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Example Questions
Example Question #71 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
What is the difference between the nucleoside of DNA and RNA?
None of these are true
DNA nucleoside doesn’t have a phosphate group whereas RNA nucleoside does
DNA nucleoside might have uracil whereas RNA nucleoside cannot
DNA nucleoside has a pentose sugar whereas RNA nucleoside has a hexose sugar
None of these are true
The difference between nucleotides and nucleosides is that nucleotides contain a phosphate group whereas nucleosides do not. This means that a nucleoside is made up of just a pentose sugar and a nitrogenous base. The DNA and RNA differ from each other based on their pentose sugars (DNA has deoxyribose and RNA has ribose). Another difference between RNA and DNA is that uracil nitrogenous base is only found in RNA whereas thymine nitrogenous base is only found in DNA.
Example Question #72 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
Transfer RNAs are synthesized by __________.
RNA polymerase II
RNA polymerase III
Primase
DNA polymerase I
RNA polymerase I
RNA polymerase III
tRNA is synthesized by RNA polymerase III, mRNA is synthesized by RNA polymerase II, and rRNA is synthesized by RNA polymerase I. DNA polymerase I is involved in DNA synthesis, and specifically, has a 5' to 3' exonuclease functionality, which removes RNA primers laid down by primase and replaces them with DNA nucleotides.
Example Question #73 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
What type of bond connects two orthophosphates together?
Amide bond
A triple bond
Anhydride bond
A double bond
Glycosidic linkage
Anhydride bond
Two orthophosphates are connected via anhydride linkage to form the high energy pyrophosphate. This is the "" bond. Glycosidic linkage describes a bond between two or more sugar molecules, not between orthophosphates. This anhydride linkage is made up of single bonds, and not double or triple bonds. An amide bond is the specific chemical name for a peptide bond.
Example Question #74 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
How would the of a strand of DNA with a greater percentage of GC base pairs than of AT base pairs compare to a similar strand of DNA with a greater percentage of AT base pairs than of GC base pairs.
It depends on the presence of DNA polymerase
Not enough information to accurately compare the of the two DNA strands.
A higher
The same
A lower
A higher
The (melting temperature) of DNA is defined as the temperature at which half of the DNA strands would become denatured. It is known that GC base pairs are kept together via hydrogen bonding at three different locations, compared to hydrogen bonding at just two locations in AT base pairs. Because of this additional interaction, a DNA strand with a higher component of GC base pairs will have a higher than one with a higher component of AT base pairs.
Example Question #74 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
What is the correct order of DNA organization from smallest to largest component in a eukaryote?
Coils, supercoils, nucleosomes, histones, chromatin
Coils, supercoils, chromatin, histones, nucleosomes
Coils, supercoils, histones, nucleosomes, chromatin
Histones, nucleosomes, coils, supercoils, chromatin
Chromatin, nucleosomes, histones, supercoils, coils
Coils, supercoils, histones, nucleosomes, chromatin
Eukaryotes have so much DNA that it needs to be compacted to make it less bulky and more protected. The lowest level of organization is known as a coil. Predictably, multiple coils together form a super-coil. Next, the DNA is wrapped around proteins known as histones. 8 histones together form a nucleosome. Finally, fully packed and organized DNA is known as chromatin.
Example Question #75 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
What term best describes dark, dense regions of DNA that contain repeating segments?
Euchromatin
Heterochromatin
Chromatids
Centromeres
Kinetochores
Heterochromatin
Heterochromatin is dark, dense, tightly packed, and rich in repeating segments. It is often in cells that are inactive or less active. As such, heterochromatin is sometimes referred to as "non-coding DNA". Euchromatin, on the other hand, is less tightly packed, and more readily coded. Centromeres are the part of the chromosome that attach to kinetochores during cellular division. Finally, The ends of chromosomes are known as telomeres. Of note, centromeres and telomeres are actually both composed of heterochromatin.
Example Question #76 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
Which of the following is not a pyrimidine?
Thymine
All of these are pyrimidines
Guanine
Uracil
Cytosine
Guanine
Guanine is a purine, not a pyrimidine. The purines are guanine and adenine, while the pyrimidines are cytosine, thymine, and uracil. Uracil is present only in RNA, and thymine only in DNA. The rest of the bases are present in both DNA and RNA.
Example Question #81 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
Despite vastly similar structures, DNA and RNA have very different stabilities. Which of the following choices accurately describes the difference in stability between DNA and RNA?
RNA is more stable than DNA because RNA must maintain genetic information for a longer period of time
DNA is more stable than RNA because DNA contains the base thymine, while RNA contains the base uracil
DNA and RNA are both nucleic acids, and thus have the same stability
RNA is more stable than DNA because RNA contains the base uracil, while DNA contains the base thymine
DNA is more stable than RNA because DNA must maintain genetic information for a longer period of time
DNA is more stable than RNA because DNA must maintain genetic information for a longer period of time
It is true that DNA is more stable than RNA. While the exact chemical reasons for this are complex, it is useful to know RNA is readily hydrolyzed in basic conditions. In order to make sense of this, remember that DNA acts as the genetic code, and must hold that genetic information for relatively long periods of time. While there are several types of RNA, it typically acts as a messenger, and is degraded after completing its task. While DNA does contain the base thymine and RNA does contain uracil, this is unrelated to the relative stabilities of the two nucleic acids.
Example Question #82 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
Which answer choice correctly identifies the location of bases and sugar-phosphate chains in a DNA double helix?
None of these
Both the bases and the sugar-phosphate chains are located at the core of the DNA.
Both the bases and the sugar-phosphate chains are located on the outside of the DNA.
The sugar-phosphate chains are at the core of the DNA, while the bases are on the outside.
The bases are at the core of the DNA, while the sugar-phosphate chains are on the outside.
The bases are at the core of the DNA, while the sugar-phosphate chains are on the outside.
While it could be useful to know that the bases are at the core of the DNA while the sugar-phosphate chains are on the outside, it is possible to answer the question without having memorized that fact. The bases (thymine, cytosine, guanine, adenine) are non-polar, and will cluster in the middle of the chain, away from water. They also connect to each other via hydrogen bonding. On the other hand, the sugar-phosphate groups are hydrophilic, and will cluster towards the outside of the molecule.
Example Question #83 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
If a sample of DNA contains 15% guanine, what percentage of the DNA base pairs are pyrimidines?
30%
60%
70%
50%
50%
All DNA contains 50% purines and 50% pyrimidines due to Watson-Crick base pairing.
However, doing the calculations based on the information given can also give the correct answer. Adenine (A) and guanine (G) are purines. Cytosine (C) and thymine (T) are pyrimidines. Chargaff's rules state that in DNA, G = C and A = T. If the sample is 15% G, then it must also be 15% C. This leaves 70% for A and T, or 35% each. 15% C + 35% T = 50% pyrimidines.
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