ESSENTIALS & CONCEPTS
OF GENETICS| 10TH, 13TH
EDITION| WILLIAM S KLUG;
MICHAEL A PALLADINO
Essentials & Concepts of Genetics – Comprehensive
Exam
Test Bank for Essentials of Genetics, 10th Edition (Klug, Cummings, Spencer,
Palladino & Killian)
Instructions: This exam contains 200 multiple-choice questions. Each question has one
best answer. Correct answers are bolded, followed by a rationale and chapter reference.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Genetics
1. What is the name of the company or institution that has access to the health,
genealogical, and genetic information of approximately 270,000 residents of
Iceland?
A) National Institutes of Health
B) deCODE
C) Gattaca
D) Biogen
E) American Cancer Society
Rationale: deCODE genetics is a biotechnology company that created a database
containing health, genealogical, and genetic information of approximately 270,000
residents of Iceland. Iceland was selected due to its relatively low degree of genetic
diversity and extensive genealogical records .
,2. Why did deCODE select Iceland for its ambitious research project?
A) A relatively low degree of genetic diversity
B) Frequent and extensive mutational bursts
C) High genetic diversity
D) Lack of genealogical information
E) Virtual absence of mutation
Rationale: Iceland's population has a relatively low degree of genetic diversity, making
it easier to identify genetic variants associated with diseases. The country also has
extensive genealogical records dating back centuries .
3. In many species, there are two representatives of each chromosome. In such
species, the characteristic number of chromosomes is called the ______ number. It is
usually symbolized as ______.
A) haploid; n
B) haploid; 2n
C) diploid; 2n
D) diploid; n
E) polyploid; 3n
Rationale: The diploid number (2n) refers to the characteristic number of chromosomes
in a species where there are two representatives of each chromosome—one from each
parent .
4. Genetics is the study of:
A) Heredity and variation
B) Mutation and recession
C) Transcription and translation
D) Diploid and haploid
E) Replication and recombination
Rationale: Genetics is defined as the branch of biology associated with heredity and
variation at the molecular, cellular, developmental, organismal, and populational levels .
5. The genetic material DNA consists of basic subunits called:
A) Mitochondria
B) Lysosomes
C) Centrioles
D) Nucleotides
,Rationale: DNA is composed of repeating subunits called nucleotides. Each nucleotide
consists of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose sugar, and a nitrogenous base (A, T, C, or
G) .
6. The immediate product of transcription is:
A) A phospholipid
B) An amino acid
C) A protein
D) A carbohydrate
E) RNA
Rationale: Transcription is the process by which DNA is used as a template to
synthesize RNA. The immediate product of transcription is an RNA molecule (mRNA,
tRNA, or rRNA) .
7. Who was the Augustinian monk that conducted a decade of experiments on the
garden pea, eventually showing that traits are passed from parents to offspring in
predictable ways?
A) Francis Crick
B) Alfred Wallace
C) Hippocrates
D) Gregor Mendel
E) Aristotle
Rationale: Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian monk who conducted experiments on
pea plants in the 1850s-1860s, demonstrating that traits are inherited in predictable
patterns based on discrete units of heredity .
8. Early in the twentieth century, Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri noted that the
behavior of chromosomes during meiosis is identical to the behavior of genes
during gamete formation. They proposed that genes are carried on chromosomes,
which led to the basis of the:
A) Chromosome Theory of Inheritance
B) Law of Segregation
C) Law of Independent Assortment
D) First Law of Thermodynamics
E) Chromosomal Maintenance Theory
, Rationale: The Chromosome Theory of Inheritance, proposed by Sutton and Boveri,
states that genes are located on chromosomes and that the behavior of chromosomes
during meiosis explains Mendel's laws of inheritance .
9. What is a mutation?
A) An inherited change in DNA sequences that is the source of all genetic variation
B) A change in DNA that leads to death
C) An inherited change in DNA sequence that is always bad for an organism
D) An inherited change in a DNA sequence
Rationale: A mutation is an inherited change in DNA sequences that serves as the
source of all genetic variation. Mutations can be harmful, beneficial, or neutral .
10. Which of the following is TRUE about alleles?
A) An allele is a variant form of a gene.
B) Alleles come in two forms, the good form and the bad form.
C) Individuals carry both forms of each allele.
D) The phenotype of the individual will always indicate with certainty the alleles of the
individual.
E) An individual will only carry one version of an allele.
Rationale: An allele is a variant form of a gene. Different alleles can produce different
phenotypic effects. Individuals carry two alleles for each gene (one from each parent) .
11. The CRISPR-Cas system potentially represents one of the most powerful
techniques in genetics as a result of its role in ______ associated with specific human
disorders.
A) Identifying genes
B) Editing genes
C) Producing new genes
D) Regulating genes
E) Transmitting genes
Rationale: The CRISPR-Cas system is a powerful gene-editing tool that allows scientists
to make precise changes to DNA sequences. It has revolutionized genetic research and
holds promise for treating genetic disorders .
12. In the 1600s, William Harvey studied reproduction and development. What is
the term given to the theory that states that an organism develops from the
fertilized egg by a succession of developmental events that lead to an adult?
OF GENETICS| 10TH, 13TH
EDITION| WILLIAM S KLUG;
MICHAEL A PALLADINO
Essentials & Concepts of Genetics – Comprehensive
Exam
Test Bank for Essentials of Genetics, 10th Edition (Klug, Cummings, Spencer,
Palladino & Killian)
Instructions: This exam contains 200 multiple-choice questions. Each question has one
best answer. Correct answers are bolded, followed by a rationale and chapter reference.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Genetics
1. What is the name of the company or institution that has access to the health,
genealogical, and genetic information of approximately 270,000 residents of
Iceland?
A) National Institutes of Health
B) deCODE
C) Gattaca
D) Biogen
E) American Cancer Society
Rationale: deCODE genetics is a biotechnology company that created a database
containing health, genealogical, and genetic information of approximately 270,000
residents of Iceland. Iceland was selected due to its relatively low degree of genetic
diversity and extensive genealogical records .
,2. Why did deCODE select Iceland for its ambitious research project?
A) A relatively low degree of genetic diversity
B) Frequent and extensive mutational bursts
C) High genetic diversity
D) Lack of genealogical information
E) Virtual absence of mutation
Rationale: Iceland's population has a relatively low degree of genetic diversity, making
it easier to identify genetic variants associated with diseases. The country also has
extensive genealogical records dating back centuries .
3. In many species, there are two representatives of each chromosome. In such
species, the characteristic number of chromosomes is called the ______ number. It is
usually symbolized as ______.
A) haploid; n
B) haploid; 2n
C) diploid; 2n
D) diploid; n
E) polyploid; 3n
Rationale: The diploid number (2n) refers to the characteristic number of chromosomes
in a species where there are two representatives of each chromosome—one from each
parent .
4. Genetics is the study of:
A) Heredity and variation
B) Mutation and recession
C) Transcription and translation
D) Diploid and haploid
E) Replication and recombination
Rationale: Genetics is defined as the branch of biology associated with heredity and
variation at the molecular, cellular, developmental, organismal, and populational levels .
5. The genetic material DNA consists of basic subunits called:
A) Mitochondria
B) Lysosomes
C) Centrioles
D) Nucleotides
,Rationale: DNA is composed of repeating subunits called nucleotides. Each nucleotide
consists of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose sugar, and a nitrogenous base (A, T, C, or
G) .
6. The immediate product of transcription is:
A) A phospholipid
B) An amino acid
C) A protein
D) A carbohydrate
E) RNA
Rationale: Transcription is the process by which DNA is used as a template to
synthesize RNA. The immediate product of transcription is an RNA molecule (mRNA,
tRNA, or rRNA) .
7. Who was the Augustinian monk that conducted a decade of experiments on the
garden pea, eventually showing that traits are passed from parents to offspring in
predictable ways?
A) Francis Crick
B) Alfred Wallace
C) Hippocrates
D) Gregor Mendel
E) Aristotle
Rationale: Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian monk who conducted experiments on
pea plants in the 1850s-1860s, demonstrating that traits are inherited in predictable
patterns based on discrete units of heredity .
8. Early in the twentieth century, Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri noted that the
behavior of chromosomes during meiosis is identical to the behavior of genes
during gamete formation. They proposed that genes are carried on chromosomes,
which led to the basis of the:
A) Chromosome Theory of Inheritance
B) Law of Segregation
C) Law of Independent Assortment
D) First Law of Thermodynamics
E) Chromosomal Maintenance Theory
, Rationale: The Chromosome Theory of Inheritance, proposed by Sutton and Boveri,
states that genes are located on chromosomes and that the behavior of chromosomes
during meiosis explains Mendel's laws of inheritance .
9. What is a mutation?
A) An inherited change in DNA sequences that is the source of all genetic variation
B) A change in DNA that leads to death
C) An inherited change in DNA sequence that is always bad for an organism
D) An inherited change in a DNA sequence
Rationale: A mutation is an inherited change in DNA sequences that serves as the
source of all genetic variation. Mutations can be harmful, beneficial, or neutral .
10. Which of the following is TRUE about alleles?
A) An allele is a variant form of a gene.
B) Alleles come in two forms, the good form and the bad form.
C) Individuals carry both forms of each allele.
D) The phenotype of the individual will always indicate with certainty the alleles of the
individual.
E) An individual will only carry one version of an allele.
Rationale: An allele is a variant form of a gene. Different alleles can produce different
phenotypic effects. Individuals carry two alleles for each gene (one from each parent) .
11. The CRISPR-Cas system potentially represents one of the most powerful
techniques in genetics as a result of its role in ______ associated with specific human
disorders.
A) Identifying genes
B) Editing genes
C) Producing new genes
D) Regulating genes
E) Transmitting genes
Rationale: The CRISPR-Cas system is a powerful gene-editing tool that allows scientists
to make precise changes to DNA sequences. It has revolutionized genetic research and
holds promise for treating genetic disorders .
12. In the 1600s, William Harvey studied reproduction and development. What is
the term given to the theory that states that an organism develops from the
fertilized egg by a succession of developmental events that lead to an adult?
