ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Adenine - CORRECT ANSWER - One of the nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA;
it pairs with thymine in DNA molecules and uracil in RNA molecules. (page 51)
Amino acids - CORRECT ANSWER - Organic molecules combined in a specific sequence
by the ribosomes to form a protein. (page 58)
Antibodies - CORRECT ANSWER - Molecules that form as part of the primary immune
response to the presence of foreign substances; they attach to the foreign antigens. (page 65)
Antigens - CORRECT ANSWER - Specific proteins, on the surface of cells, that stimulate
the immune system's antibody production. (page 65)
Autosomes - CORRECT ANSWER - All chromosomes, except the sex chromosomes, that
occur in pairs in all somatic cells (not the gametes). (page 52)
Coding DNA - CORRECT ANSWER - Sequences of a gene's DNA (also known as exons)
that are coded to produce a specific protein and are transcribed and translated during protein
synthesis. (page 62)
Codominance - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to two different alleles that are equally
dominant; both are fully expressed in a heterozygote's phenotype. (page 67)
Codons - CORRECT ANSWER - The sequences of three nitrogen bases carried by mRNA
that are coded to produce specific amino acids in protein synthesis. (page 62)
,Complementary bases - CORRECT ANSWER - The predictable pairing of nitrogen bases
in the structure of DNA and RNA, such that adenine and thymine always pair together (adenine
and uracil in RNA) and cytosine and guanine pair together. (page 51)
Crossing-over - CORRECT ANSWER - The process by which homologous chromosomes
partially wrap around each other and exchange genetic information during meiosis. (page 57)
Cytoplasm - CORRECT ANSWER - The jellylike substance inside the cell membrane that
surrounds the nucleus and in which the organelles are suspended. (page 47)
Cytosine - CORRECT ANSWER - One of the nitrogen bases that make up DNA and
RNA; it pairs with guanine. (page 51)
Diploid cell - CORRECT ANSWER - A cell that has a full complement of paired
chromosomes. (page 53)
Epigenetic - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to chemical changes in the genome affecting
how the underlying DNA is used in production of proteins, but without altering the DNA
sequences. (page 68)
Essential amino acids - CORRECT ANSWER - Those amino acids that cannot be
synthesized in the body; they must be supplied by the diet. (page 58)
Gametes - CORRECT ANSWER - Sexual reproductive cells, ova and sperm, that have a
haploid number of chromosomes and that can unite with a gamete of the opposite type to form a
new organism. (page 48)
Genome - CORRECT ANSWER - The complete set of genetic information --
chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA -- for an organism or species that represents all the
inheritable traits. (page 50)
,Genomics - CORRECT ANSWER - The branch of genetics that studies species' genomes.
(page 50)
Guanine - CORRECT ANSWER - One of the nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA;
it pairs with cytosine. (page 51)
Haplogroups - CORRECT ANSWER - A large set of haplotypes, such as the Y
chromosome or mitochondrial DNA, that may be used to define a population. (page 57)
Haploid cell - CORRECT ANSWER - A cell that has a single set of unpaired
chromosomes; half of the number of chromosomes as a diploid cell. (page 49)
Haplotypes - CORRECT ANSWER - A group of alleles that tend to be inherited as a unit
due to their closely spaced loci on a single chromosome. (page 57)
Heterozygous - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to the condition in which the two alleles of
a pair of alleles at a single locus on homologous chromosomes are different. (page 67)
Homeotic (Hox) genes - CORRECT ANSWER - Also known as homeobox genes, they are
responsible for differentiating the specific segments of the body, such as the head, tail, and limbs,
during embryological development. (page 63)
Homologous - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to each set of paired chromosomes in the
genome. (page 52)
Homozygous - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to the condition in which the two alleles of
a pair of alleles at a single locus on homologous chromosomes are the same. (page 67)
Law of segregation - CORRECT ANSWER - Mendel's first law, which asserts that the two
alleles for any given gene (or trait) are inherited, one from each parent; during gamete
production, only one of the two alleles will be present in each ovum or sperm. (page 65)
, Locus - CORRECT ANSWER - The location on a chromosome of a specific gene. (page
64)
Meiosis - CORRECT ANSWER - The production of gametes through one DNA
replication and two cell (and nuclear) divisions, creating four haploid gametic cells. (page 51)
Mitochondria - CORRECT ANSWER - Energy-producing (ATP) organelles in eukaryotic
cells; they possess their own independent DNA. (page 50)
Mitosis - CORRECT ANSWER - The process of cellular and nuclear division that creates
two identical diploid daughter cells. (page 51)
Noncoding DNA - CORRECT ANSWER - Sequences of a gene's DNA (also known as
introns) that are not coded to produce specific proteins and are excised before protein synthesis.
(page 62)
Nucleotide - CORRECT ANSWER - The building block of DNA and RNA, composed of a
sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogen bases. (page 51)
Nucleus - CORRECT ANSWER - A membrane-bound structure in eukaryotic cells that
contains the genetic material. (page 47)
Pleiotropy - CORRECT ANSWER - A single gene can have multiple effects. (page 67)
Polygenic - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to one phenotypic trait that is affected by two
or more genes. (page 67)
Polymorphism - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to the presence of two or more alleles at a
locus and where the frequency of the alleles is greater than 1% in the population. (page 64)