Cell & Molecular Biology Exam 1 UPDATED
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Base pair - CORRECT ANSWER - Two complementary nucleotides in an RNA and a
DNA molecule that are held together by hydrogen bonds.
Cell cycle - CORRECT ANSWER - The orderly sequence of events by which a cell
duplicates its contents and divides into two.
Centromere - CORRECT ANSWER - Specialized DNA sequence that allows duplicated
chromosomes to be separated during M phase; can be seen as the constricted region of a mitotic
chromosome.
Chromatin - CORRECT ANSWER - Complex of DNA and proteins that makes up the
chromosomes in a eukaryotic cell.
Chromatin-remodeling complex - CORRECT ANSWER - Enzyme that uses the energy of
ATP hydrolysis to alter the arrangement of nucleosomes in eukaryotic chromosomes, changing
the accessibility of the underlying DNA to other proteins, including those involved in
transcription.
Chromosome - CORRECT ANSWER - Long, threadlike structure composed of DNA and
proteins that carries the genetic information of an organism; becomes visible as a distinct entity
when a plant or animal cell prepares to divide.
Complementary - CORRECT ANSWER - Describes two molecular surfaces that fit
together closely and form noncovalent bonds with each other.
, Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - CORRECT ANSWER - Double-stranded polynucleotide
formed from two separate chains of covalently linked deoxyribonucleotide units. It serves as the
cell's store of genetic information that is transmitted from generation to generation.
Double helix - CORRECT ANSWER - The typical structure of a DNA molecule in which
the two complementary polynucleotide strands are wound around each other with base-pairing
between the strands.
Euchromatin - CORRECT ANSWER - One of the two main states in which chromatin
exists within an interphase cell. Prevalent in gene-rich area, its less compacted structure allows
access for proteins involved in transcription.
Gene - CORRECT ANSWER - Unit of heredity containing the instructions that dictate the
characteristics or phenotype of an organism; in molecular terms, a segment of DNA that directs
the production of a protein or functional RNA molecule.
Gene expression - CORRECT ANSWER - The process by which a gene makes a product
that is useful to the cell or organism by directing the synthesis of a protein or an RNA molecules
with a characteristic activity.
Genetic code - CORRECT ANSWER - Set of rules by which the information contained in
the nucleotide sequence of a gene and its corresponding RNA molecule is translated into the
amino acid sequence in a protein.
Genome - CORRECT ANSWER - The total genetic information carried by all the
chromosomes of a cell or organism.
Heterochromatin - CORRECT ANSWER - Highly condensed region of an interphase
chromosome; generally gene-poor and transcriptionally inactive.
Histone - CORRECT ANSWER - One of a group of abundant highly conserved proteins
around which DNA wraps to form nucleosomes, structures that represent the most fundamental
level of chromatin packing.
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Base pair - CORRECT ANSWER - Two complementary nucleotides in an RNA and a
DNA molecule that are held together by hydrogen bonds.
Cell cycle - CORRECT ANSWER - The orderly sequence of events by which a cell
duplicates its contents and divides into two.
Centromere - CORRECT ANSWER - Specialized DNA sequence that allows duplicated
chromosomes to be separated during M phase; can be seen as the constricted region of a mitotic
chromosome.
Chromatin - CORRECT ANSWER - Complex of DNA and proteins that makes up the
chromosomes in a eukaryotic cell.
Chromatin-remodeling complex - CORRECT ANSWER - Enzyme that uses the energy of
ATP hydrolysis to alter the arrangement of nucleosomes in eukaryotic chromosomes, changing
the accessibility of the underlying DNA to other proteins, including those involved in
transcription.
Chromosome - CORRECT ANSWER - Long, threadlike structure composed of DNA and
proteins that carries the genetic information of an organism; becomes visible as a distinct entity
when a plant or animal cell prepares to divide.
Complementary - CORRECT ANSWER - Describes two molecular surfaces that fit
together closely and form noncovalent bonds with each other.
, Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - CORRECT ANSWER - Double-stranded polynucleotide
formed from two separate chains of covalently linked deoxyribonucleotide units. It serves as the
cell's store of genetic information that is transmitted from generation to generation.
Double helix - CORRECT ANSWER - The typical structure of a DNA molecule in which
the two complementary polynucleotide strands are wound around each other with base-pairing
between the strands.
Euchromatin - CORRECT ANSWER - One of the two main states in which chromatin
exists within an interphase cell. Prevalent in gene-rich area, its less compacted structure allows
access for proteins involved in transcription.
Gene - CORRECT ANSWER - Unit of heredity containing the instructions that dictate the
characteristics or phenotype of an organism; in molecular terms, a segment of DNA that directs
the production of a protein or functional RNA molecule.
Gene expression - CORRECT ANSWER - The process by which a gene makes a product
that is useful to the cell or organism by directing the synthesis of a protein or an RNA molecules
with a characteristic activity.
Genetic code - CORRECT ANSWER - Set of rules by which the information contained in
the nucleotide sequence of a gene and its corresponding RNA molecule is translated into the
amino acid sequence in a protein.
Genome - CORRECT ANSWER - The total genetic information carried by all the
chromosomes of a cell or organism.
Heterochromatin - CORRECT ANSWER - Highly condensed region of an interphase
chromosome; generally gene-poor and transcriptionally inactive.
Histone - CORRECT ANSWER - One of a group of abundant highly conserved proteins
around which DNA wraps to form nucleosomes, structures that represent the most fundamental
level of chromatin packing.
