AP Biology : Biochemical Concepts

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Biology

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Example Questions

Example Question #116 : Macromolecules

Two substrates both bind to an enzyme's active site, but only one can bind at a time. One substrate causes the enzyme to catalyze a reaction. The other substrate doesn't trigger a reaction. What kind of inhibition is this?

Possible Answers:

Competitive inhibition

Negative feedback

Feedback inhibition

Allosteric inhibition

Noncompetitive inhibition

Correct answer:

Competitive inhibition

Explanation:

When two substrates compete for the same active site on an enzyme, it is competitive inhibition. Allosteric inhibition occurs when a substrate binds to another part of the enzyme away from the active site. Noncompetitive inhibition is another name for this. Feedback inhibition is a specific situation when the product of a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme comes back to change its function.

Example Question #2531 : Ap Biology

Enzymatic proteins work to do which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Respond to stimuli on the membrane of the cell

Movement of the cell

Transport substances between organelles and other structures in the cell

Accelerate cellular reactions

Fight diseases

Correct answer:

Accelerate cellular reactions

Explanation:

Enzymatic proteins are essential to metabolic processes within the cell in that they speed up cellular reactions that would otherwise take too long. Defensive proteins help fight disease, receptor proteins respond to stimuli, motor proteins help with cell movement, and transport proteins move substances across the cell.  

Example Question #2532 : Ap Biology

After a long period of fasting (not consuming any food), a person's urine sample is found to have high levels of nitrogen. What is the most likely explanation for this finding?

Possible Answers:

Breakdown of body's proteins

Excessive secretion of insulin

Lipolysis of adipose tissue

Glycogenolysis in the liver

Excessive secretion of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone)

Correct answer:

Breakdown of body's proteins

Explanation:

In a fasting state, the body will attempt to break down macromolecules into smaller molecules to help generate ATP. Nitrogen is abundant in proteins, and thus excessive amounts of nitrogen in the urine likely came from the breakdown of proteins secondary to starvation. The other answer choices would not explain the presence of nitrogen in the urine.

Example Question #2533 : Ap Biology

In humans, ten amino acids are termed "essential". What does it mean that an amino acid is "essential?"

Possible Answers:

They are involved in every biochemical reaction in the body

They must be consumed

They are only produced by bacteria

They must be produced by the body

They are the only ten amino acids known

Correct answer:

They must be consumed

Explanation:

Essential amino acids are termed "essential" because humans cannot biologically manufacture them. Therefore, they must be ingested exogenously (from sources outside of the human body). There are ten essential amino acids, and these ten are obtained from the human diet (e.g., foods we ingest)

Example Question #121 : Macromolecules

Which type of macromolecule found in the human body contains multiple "ring" structures?

Possible Answers:

Saturated fatty acid

Steroid

Unsaturated fatty acid

Carbohydrate

Correct answer:

Steroid

Explanation:

The ringed structure indicates that the molecule in question is in fact a steroid molecule. For example, cholesterol has is an important steroid molecule in the human body. It contains four rings in its structure. Steroids are easy to identify by their ringed structure.

Example Question #2541 : Ap Biology

Which of the following choices is a correct statement about DNA?

Possible Answers:

In a segment of double-stranded DNA the number of thymine bases and the number of guanine bases should be equal

In a segment of double-stranded DNA the number of adenine bases and the number of cytosine bases should be equal

In a segment of double-stranded DNA the number of guanine bases and the number of cytosine bases should be equal

Two or more of these statements are correct

A segment of double-stranded DNA the a large composition of adenine will be more stable than a segment with a large composition of cytosine

Correct answer:

In a segment of double-stranded DNA the number of guanine bases and the number of cytosine bases should be equal

Explanation:

Chargaff found that in double-stranded DNA, the number of guanine bases should be equal to the number of cytosine bases, and the number of adenine bases should equal the number of thymine bases. These rules proved to be important pieces of evidence for the idea of complementarity, the theory that each DNA base pairs only with a specific other base on its opposite strand.

According to Chargaff's rules, the statement regarding guanine and cytosine bases is correct. The two other statements that are similarly worded are not correct because they do not compare the frequencies of two bases that are complementary to each other (adenine will not bind cytosine and guanine will not bind thymine). Finally, guanine-cytosine bonds are more stable than adenine-thymine bonds.

Example Question #121 : Macromolecules

The DNA and amino acid sequences of two organisms belonging to the same species were analyzed. It was revealed that there was more variability between their DNA sequences, as compared to their amino acid sequences. What is one possible explanation for the reduced variability of the amino acid sequence?

Possible Answers:

DNA is more heat sensitive than amino acids, and is therefore prone to greater sequence variability

The sequencing of DNA is more reliable than sequencing of amino acids

Amino acids are smaller, making them more difficult to detect

Different sequences of DNA may code for the same amino acid

Electrophoresis of proteins is an unreliable method

Correct answer:

Different sequences of DNA may code for the same amino acid

Explanation:

An amino acid may be represented by multiple different codon sequences of base pairs of DNA. This codon degeneracy is what allows for the greater variability of DNA as compared to amino acid sequences.

For example, a DNA sequence may show variability without affecting the variability of the coded amino acids.

Organism 1 DNA: 5'-AAAGCAGGC-3' // Organism 2 DNA: 5'-AAGGCTGGT-3' // Differences: 3

Organism 1 RNA: 3'-UUU-CGU-CCG-5' // Organism 2 RNA: 3'-UUC-CGA-CCA-5' // Differences: 3

Organisms 1 Amino Acids: Phe-Arg-Pro // Organism 2 Amino Acids: Phe-Arg-Pro // Differences: 0

Example Question #121 : Macromolecules

What are the components of the DNA backbone?

Possible Answers:

Alpha-linked glucose residues

Amino acids

Glycerol and fatty acids

Sugar and phosphate groups

Correct answer:

Sugar and phosphate groups

Explanation:

The backbone of DNA is made up of deoxyribose sugars linked to phosphate groups. These units are joined by phosphodiester bonds into chains. Nitrogenous bases are bound to the sugars of these groups and join DNA strands together by hydrogen bonds with their complementary base pairs.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and are not found in DNA. Alpha-linked glucose residues describe a type of polysaccharide, namely glycogen. Glycerol and fatty acids describe a type of lipid known as a triglyceride. Triglycerides and glycogen are primarily used in energy storage.

Example Question #122 : Macromolecules

Phosphodiester bond forms between which two molecules?

Possible Answers:

A phosphate group and a nitrogenous base

The 5’ carbon on pentose sugar and a nitrogenous base

A phosphate group and the 5’ carbon on pentose sugar

A phosphate group and the 3’ carbon on pentose sugar

Correct answer:

A phosphate group and the 3’ carbon on pentose sugar

Explanation:

By looking at the name "phosphodiester bond" you should realize that a phosphate group is involved. A phosphodiester bond occurs between the phosphate group and a pentose sugar in the DNA backbone. The phosphate group from one nucleotide binds to the 3’ carbon on pentose sugar from the other nucleotide.

Nitrogenous bases are attached to the 1' carbon of the ring by a glycosidic linkage.

Example Question #93 : Identify Structure And Purpose Of Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, And Nucleic Acids

Which of the following contains a five-carbon sugar?

I. DNA

II. RNA

III. Glycogen

Possible Answers:

I and II

I, II, and III

II only

I only

Correct answer:

I and II

Explanation:

Remember that all nucleic acids contain nucleotides, composed of a pentose (a five-carbon sugar), a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group. DNA and RNA must both contain a five-carbon sugar. RNA contains the pentose ribose, while DNA contains the pentose deoxyribose.

Glycogen does not contain a five-carbon sugar because it is made up of glucose subunits. Glucose contains six carbons.

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