Title: Modern Biology
Course: Question Banks

Q: DNA can be separated based on fragment size using ________.
- PCR (Incorrect. PCR is a technique to amplify DNA.)
- restriction enzymes (Incorrect. Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific sequences.)
- gel electrophoresis (Correct. Gel electrophoresis separates DNA based on size.)
A: gel electrophoresis

Q: In order to ________, macromolecules and RNA must be destroyed.
- artificially duplicate DNA (Incorrect. Macromolecules and RNA can interfere with DNA amplification in a lab but they do not have to be removed.)
- separate nucleotides (Incorrect. Separating nucleotides could also involve RNA, which is composed of nucleotides.)
- isolate DNA (Correct. Macromolecules and non-DNA nucleic acids (RNA) must be removed from the sample in order to isolate DNA.)
A: isolate DNA

Q: ________ is used to amplify a target gene of interest.
- Restriction enzyme digestion (Incorrect. Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific sequences.)
- Gel electrophoresis (Incorrect. Gel electrophoresis separates DNA based on size.)
- PCR (Correct. PCR is a technique to amplify target DNA sequences.)
A: PCR

Q: Northern blots are used to ________.
- isolate DNA (Incorrect. Northern blots are not focused on DNA.)
- map genomes (Incorrect. Northern blots do not have anything to do with the overall structure of a genome.)
- detect gene expression (Correct. Northern blots detect RNA; RNA is transcribed when a gene is expressed.)
A: detect gene expression

Q: ________ developed the method widely used to sequence DNA.
- Okazaki (Incorrect. Okazaki helped determine how DNA is replicated.)
- Watson (Incorrect. Watson helped determine the structure of DNA.)
- Sanger (Correct. Fred Sanger developed the most commonly used DNA sequencing technique.)
A: Sanger

Q: The widely used Sanger sequencing method utilizes dideoxynucleotide chain terminators to ________.
- splice RNA strands (Incorrect. Sanger sequencing is not about RNA.)
- detect gene expression (Incorrect. Sanger sequencing does not detect gene expression.)
- generate DNA fragments of different sizes (Correct. Sanger sequencing is based on random incorporation of ddNTPs, which halt DNA synthesis.)
A: generate DNA fragments of different sizes

Q: What technique can be used for studying the gene for cystic fibrosis?
- reproductive cloning (Incorrect. Reproductive cloning is re-creation of a whole organism.)
- cellular cloning (Incorrect. Cellular cloning is asexual reproduction of an organism.)
- molecular cloning (Correct. Molecular cloning reproduces desired regions or fragments, such as a single gene, of the genome.)
A: molecular cloning

Q: Cellular cloning can be used to study ________.
- the gene for cystic fibrosis (Incorrect. This would be molecular cloning.)
- the production of proteins (Incorrect. Cellular cloning is not used to study the production of proteins.)
- asexual reproduction (Correct. Cellular cloning is asexual reproduction of an organism.)
A: asexual reproduction

Q: The first reproductively cloned animal was ________.
- Gene the cow (Incorrect. Gene was cloned in 1997 in Wisconsin.)
- CC the cat (Incorrect. CC was cloned in 2001 at Texas A&M.)
- Dolly the sheep (Correct. Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1996 in Scotland.)
A: Dolly the sheep

Q: ________ are created by introducing recombinant DNA into an organism.
- Cellular clones (Incorrect. Cellular clones are the result of asexual reproduction. They may not necessarily have recombinant DNA.)
- Gene therapies (Incorrect. Gene therapies do not necessarily involve recombinant DNA.)
- GMOs (Correct. Recombinant DNA must be introduced into the host organism to create a GMO; this is done using a variety of methods.)
A: GMOs

Q: A specific gene can be altered in order to study its basic function via ________.
- cloning (Incorrect. Cloning just means to copy a gene; this may not help determine its function.)
- DNA extraction (Incorrect. DNA extraction isolates DNA from an organism; this does not tell anything about function.)
- gene targeting (Correct. Gene targeting is specifically using DNA vectors to alter expression of a gene to see what happens.)
A: gene targeting

Q: If an organism receives foreign DNA from a different species through genetic manipulation, it is called ________.
- a chimera (Incorrect. A chimera is a single organism that contains DNA from different organisms, often from the same species. This is a process that occurs naturally during embryonic development.)
- aberrant (Incorrect. This term is not used in genetic manipulations.)
- transgenic (Correct. Transgenic organisms contain foreign DNA from another species that has been introduced into an organism.)
A: transgenic

Q: Human growth hormone produced by molecular cloning is ________.
- a transgenic product (Incorrect. The human growth hormone produced by molecular cloning is purely human; no other species DNA is used to actually code for this protein.)
- made within stem cells of the human body (Incorrect. Human stem cells are not involved in producing human growth hormone by molecular cloning.)
- a recombinant protein (Correct. Molecular cloning allows for recombinant human insulin to be produced in bacterial cells.)
A: a recombinant protein

Q: Gene therapy can be used to introduce foreign DNA into cells ________.
- for molecular cloning (Incorrect. Gene therapy is not a technique for molecular cloning.)
- by PCR (Incorrect. PCR is used to amplify DNA, not introduce it into foreign cells.)
- of tissues to cure inheritable disease (Correct. Ongoing trials are testing the use of recombinant DNA as gene therapy to cure human diseases.)
A: of tissues to cure inheritable disease

Q: Antibiotics are produced on a large scale by ________.
- growing lots of bacteria (Incorrect. Antibiotics are used to kill bacteria; most bacteria cannot produce them.)
- synthetic cultivation in beakers (Incorrect. Synthetic cultivation of natural products is usually inefficient compared to letting biology do the work for you.)
- cultivating and manipulating fungal cells (Correct. Fungal cells produce most antibiotics so they can be used to grow large quantities in labs.)
A: cultivating and manipulating fungal cells

Q: ________ is commonly used to inform treatment plans for cancer patients.
- Gene therapy (Incorrect. Gene therapy is not a commonly used process for any diseases, much less cancer.)
- PCR (Incorrect. PCR is not used to inform cancer treatment plans.)
- Genetic testing (Correct. A growing number of patients are tested in advance of actual cancer treatments to develop an optimized plan.)
A: Genetic testing

Q: Several human proteins are produced ________.
- by transgenic horses (Incorrect. Horses are not used to produce recombinant human proteins.)
- in the milk of transgenic cows (Incorrect. Cows are not used to produce recombinant human proteins.)
- in the milk of transgenic goats (Correct. Transgenic goats express human proteins in their milk; these proteins can then be easily isolated without harming the animals.)
A: in the milk of transgenic goats

Q: ________ have been used extensively for expressing and studying the effects of recombinant genes and mutations.
- Horses (Incorrect. Horses are rarely used in research studies. They’re large and expensive.)
- Goats (Incorrect. Goats are not generally used as research models, though they have other biotechnology uses.)
- Mice (Correct. Mice are easily managed in a laboratory setting and therefore can be used to study the effects of altering genes.)
A: Mice

Q: Scientists utilize A. tumefaciens to ________.
- slow down the process of softening and rotting in plants (Incorrect. This is not how A. tumefaciens is used by scientists.)
- create organic pesticides (Incorrect. This is not how A. tumefaciens is used by scientists.)
- introduce new DNA into plants (Correct. This bacterium readily infects plants, transferring DNA into plant cells in the process.)
A: introduce new DNA into plants

Q: The first genetically modified crop introduced onto the market was a ________.
- cereal grain (Incorrect. The first available GMO crop was not a cereal grain.)
- potato (Incorrect. The first available GMO crop was not a potato.)
- tomato (Correct. The first GMO crop available was the Flavr Savr introduced in 1994 though it has since left the market.)
A: tomato

Q: Genealogies are often traced using ________.
- DNA profiling (Incorrect. DNA profiling is not the most efficient way to trace genealogies, though they can be used.)
- recombinant enzymes (Incorrect. Recombinant enzymes do not provide enough detail for genealogy studies.)
- mitochondrial genomics (Correct. It is relatively easy to trace matrilineal genealogies (relationships through the maternal lines) using mitochondrial DNA.)
A: mitochondrial genomics

Q: The first use of genomic analysis in forensics was to ________.
- identify WTC victims of 9/11 (Incorrect. WTC victims from 9/11 was later identified using some genomic tests but this was not the first use of genomic analysis in forensics.)
- trace illegal ivory smuggling (Incorrect. This was not the first use of genomic analysis in forensics.)
- trace the post-9/11 anthrax mailings (Correct. This effort was a collaboration between the FBI and academic research institutes to identify the strain, and hence likely origin, of anthrax mailed.)
A: trace the post-9/11 anthrax mailings

Q: Current ________ for law enforcement utilizes short tandem repeats.
- mitochondrial genomics (Incorrect. Mitochondrial genomics are not based on short tandem repeats.)
- genomic analysis (Incorrect. Genomic analysis involves much more than just STRs.)
- DNA fingerprinting (Correct. The current law enforcement DNA fingerprinting system is based on STR profiles.)
A: DNA fingerprinting

Q: ________ trace female lineages.
- Genomic analysis (Incorrect. Genomic analysis would trace both male and female lineages, if done properly.)
- DNA fingerprinting (Incorrect. DNA fingerprinting is not used to trace lineages at all.)
- Mitochondrial genomics (Correct. Mitochondria are only passed on by the mother to all her offspring. To continue to trace a mitochondrial genome long-term, you must focus on female children.)
A: Mitochondrial genomics

Q: ________ involves evaluating drug effectiveness using an individual’s genomic sequence.
- Toxicology (Incorrect. Toxicology involves testing for harmful drug effects.)
- Therapeutics (Incorrect. Therapeutics are simply treatments.)
- Pharmacogenomics (Correct. Pharmacogenomics looks at the effectiveness of pharmaceutical products based on genomic markers related to how the drugs will be processed in the body.)
A: Pharmacogenomics

Q: Scientists have identified genetic risk factors for several diseases. These risk factors ________ a person will later develop the associated diseases.
- guarantee (Incorrect. Risk factors may not lead directly to a disease.)
- have very low predicting power about whether or not (Incorrect. Risk factors are used for their predictive power.)
- do not guarantee (Correct. Risk factors, genetic or otherwise, indicate susceptibility to a disease or disorder, not a definitive answer of whether or not it will occur. Risk factors can be mitigated.)
A: do not guarantee

Q: ________ is no longer recommended in healthy men because it does not reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer.
- Metagenomics treatment (Incorrect. There is no such thing as metagenomics treatment.)
- The HPV vaccine (Incorrect. The HPV vaccine does not have anything to do with prostate cancer (or even men).)
- PSA screening (Correct. Prostate cancer develops slowly and may not cause problems; cancer treatments almost always result in other negative health impacts. Therefore treatment may be worse than the disease, and hasten death.)
A: PSA screening

Q: Agricultural GMOs are developed to ________.
- make money for big Agri (Incorrect. They do make money for big Agri, but this isn’t truly why they are developed.)
- reduce crop harvest time (Incorrect. To date no agricultural GMO efforts have focused on shortening time to harvest.)
- improve the quality of crops (Correct. One of the biggest “successes” in agricultural GMOs has been to improve quality of crops, such as specific nutrient enhancements.)
A: improve the quality of crops

Q: Why is there often a lot of backlash and stigma surrounding GMO crops?
- People believe GMOs harm the environment. (Incorrect. This is not the largest public fear about GMOs.)
- People believe GMOs cost too much money to produce. (Incorrect. People likely give little thought to how much it costs to produce a GMO.)
- People believe GMOs are not safe. (Correct. The public often believes GMOs are not safe, though scientific studies have shown no evidence of negative health impacts.)
A: People believe GMOs are not safe.

Q: Genomics is necessary in ongoing agricultural GMO efforts because ________.
- the environment continues to change (Incorrect. While the environment does continue to change, this is not why genomic research is continually needed in GMO efforts.)
- plants evolve so rapidly (Incorrect. Plants do not evolve more rapidly than any other eukaryotic group.)
- genetic signatures need to be linked to traits (Correct. Scientists have not yet identified all the gene functions in plant lineages so ongoing genomic work is required to identify traits for potential use in GMO efforts.)
A: genetic signatures need to be linked to traits