BROCK BIOLOGY OF MICROORGANISMS
- CHAPTER 4 EXAM 2025 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
gene - ....ANSWER ...-functional unit of genetic information
genetic elements - ....ANSWER ...-large molecules and/or chromosomes
(genes are part of these)
nucleic acids - ....ANSWER ...-contain genetic information via nucleotides
(polymer of nucleotides)
nucleotides - ....ANSWER ...-monomers of nucleic acids (contain
nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group)
informational macromolecules - ....ANSWER ...-macromolecules that are
responsible for storing/dealing with genetic material (like nucleic acids and
proteins)
purines - ....ANSWER ...-adenine (A) and guanine (G)
pyrimidines - ....ANSWER ...-cytosine (C), thymine (T), uridine (U)
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 1
,properties of the double helix - ....ANSWER ...--backbone of DNA chain is
alternating phosphates and the pentose sugar deoxyribose
-phosphodiester bonds connect 3'-carbon of one sugar to 5'-carbon of adjacent
sugar
phosphodiester bonds - ....ANSWER ...-bonds that hold nucleic acids
together
primary structure (of protein) - ....ANSWER ...--sequence of nucleotides that
encodes genetic information
-linear array of amino acids
hydrogen bonding - ....ANSWER ...-type of bonding that holds DNA
strands together
adenine's pair is... - ....ANSWER ...-(DNA) thymine's pair is...
(RNA) uridine's pair is...
guanine's pair is... - ....ANSWER ...-cytosine's pair is...
antiparallel - ....ANSWER ...-word for how double helix is formed via 3' and
5' sides matching up on DNA
major groove (as opposed to minor groove) - ....ANSWER ...-place where
protein-DNA interactions usually occur
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 2
, 1000 base pairs = (to kilobase pairs?) - ....ANSWER ...-1 kilobase pair
(kbp) - (to base pairs?)
1,000,000 base pairs = (to megabase pair?) - ....ANSWER ...-1 megabase pair
(Mbp) = (to base pairs?)
supercoiling - ....ANSWER ...-method of packing linear DNA to
accommodate genome (formed through making nicks in linear strand)
topoisomerases - ....ANSWER ...-proteins that insert and remove supercoils
negative supercoiling - ....ANSWER ...-supercoiling twisted in opposite sense
relative to right-handed double helix; found in most cells
DNA gyrase - ....ANSWER ...-protein that introduces supercoils into DNA
via double-stranded breaks (nicks)
positive supercoiling - ....ANSWER ...-supercoiling that helps prevent DNA
melting at high temperatures
replication - ....ANSWER ...-When DNA is duplicated by DNA polymerase
transcription - ....ANSWER ...--When information from DNA is transferred
to RNA by RNA polymerase
-RNA polymerase uses DNA as template
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 3
- CHAPTER 4 EXAM 2025 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
gene - ....ANSWER ...-functional unit of genetic information
genetic elements - ....ANSWER ...-large molecules and/or chromosomes
(genes are part of these)
nucleic acids - ....ANSWER ...-contain genetic information via nucleotides
(polymer of nucleotides)
nucleotides - ....ANSWER ...-monomers of nucleic acids (contain
nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group)
informational macromolecules - ....ANSWER ...-macromolecules that are
responsible for storing/dealing with genetic material (like nucleic acids and
proteins)
purines - ....ANSWER ...-adenine (A) and guanine (G)
pyrimidines - ....ANSWER ...-cytosine (C), thymine (T), uridine (U)
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 1
,properties of the double helix - ....ANSWER ...--backbone of DNA chain is
alternating phosphates and the pentose sugar deoxyribose
-phosphodiester bonds connect 3'-carbon of one sugar to 5'-carbon of adjacent
sugar
phosphodiester bonds - ....ANSWER ...-bonds that hold nucleic acids
together
primary structure (of protein) - ....ANSWER ...--sequence of nucleotides that
encodes genetic information
-linear array of amino acids
hydrogen bonding - ....ANSWER ...-type of bonding that holds DNA
strands together
adenine's pair is... - ....ANSWER ...-(DNA) thymine's pair is...
(RNA) uridine's pair is...
guanine's pair is... - ....ANSWER ...-cytosine's pair is...
antiparallel - ....ANSWER ...-word for how double helix is formed via 3' and
5' sides matching up on DNA
major groove (as opposed to minor groove) - ....ANSWER ...-place where
protein-DNA interactions usually occur
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 2
, 1000 base pairs = (to kilobase pairs?) - ....ANSWER ...-1 kilobase pair
(kbp) - (to base pairs?)
1,000,000 base pairs = (to megabase pair?) - ....ANSWER ...-1 megabase pair
(Mbp) = (to base pairs?)
supercoiling - ....ANSWER ...-method of packing linear DNA to
accommodate genome (formed through making nicks in linear strand)
topoisomerases - ....ANSWER ...-proteins that insert and remove supercoils
negative supercoiling - ....ANSWER ...-supercoiling twisted in opposite sense
relative to right-handed double helix; found in most cells
DNA gyrase - ....ANSWER ...-protein that introduces supercoils into DNA
via double-stranded breaks (nicks)
positive supercoiling - ....ANSWER ...-supercoiling that helps prevent DNA
melting at high temperatures
replication - ....ANSWER ...-When DNA is duplicated by DNA polymerase
transcription - ....ANSWER ...--When information from DNA is transferred
to RNA by RNA polymerase
-RNA polymerase uses DNA as template
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 3
