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1. What will be the expected amino acid sequence to be translated from the mRNA
sequence below?
5’- CUUCCAAUGGGGUUCAGCUGCUGACAAUGG-3’

a. Leu-Pro- Met-Gly-Phe-Ser-Cys
b. Leu-Gln- Met-Gly-Phe-Ser-Cys
c. Met-Gly-Phe-Ser-Cys-Stop-Gln-Trp
d. Met-Gly-Phe-Ser-Cys-Stop
e. Met-Gly-Phe-Ser-Cys

2. The image below shows transcription of DNA to mRNA. Which DNA strand is
complementary to the mRNA sequence?

Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/microbiology/chapter/rna-transcription/

a. A strand
b. B strand
c. Promoter strand
d. All strands
e. None of the strands
3. The graph below shows the enzyme activities of A and B at different pH levels.
Which would be inferred based on the graph?

a. Enzyme A is located in the mouth.

b. Enzyme A is located in the stomach.
c. Enzyme B is located in the esophagus.
d. Enzyme B is located in the small intestine.
e. Enzyme A and B are located in the large intestine

4. Oogenesis in humans involves the differentiation of the primary oocyte to mature

ovum. Which germ cell type is fertilized by the sperm cell?

a. Primary oocyte

b. Secondary oocyte

c. First polar body

d. Secondary polar bodies

e. Ovum

Source: https://teachmephysiology.com/reproductive-system/embryology/gametogenesis/
5. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive
loss of control in motor functions causing slowness, tremor, or rigidity in
movements. Which area of the brain is affected by this disease?

a. d.

b. e. All given areas

c.
Reference: Zbinden et al. Phase Separation and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Disturbance in the Force. Dev. Cell., 2020, 55(1), 45-68.

6. The following image shows a chloroplast viewed under an electron microscope.

In which area would the starch be formed?

A
C

B
E

Reference: Vermaas et al. Photosynthetic water oxidation: The protein framework. Photosynth. Res., 1993, 38(2), 249-63.
7. Alkali halides are named as such because their reaction with water produces an
alkaline solution and at the same time hydrogen gas. The reactivity of these
elements increases with the size of the atom. Which of the alkali halides is the
most reactive?
a. Lithium d. Rubidium
b. Sodium e. Cesium
c. Potassium

8. The magnetic properties of iron are due to electrons having parallel spins in its
d-orbitals. How many electrons having parallel spins are there in the outer d-
orbitals of the Fe3+ ion?
a. 1 c. 3 e. 5
b. 2 d. 4

9. The packaging of two orange juice brands A and B both claim that they do not
use any artificial food coloring. In order to confirm this, you performed a simple
thin-layer chromatography (TLC) experiment by using freshly pressed orange
juice (F) and artificial colorings 1 and 2. Following is a sketch of the result:

What can be said about the two brands with certainty?

a. Brand A uses artificial coloring, Brand B does not

b. Brand B uses artificial coloring, Brand A does not
c. Brand A uses artificial coloring
d. Brand B uses artificial coloring
e. Both brands use artificial coloring
10. Using X-ray crystallographic data obtained by Franklin, Watson and Crick
determined the structure of DNA in 1953. In this structure, the four base pairs
are arranged in a double helix structure. The two pairs of adenine-thymine and
guanine-cytosine are held together by strong hydrogen-bonding interactions.
The structures of adenine and thymine are shown below. Which of the following
figures correctly show the hydrogen bonding between adenine and thymine?

adenine thymine

a.
d.

b.

e.

c.

11. Propane (C3H8) is the main fuel used in portable stoves. The gas burns in an
oxidation reaction with oxygen gas (O2) to produce water vapor (H2O) and
gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2). An incomplete combustion reaction occurs when
the supply of oxygen is insufficient: water is still produced but instead of carbon
dioxide, poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) and a carcinogenic black carbon soot
(C) are produced. What is the difference in the number of moles of oxygen
necessary for the complete versus the incomplete combustion of one mole of
propane?
 a. 1 d. 4
b. 2 e. 5
c. 3

12. In a study* published in Nature in 2020, researchers from Spain developed a

sensor that illustrates neutrinoless double β-decay indirectly by detecting Ba2+
ions. The presence of Ba2+ is indicated by a blue color, negative result is shown
by green, as in the figure below.

In developing this sensor, the researchers are wary that other ions might
interfere with the result. That is, ions other than Ba2+ might also result in a blue
color on the sensor. Of the following ions, which one might interact with the
sensor in a similar way as Ba2+ that would turn the sensor blue? (Reference: Rivilla, et
al. Fluorescent bicolour sensor for low-background neutrinoless double β decay experiments. Nature, 2020,
48-54.)

a. K+ d. Co2+
b. Sr2+ e. Cu2+
c. Fe2+

13. Contrary to popular belief, Einstein won the Nobel prize not for his theory of
relativity, but for his explication of the photoelectric effect. Which of the
following is true about the photoelectric effect?
a. The photoelectric effect can be modelled by the particle nature of
light.
b. Light of any wavelength can cause the photoemission of electrons.
c. The kinetic energy of photoemitted electrons is determined only by
the power of light and not by its wavelength.
d. The kinetic energy of photoemitted electrons rises linearly with
wavelength.
e. None of the above
14. The nature of light has confounded philosophers and scientists for many
centuries. This question is fundamental because light is one of the many ways
one interacts with matter: observations are mostly by sight and some chemical
changes are effectuated upon light illumination. Some behaviors of light may be
explained if it were of a particulate nature, some by a wave-nature. In the 20th
century, physicists came to a consensus: light exhibits a dual wave-particle
nature. Which of the following is true about light?
a. Interference may be explained by the wave nature of light.
b. Diffraction of light may be explained by its particle nature.
c. The change in the speed of light when it travels through a different
media is due to its particle nature.
d. Light travels using the shortest trajectory possible, and this can be
explained by the wave nature.
e. None of the above

15. In her desperation to finally meet Taki, Mitsuha took the Shinkansen, or bullet
train, from Itomori to Tokyo (distance of around 200 km). The Shinkansen is an
engineering accomplishment for its speed, efficiency and safety. An average
shinkansen has maximum speed 270 km/hr with a acceleration of 0.72 m/s2. How
long would it have travelled already if the Shinkansen accelerates constantly
from a full stop to its full speed?
a. 37 km d. 8 km
b. 2 km e. 10 km
c. 4 km

16. A scientist working in Antarctica wanted to measure the speed of sound at

freezing temperatures (-50 C). To do this, she measured the speed of sound in
dry air at differing temperatures. She came up with the following measurements:

Temperature (oC) Speed of sound (m/s)

0 330
20 344
40 355
60 370
80 378

From these data, predict the speed of sound (in m/s) in dry air at -50 oC.
a. 310 d. 295
b. 305 e. 290
c. 300
17. A mechanical engineer is simulating the transfer of gasses between hot
chambers in a car engine. For this, he filled one gas bulb with gas connected to
another bulb through a valve (black rectangle) that can be opened or closed.
The setup also allowed one or both gas bulbs to be heated. Which of the
following statements is true about the entropy of the system?

a. Set-up B has the highest entropy due to the increased pressure

concentrated in one gas bulb
b. Set-up C has the highest entropy because unequal heating causes
more disorder.
c. Set-up A has the highest entropy because the particles are
concentrated in one bulb.
d. Set-up D has the highest entropy because of more ways to distribute
the energy in the system.
e. Set-up C has the highest entropy because heating one valve causes
the particles to move to the cooler bulb

18. Proposed a hundred years ago, general relativity continues to resist recent tests
posed against it. All of the following confirm predictions of general relativity
except one. Which one is it?
a. Detection of gravitational waves emitted from merging of two black
holes
b. Gravitational lensing of distant light sources
c. Large-scale clustering of galaxies
d. Capturing a photograph of bright orbiting objects around a blackhole
e. Observation of the cosmic microwave background radiation

19. This eon represents the earliest history of earth that is believed to be characterized
by molten surfaces.
a. Archean d. Cenozoic
b. Phanerozoic e. Paleozoic
c. Hadean
20. The 1977 World Ocean Floor Map became one of the most famous world maps
because it gave the scientists an idea on the geological features characterized by
the seafloor. Who were the two scientists who created this map?
a. Alfred Wegener and James Hutton
b. James Hutton and Bruce Heezen
c. Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen
d. Alfred Wegener and Marie Tharp
e. Alfred Wegener and Bruce Heezen

21. Diamond appears to have a blue color because of the trapped traces of what
element?
a. Nitrogen
b. Titanium
c. Platinum
d. Silver
e. Boron

22. This process refers to the gradual increase in nutrients in aging aquatic
ecosystems, usually in lakes, which could lead to a dense growth of plant life and
death of some animals.
a. Eutrophication
b. Erosion
c. Pollination
d. Reproduction
e. Migration

23. What is the second deepest trench in the earth located in the floor of the South
Pacific Ocean?
a. Tonga Trench
b. Philippine Trench
c. Kuril-Kamchatka Trench
d. Kermadic Trench
e. Japan Trench

24. What do you call the natural phenomenon when dislodged rocks rapidly move
downward from a source above a slope.
a. Avalanche d. Rockfall
b. Landslide e. Sandstorm
c. Hailstorm
25. Which galaxy is predicted to coalesce or merge with the Milky Way in 5–7 billion
years?
a. Antares
b. Andromeda
c. Ares
d. Polaris
e. Solaris

26. How large is the universe?

a. 1.5 billion light years
b. 15 billion light years
c. 150 billion light years
d. 150 trillion light years
e. 150 quadrillion light years

27. Which telescope is considered to be the successor of the Hubble Space

Telescope?
a. Hawaii Giant Telescope
b. China Gaia Space Telescope
c. James Webb Space Telescope
d. Mars Daedalus Space Telescope
e. James Harden Spitzer Space Telescope

28. Why is the night sky so dark?

a. Because of the distance of the invisible background so immense that no
ray from it has yet been able to reach us at all
b. Because of the large clouds of cosmic dust particles in outer space
c. Because the universe is an infinite space
d. Because the universe has a finite age, 13.7 billion years, otherwise there
would be too many stars
e. None of the above

29. In terraforming and colonizing planets in the Goldilocks Zone like Mars,
microorganisms can be used to:
a. generate oxygen
b. generate food
c. produce soil
d. recycle waste
e. all of the above
30. Space medicine is the study of
a. how the human body responds to the microgravity experienced during
space flight, the medical risks of space flight and how astronauts,
scientists and engineers help mitigate those risks; it focuses on the effect
of microgravity on the vestibular system; the cardiovascular system and
musculoskeletal system and the effect of radiation in space
b. the use of medicine for astronauts in space
c. the use of medicine for non-earth life forms on other planets
d. the use of medicine for humans planning to colonize other planets like
Mars
e. none of the above

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