR cycles
During gel electrophoresis, why do DNA fragments move toward the positive end (cathode)?
Electric field heats the gel
Buffer adds positive ions
Gel pores pull fragments
DNA is negatively charged
What is the primary purpose of PCR in forensic analysis when a DNA sample is small?
Make many copies
Cut DNA into fragments
Compare band patterns
Store in CODIS database
Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) are best described as which feature of DNA?
Mitochondrial haplotypes
Short repeating sequences
Single nucleotide changes
Long coding exons
Why are STR regions useful for identification in forensics?
They are identical in relatives
They remain unchanged by enzymes
They code essential proteins
They vary greatly among people
Which database stores standardized STR profiles used by laboratories in the United States?
PubMed
ClinVar
CODIS
GenBank
Which statement best explains the movement of the digested sample across the electrophoresis gel?
Smaller fragments move farther
Bands form randomly in wells
Larger fragments move faster
All fragments move equally
A forensic lab obtains a partial, degraded sample. Which concern most threatens reliable results?
Length of STR motifs
Quality of the sample
Type of dye used
Age of the suspect
Which issue is an ethical or practical limitation of DNA forensics mentioned in the notes?
Zero cost of techniques
Human error and inaccuracies
Immediate results without analysis
Privacy concerns and misuse of data
When comparing a crime scene profile to a suspect using STRs, which approach provides strongest evidence?
Match across multiple loci
Check a single repeat site
Ignore non-coding regions
Use band intensity alone
What is the main purpose of PCR?
To break DNA into fragments
To make many copies of a DNA sequence
To remove excess nucleotides
To synthesize proteins
