Molecular Biology Exam Questions
and answers graded A+
What chemical group is found at the 5' end of a polynucleotide? - ANS✅✅Phosphate
A-DNA has approximately how many base pairs per helical turn? - ANS✅✅11
Which of the following amino acids does not contain a ring structure in its side chain? -
ANS✅✅Asparagine
What are the full names of the amino acids specified by the sequence GQENAD? - ANS✅✅Glycine-
Glutamine-Glutamic Acid-Asparagine-Alanine-Aspartic Acid
DNA ligases connect separate pieces of DNA by catalyzing the formation of which of the following
interactions? - ANS✅✅Phosphodiester bonds between adjacent deoxyriboses
In Avery, McLeod, and McCarty's landmark experiments on the nature of the transforming principle,
if trypsin had eliminated the ability of S cell extract to transform R cells, it would have supported
what macromolecule as the transforming principle? - ANS✅✅Protein
Which of the following amino acids do you expect would be most likely located on the interior of a
protein? - ANS✅✅Glycine, Leucine
Which of the following sequences would you not expect to be recognized and cleaved by a
restriction enzyme? - ANS✅✅TCGTCG
Van der Waals interactions in DNA are generally formed between what components of DNA? -
ANS✅✅Adjacent bases within a single strand of DNA
Which of the following organisms' genomes would you expect to have the lowest density of protein-
coding genes? - ANS✅✅Rat
The two strands of the DNA double helix run in opposite directions, making them: - ANS✅✅Anti-
parallel
, What feature of pUC19 is the location where a piece of foreign DNA can be inserted? -
ANS✅✅MCS & lacZ
Which of the following statements best describes Chargaff's rule? - ANS✅✅A given DNA molecule
has approximately equal amounts of A and T and approximately equal amounts of G and C
One helical turn of the B-DNA helix covers approximately what distance? - ANS✅✅3.4 nm
The RNA-specific base uracil is chemically identical, save for a missing methyl group, to what DNA
base? - ANS✅✅Thymine
tRNAs contain what common RNA secondary structure motif? - ANS✅✅Stem loop
In their experiments on the nature of the hereditary material, Hersey and Chase labeled proteins
with radioactive sulfur. What specific amino acid were thus labeled? - ANS✅✅Methionine and
cysteine
Which of the following amino acids would you not expect to find on the exterior of a protein? -
ANS✅✅Alanine
You have isolated a new protein from your dog's unruly and strangely strong fur. What structural
motif do you suspect you will find when you analyze its structure? - ANS✅✅Coiled-coil
In the context of nucleic acid structure, the terms denaturation, and melting refer to what? -
ANS✅✅Separation of the strands of a double-stranded molecule.
Looping of enhancers to their target genes may be blocked by which of the following genomic
elements? - ANS✅✅Insulator
Which of the following is a characteristic of non covalent bonds? - ANS✅✅They are only effective
in aggregate
Which of the following amino acids disfavors the formation of alpha-helices? - ANS✅✅Glycine
and answers graded A+
What chemical group is found at the 5' end of a polynucleotide? - ANS✅✅Phosphate
A-DNA has approximately how many base pairs per helical turn? - ANS✅✅11
Which of the following amino acids does not contain a ring structure in its side chain? -
ANS✅✅Asparagine
What are the full names of the amino acids specified by the sequence GQENAD? - ANS✅✅Glycine-
Glutamine-Glutamic Acid-Asparagine-Alanine-Aspartic Acid
DNA ligases connect separate pieces of DNA by catalyzing the formation of which of the following
interactions? - ANS✅✅Phosphodiester bonds between adjacent deoxyriboses
In Avery, McLeod, and McCarty's landmark experiments on the nature of the transforming principle,
if trypsin had eliminated the ability of S cell extract to transform R cells, it would have supported
what macromolecule as the transforming principle? - ANS✅✅Protein
Which of the following amino acids do you expect would be most likely located on the interior of a
protein? - ANS✅✅Glycine, Leucine
Which of the following sequences would you not expect to be recognized and cleaved by a
restriction enzyme? - ANS✅✅TCGTCG
Van der Waals interactions in DNA are generally formed between what components of DNA? -
ANS✅✅Adjacent bases within a single strand of DNA
Which of the following organisms' genomes would you expect to have the lowest density of protein-
coding genes? - ANS✅✅Rat
The two strands of the DNA double helix run in opposite directions, making them: - ANS✅✅Anti-
parallel
, What feature of pUC19 is the location where a piece of foreign DNA can be inserted? -
ANS✅✅MCS & lacZ
Which of the following statements best describes Chargaff's rule? - ANS✅✅A given DNA molecule
has approximately equal amounts of A and T and approximately equal amounts of G and C
One helical turn of the B-DNA helix covers approximately what distance? - ANS✅✅3.4 nm
The RNA-specific base uracil is chemically identical, save for a missing methyl group, to what DNA
base? - ANS✅✅Thymine
tRNAs contain what common RNA secondary structure motif? - ANS✅✅Stem loop
In their experiments on the nature of the hereditary material, Hersey and Chase labeled proteins
with radioactive sulfur. What specific amino acid were thus labeled? - ANS✅✅Methionine and
cysteine
Which of the following amino acids would you not expect to find on the exterior of a protein? -
ANS✅✅Alanine
You have isolated a new protein from your dog's unruly and strangely strong fur. What structural
motif do you suspect you will find when you analyze its structure? - ANS✅✅Coiled-coil
In the context of nucleic acid structure, the terms denaturation, and melting refer to what? -
ANS✅✅Separation of the strands of a double-stranded molecule.
Looping of enhancers to their target genes may be blocked by which of the following genomic
elements? - ANS✅✅Insulator
Which of the following is a characteristic of non covalent bonds? - ANS✅✅They are only effective
in aggregate
Which of the following amino acids disfavors the formation of alpha-helices? - ANS✅✅Glycine
