Grade 12 Biology:

Molecular Genetics Review Questions

QUESTIONS THAT THE STUDENTS SELECTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIT ARE

1. How is DNA used in crime scene investigations.

2. Why do we look and behave the way we do?

3. What is the Human Genome Project?

The unit test will be composed of two sections based on the following questions.

Part A: Short Answer Questions (25-30 marks).

Part B: Critical Thinking Questions (10-15 marks)

Part A: Short Answer Questions

  1. Explain the differences between heterozygous/ homozygous/ phenotype/genotype. Provide examples for each term.
  1. Why and how should you study?
  1. Use a Punnett square to determine genotype and phenotype of a given characteristic.
  1. Define dominant/recessive/homozygous/heterozygous/mitosis and meiosis.
  1. How can we extract DNA from cells?
  1. What did Franklin, Crick, Watson and Wilkins “do” to explain the structure of DNA?
  1. How does DNA replicate? steps? enzymes? leading and lagging strands?
  1. What is the structure of a nucleotide?
  1. What is the structure of DNA?
  1. How is DNA used in crime scene investigations?
  2. DNA fingerprinting RFLP
  3. PCR polymerase chain reaction
  1. How were PCR and RFLP discovered?
  1. How does DNA determine how you look and behave?
  2. What is transcription?
  3. What is translation?
  1. Given a strand of DNA or mRNA- make the correct protein.

14. How do mutations affect living organisms?

a. What can cause cancer?

b. How are mutations caused by substitution, deletion, addition, inversions and/or jumping genes?

Part B: Critical Thinking Questions

  1. How did you think scientific discoveries were made BEFORE you started this course? How have your views changed after learning about the discovery of DNA, PCR or DNA fingerprinting?
  1. Initial reluctance among the scientific community to accept that DNA was the molecule forming genes (carrying a great deal of information stemmed to some extend from the knowledge that DNA was a relatively simple molecule made up of only four nucleotides. Briefly explain how DNA is capable of encoding a great deal of information, in spite of its apparently simple structure.
  1. How does DNA determine how you look and behave?
  1. Please comment on the following statement. You are your enzymes.
  1. Peter Parker was transformed into Spiderman after being bitten by a genetically modified spider. Is this possible? Why? Why not?
  1. Should we genetically engineer humans? Why? Why not?

molecular review questions 03-06