Molecular Basis of Inheritance

1. Which of the following is the primary use of an expression vector?

(A) DNA library
(B) DNA purification
(C) Protein production
(D) DNA cloning
Answer: Protein production
2. Which of the following is an example of an inverted repeat?
(A) ATTCGCGAAT
(B) ATCGNNNNCGAT
(C) TACCNNNNGGAT
(D) AGCCNNNCCGA
Answer: ATCGNNNNCGAT
3. Inverted repeat have a number of biological functions. Which of the
following is a biological function of an inverted repeat?
(A) Diseases
(B) Central dogma
(C) Cellular metabolism
(D) Genetic stability
Answer: Diseases
4. Most commonly known hairpin structures are found in
(A) DNA
(B) mRNA
(C) tRNA
(D) rRNA
Answer: tRNA
5. Which of the following does not promote stability in stem-loop structure?
(A) Length of the stem
(B) Size of the loop
(C) A : U base pairing
(D) π orbital of aromatic ring
Answer: A : U base pairing
6. What is the minimum number of bases required for loop stability?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
Answer: 3
7. Which of the following does not contain a stem-loop structure?
(A) tRNA
 Molecular Basis of Inheritance
(B) Pseudoknot
(C) Ribozyme
(D) rRNA
Answer: rRNA
8. Which of the following cannot be used for the separation of nucleic acids?
(A) SDS – PAGE
(B) PAGE
(C) Northern blotting
(D) PAGE
Answer: SDS – PAGE
9. The polymerization of the gel used in PAGE occurs between
polyacrylamide and
(A) N, N – acrylamide
(B) Bisacrylamide
(C) N – methyleneacrylamide
(D) N, N – methylene bisacrylamide
Answer: N, N – methylene bisacrylamide
10. If DNA is digested by endonucleases in four sites giving rise to fragments
of which two are equal in length how many bands would be seen after
electrophoresis?
(A) 3
(B) 4
(C) 5
(D) 6
Answer: 4
11. Linking number is the sum of which geometric components?
(A) Twist and writhe
(B) Toroid and writhe
(C) Twist and wrap
(D) Twist and crossover
Answer: Twist and writhe
12. 3 – dimension structure of cccDNA is
(A) Nicked
(B) Supercoiled
(C) Flat
(D) Torsionally stressed
Answer: Torsionally stressed
13. Plectonomic writhe is
(A) Cylindrical axis winding
(B) Long axis twisted around itself
(C) Helical turns of one strand about the other
(D) Number of encounters of the two strands of a helix
Answer: Long axis twisted around itself
 Molecular Basis of Inheritance
14. Interwound writhe and spiral writhe are topologically different.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: False
15. Twist and writhe are interconvertible.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: True
16. What is the relation between linking number (Lk), writing number (Wr)
and twist number (Tw)?
(A) Lk = Tw – Wr
(B) Lk = Wr – Tw
(C) Tw = Lk – Wr
(D) Tw = Lk + Wr
Answer: Tw = Lk – Wr
17. How can we remove supercoils from cccDNA?
(A) Treat with DNase
(B) Treat with detergent
(C) Treat with endonuclease
(D) Application of heat
Answer: Treat with DNase
18. If Lk < Lk0 then DNA is
(A) Relaxed
(B) Negatively coiled
(C) Positively coiled
(D) ΔLk > 0
Answer: Negatively coiled
19. What is ΔLk and Lk0 dependent upon?
(A) Histone concentration
(B) G : A ratio
(C) Composition of DNA
(D) Length of DNA
Answer: Length of DNA
20. Strand separation is easily accomplished in positively supercoiled DNA.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: False
21. Type I topoisomerase can never decatenate catenated circular DNA?
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: False
 Molecular Basis of Inheritance
22. The promotion of DNA breaking and rejoining by topoisomerase
requires
(A) High – energy cofactor
(B) Ligase
(C) DNase I
(D) No external enzyme required
Answer: No external enzyme required
23. Attack of the topoisomerase gives rise to
(A) Hydroxy – valine linkage
(B) Phospho – tyrosine linkage
(C) Hydroxy – cystine linkage
(D) Phospho – proline linkage
Answer: Phospho – tyrosine linkage
24. To reseal the DNA backbone where does topoisomerase gets the energy
from?
(A) ATP hydrolysis
(B) High energy cofactor
(C) Phosphodiester cleavage
(D) Phosphotyrosine cleavage
Answer: Phosphodiester cleavage
25. Which of the following does not occur during cell division in prokaryotes?
(A) Multiple decatenations
(B) DNA cleavage
(C) DNA rejoining
(D) Strand passage
Answer: Multiple decatenations
26. The active site of the topoisomerase contains a tyrosine residue.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: True
27. Nucleosome was first described in 1974 by
(A) William Asbury
(B) Rosalind Franklin
(C) Roger Kornberg
(D) John Crick
Answer: Roger Kornberg
28. The extent of chromosome coiling in non – dividing cells is
(A) Supercoiled
(B) Euchromatin
(C) Condensed
(D) Heterochromatin
Answer: Euchromatin
 Molecular Basis of Inheritance
29. The whole length of DNA is transcriptionally active.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: False
30. Why are chromosomes condensed?
(A) To facilitate accommodation
(B) Always condensed
(C) To facilitate cell division
(D) To facilitate distribution in daughter cells
Answer: To facilitate distribution in daughter cells
31. Fredrick Griffith’s experiment involving Streptococcus pneumonia lead to
the discovery of
(A) DNA as genetic material
(B) RNA as genetic material
(C) Protein as genetic material
(D) Transforming principle
Answer: Transforming principle
32. Definite results proving DNA to be genetic material was given by

(A) Fredrick Griffith

(B) Hershey and Chase
(C) Avery, Macleod and MacCarty
(D) Meselson and Stahl
Answer: Avery, Macleod and MacCarty
33. Which of the following statements regarding the mechanism of
transformation in Bacillus subtilis is false?
(A) A competent bacteria contains a DNA receptor/translocation complex
(B) While translocation of exogenous DNA, both strands gets passage into the cell
(C) While translocation of exogenous DNA, only one strand gets passage into the
cell
(D) The exogenous DNA recombines and incorporates itself in the chromosome of
the recipient cell
Answer: While translocation of exogenous DNA, both strands gets passage
into the cell
34. What were the main criteria taken under consideration for the experiment
by Hershey and Chase?
(A) DNA contains phosphorus, protein contains sulfur
(B) Protein contains phosphorus, DNA contains sulfur
(C) Both DNA and protein contains phosphorus and not sulphur
(D) Both DNA and protein contains sulfur and not phosphorus
Answer: DNA contains phosphorus, protein contains sulfur
35. What combination of radiolabelling is correct in case of Hershey and
Chase’s demonstration of DNA as genetic material in T2 bacteriophage?
 Molecular Basis of Inheritance
(A) 31P, 35S
(B) 31P, 32S
(C) 31P, 14C
(D) 31P, 12C
Answer: 31P, 35S
36. Recently, scientists have developed a procedure in which protoplasts of E.
coli could be directly infected with the phage DNA. This process is termed
as
(A) Transformation
(B) Transduction
(C) Transfection
(D) Mutation
Answer: Transfection
37. According to Mendel’s experiments gene carry genetic information from
parents to offspring’s. On which plant did he perform his experiments?
(A) Oryza sativa
(B) Pisum sativam
(C) Allium cepa
(D) Vitis vinifera
Answer: Pisum sativam
38. Plasmids are
(A) Double stranded DNA
(B) Circular double stranded DNA
(C) Linear double stranded DNA
(D) Supercoiled circular double stranded DNA
Answer: Circular double stranded DNA
39. What stores the genetic information in DNA?
(A) Sugar
(B) Phosphate
(C) Nitrogenous base
(D) Polymerase
Answer: Nitrogenous base
40. DNA always carries the genetic information for all organisms.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer: False