©SIRJOEL EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
MCDB 1A UCSB Midterm 1 Study Guide.
Condensation reaction - Answers✔(also called dehydration) results in the covalent bonds
between between monomers. A molecule of water is released when each covalent bond is
formed. Polymers form only if water molecules are removed and energy is added to the system.
Hydrolysis - Answers✔results in the breakdown of polymers into their component monomers.
Water reacts with the covalent bonds that link the polymer together. For each covalent bond
that is broken, a water molecule splits into two ions (H+ and OH-), which each become part of
one of the products. Releases energy.
Nucleic acids - Answers✔polymers specialized for the storage, transmission, and use of genetic
information. Two types- DNA and RNA. grow in the 3'-5' direction
DNA - Answers✔macromolecule that encodes hereditary information and passes it from one
generation to another. The information encoded is used to specify the amino acid sequences of
proteins and control the expression synthesis of other RNAs. Pentose sugar is deoxyribose.
Carries genetic information in its sequence of base pairs rather than its three-dimensional
structure. Double stranded helix, right-handed helix, antiparallel, and has major and minor
grooves in which the outer edges of the nitrogenous bases are exposed.
1|Page
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RNA - Answers✔single stranded.
Nucleotide - Answers✔consists of a nitrogen containing base, a pentose sugar, and one to three
phosphate groups.
Phosphodiester linkage - Answers✔bond between two nucleotides. Occurs between the
phosphate group and the 3'-carbon on the last sugar
DNA replication - Answers✔exact reproduction of DNA. Done by polymerization using an
existing strand as a base-pairing template. Depends on base pairings of nucleic acids. Involves
entire DNA molecule.
Transcription - Answers✔Copies DNA into RNA. Depends on base pairings of nucleic acids.
Consists of initiation, elongation, and termination
Translation - Answers✔Uses the nucleotide sequence in the RNA to specify a sequence of
amino acids in a polypeptide chain.
Gene expression - Answers✔overall process of transcription and translation.
Genome - Answers✔complete set of DNA in a living organism
Genes - Answers✔The sequences of DNA that are transcribed into RNA
Frederick Griffith - Answers✔demonstrated that some substance in cells can cause heritable
changes in other cells. Dead pneumonia cells continued to cause heritable change in other cells.
2|Page
, ©SIRJOEL EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Oswald Avery - Answers✔Identified the substance causing bacterial transformation. We now
know that the gene for the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of polysaccharide capsule,
which makes the bacterial colony look "smooth," was transferred into the R cells during
transformation.
Hershey and Chase - Answers✔discovered that DNA, not protein, enters bacterial cells and
directs the assembly of new viruses.
Chargraffs rule - Answers✔In any DNA sample, the amount of adenine equals the amount of
thymine, and the amount of guanine equals the amount of cytosine. As a result, the total
abundance of purines (A+G) equals the total abundance of pyramidines (T+C)
Watson and Crick - Answers✔proposed that the two strands in dna are antiparallel
Polynucleotide - Answers✔phosphate group at 5' end and OH- group at 3' end. 5' end is paired
with the 3'end of another nucleotide
Semiconservative DNA replication - Answers✔each parent strand serves as a template for a
new strand, and the two new DNA molecules have one old and one new strand. 2 steps- the
double-helix is unwound to separate the two template strands and make them available for
new base pairing. As new nucleotides form complementary base pairs with the template DNA,
they are covalently linked together by phosphodiester bonds, forming a polymer whose base
sequence is complementary to the bases in the template strand.
3|Page
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
MCDB 1A UCSB Midterm 1 Study Guide.
Condensation reaction - Answers✔(also called dehydration) results in the covalent bonds
between between monomers. A molecule of water is released when each covalent bond is
formed. Polymers form only if water molecules are removed and energy is added to the system.
Hydrolysis - Answers✔results in the breakdown of polymers into their component monomers.
Water reacts with the covalent bonds that link the polymer together. For each covalent bond
that is broken, a water molecule splits into two ions (H+ and OH-), which each become part of
one of the products. Releases energy.
Nucleic acids - Answers✔polymers specialized for the storage, transmission, and use of genetic
information. Two types- DNA and RNA. grow in the 3'-5' direction
DNA - Answers✔macromolecule that encodes hereditary information and passes it from one
generation to another. The information encoded is used to specify the amino acid sequences of
proteins and control the expression synthesis of other RNAs. Pentose sugar is deoxyribose.
Carries genetic information in its sequence of base pairs rather than its three-dimensional
structure. Double stranded helix, right-handed helix, antiparallel, and has major and minor
grooves in which the outer edges of the nitrogenous bases are exposed.
1|Page
, ©SIRJOEL EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
RNA - Answers✔single stranded.
Nucleotide - Answers✔consists of a nitrogen containing base, a pentose sugar, and one to three
phosphate groups.
Phosphodiester linkage - Answers✔bond between two nucleotides. Occurs between the
phosphate group and the 3'-carbon on the last sugar
DNA replication - Answers✔exact reproduction of DNA. Done by polymerization using an
existing strand as a base-pairing template. Depends on base pairings of nucleic acids. Involves
entire DNA molecule.
Transcription - Answers✔Copies DNA into RNA. Depends on base pairings of nucleic acids.
Consists of initiation, elongation, and termination
Translation - Answers✔Uses the nucleotide sequence in the RNA to specify a sequence of
amino acids in a polypeptide chain.
Gene expression - Answers✔overall process of transcription and translation.
Genome - Answers✔complete set of DNA in a living organism
Genes - Answers✔The sequences of DNA that are transcribed into RNA
Frederick Griffith - Answers✔demonstrated that some substance in cells can cause heritable
changes in other cells. Dead pneumonia cells continued to cause heritable change in other cells.
2|Page
, ©SIRJOEL EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Oswald Avery - Answers✔Identified the substance causing bacterial transformation. We now
know that the gene for the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of polysaccharide capsule,
which makes the bacterial colony look "smooth," was transferred into the R cells during
transformation.
Hershey and Chase - Answers✔discovered that DNA, not protein, enters bacterial cells and
directs the assembly of new viruses.
Chargraffs rule - Answers✔In any DNA sample, the amount of adenine equals the amount of
thymine, and the amount of guanine equals the amount of cytosine. As a result, the total
abundance of purines (A+G) equals the total abundance of pyramidines (T+C)
Watson and Crick - Answers✔proposed that the two strands in dna are antiparallel
Polynucleotide - Answers✔phosphate group at 5' end and OH- group at 3' end. 5' end is paired
with the 3'end of another nucleotide
Semiconservative DNA replication - Answers✔each parent strand serves as a template for a
new strand, and the two new DNA molecules have one old and one new strand. 2 steps- the
double-helix is unwound to separate the two template strands and make them available for
new base pairing. As new nucleotides form complementary base pairs with the template DNA,
they are covalently linked together by phosphodiester bonds, forming a polymer whose base
sequence is complementary to the bases in the template strand.
3|Page
