AP Biology : Biochemical Concepts

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Biology

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Example Questions

Example Question #2545 : Ap Biology

ATP and GTP provide energy for several cellular processes, and are composed of all except which of the following components?

Possible Answers:

Three phosphate groups

A pyrimidine

A pentose sugar

A purine

Correct answer:

A pyrimidine

Explanation:

ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate and GTP stands for guanosine triphosphate. Both of them are nucleic acids, meaning that they must contain a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base, and phosphate groups. Both ATP and GTP contain three phosphate groups. The only difference between ATP and GTP is their nitrogenous base. ATP contains adenine whereas GTP contains guanine. Recall that adenine and guanine are both purines.

ATP and GTP do not contain any pyrimidines (cytosine, thymine, and uracil).

Example Question #2546 : Ap Biology

Which of the following describes polymerase chain reaction (PCR)? 

Possible Answers:

A technique that quickly amplifies a segment of DNA, resulting in a large number of copies of that segment

A technique that detects RNA in a sample

A technique that separates DNA based on charge and size

A technique that detects specific DNA sequences

A technique that detects proteins in the cells of tissue

Correct answer:

A technique that quickly amplifies a segment of DNA, resulting in a large number of copies of that segment

Explanation:

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used to generate thousands to millions of copies of a specific segment of DNA. There are three major steps to PCR. Denaturation occurs when heat separates the original DNA strand. Annealing follows, in which the DNA is cooled and primers bind to each separated strand. The final step is extension, in which DNA polymerase adds nucleotides to the 3' end of each primer. These steps are repeated for each PCR cycle.

Example Question #2547 : Ap Biology

Which of the following is not found in nucleotides?

Possible Answers:

A phosphate group

A region of negative charge

A carboxylic acid

A five-carbon sugar

A nitrogenous base

Correct answer:

A carboxylic acid

Explanation:

Nucleotides are the monomers that make up nucleic acids. They are composed of a five-carbon sugar, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group. In building the polymer nucleic acid chain, the sugar and phosphate of one nucleotide align with those of another to build the phosphate-sugar backbone, while the nitrogenous bases will form hydrogen bonds across the helix to link two chains of nucleotides together. Phosphate groups carry negative charge; this gives the cell nucleus an overall negative charge and can be used to generate electrochemical gradients across the nuclear membrane.

Carboxylic acids are found in amino acids, and are not present in nucleic acids.

Example Question #2547 : Ap Biology

Which of the following groups is contained in ATP?

Possible Answers:

Glucose

Alanine

Arginine

Tyrosine

Ribose

Correct answer:

Ribose

Explanation:

Adenosine triphosphate contains an adenine group, a ribose sugar, and three phosphates. ATP is known as the energy molecule since there is a lot of potential energy stored in the bonds between each of the three phosphate groups.

Example Question #98 : Identify Structure And Purpose Of Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, And Nucleic Acids

What type of bond holds together the nitrogenous bases between the two backbones of DNA?

Possible Answers:

Ionic bonds

Phosphodiester bonds

Polar covalent bonds

Hydrogen bonds

Covalent bonds

Correct answer:

Hydrogen bonds

Explanation:

Hydrogen bonds form between electronegative atoms such as nitrogen and hydrogen atoms on their complementary bases between the DNA backbones. Adenine and thymine make two hydrogen bonds, while cytosine and guanine made three hydrogen bonds. Phosphodiester bonds keep the DNA backbone bonded together. Ionic and covalent bonds are too strong to bond the two antiparallel strands together since the strands must be separated during DNA synthesis. Hydrogen bonds are the perfect bond since they are weak individually, but collectively very strong.

Example Question #2551 : Ap Biology

A promoter sequence is a stretch of DNA upstream of a gene that helps initiate transcription. Which base pairs, if any, would you expect to find in high proportions in promotor sequences?

Possible Answers:

Cytosine and guanine

Adenine and uracil

The type of nitrogenous base does not matter

Adenine and thymine

Cytosine and adenine

Correct answer:

Adenine and thymine

Explanation:

Promoters help the transcription machinery and associated proteins (like DNA helicase) find the correct spot to start transcription and facilitate opening of the DNA. When transcription takes place, DNA helicase must open up or "unzip" the double helix. Te fewer the hydrogen bonds the easier it is for DNA to be denatured. Adenine and thymine only have two hydrogen bonds between them, while cytosine and guanine have 3. Thymine and adenine are the best candidates for promoter sequences based on their fewer number of hydrogen bonds which is evidenced by a common promoter sequence called "TATA box".

Example Question #2552 : Ap Biology

Which of the following was not present in large amounts in Earth's early atmosphere?

Possible Answers:

Methane

Hydrogen 

Oxygen

Ammonia

Carbon

Correct answer:

Oxygen

Explanation:

Earth's early atmosphere contained carbon,  (methane),  (ammonia), and , but no oxygen. 

Example Question #2553 : Ap Biology

Which of the following is not true regarding RNA?

Possible Answers:

RNA contains uracil instead of thymine

RNA nucleotides contain one ribose sugar

RNA is single stranded

RNA nucleotides contain one deoxyribose sugar 

RNA is made by transcribing DNA

Correct answer:

RNA nucleotides contain one deoxyribose sugar 

Explanation:

RNA stands for ribonucleic acid, and each RNA nucleotide contains one phosphate, one nitrogenous base (either adenine, uracil, cytosine, or guanine), and one ribose sugar. RNA does not contain a deoxyribose sugar as seen in DNA.

Example Question #2554 : Ap Biology

A DNA sequence is read in the 5' to 3' direction, whats do these numbers refer to?

Possible Answers:

The direction of the turn of the DNA helix

The linkages between the sugar and the nitrogenous base

The location of the all the thymine bases

The linkages between the phosphate group and the sugar

The linkages between the phosphate group and the nitrogenous base

Correct answer:

The linkages between the phosphate group and the sugar

Explanation:

Nucleotides are linked together to form nucleic acids by bonds between the phosphate groups and ribose sugars. A phosphate group is bonded the 5' carbon of one ribose and the 3' carbon of the next ribose, leading to the 5' to 3 directionality of DNA.

Example Question #2555 : Ap Biology

What are the three parts of a nucleotide?

Possible Answers:

A five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a carbon-hydrogen chain

A glycerol/phosphate head and nitrogenous base

A glycerol head and a fatty acid tail

Afive-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base

Correct answer:

Afive-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base

Explanation:

A nucleotide is made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.  Lipids consist of a glycerol and fatty acid chains

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