Module 5: Heredity
What is a gene?
A. An entire chromosome
B. A section of DNA containing genetic information
C. A type of protein
D. A reproductive cell
B. A section of DNA containing genetic information
What is a mutation?
A. A change in phenotype caused only by the environment
B. The production of RNA
C. A permanent change in DNA
D. The division of a cell
C. A permanent change in DNA
What is a pathogen?
A. An infectious agent that can cause disease
B. A chemical messenger
C. A white blood cell
D. A vaccine
A. An infectious agent that can cause disease
What is a non-infectious disease?
A. A disease caused only by bacteria
B. A disease caused by viruses
C. A disease spread by vectors
D. A condition that cannot be transmitted as an infection between individuals
D. A condition that cannot be transmitted as an infection between individuals
What is a major difference between sexual and asexual reproduction?
A. Asexual reproduction involves meiosis
B. Asexual reproduction requires two parents
C. Sexual reproduction always produces identical offspring
D. Sexual reproduction generally produces greater genetic variation
D. Sexual reproduction generally produces greater genetic variation
Which of the following is a mutagen?
A. Ultraviolet radiation
B. Glucose
C. Oxygen
D. Water
A. Ultraviolet radiation
What is a vector?
A. A type of antibody
B. A bacterial toxin
C. An organism that carries a pathogen between hosts
D. A vaccine component
C. An organism that carries a pathogen between hosts
What is homeostasis?
A. The production of antibodies
B. The maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment
C. The breakdown of glucose
D. The production of mutations
B. The maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment
Which process produces gametes in humans?
A. Meiosis
B. Mitosis
C. DNA replication
D. Fertilisation
A. Meiosis
Which mutation affects a single nucleotide or a small number of nucleotides?
A. Chromosomal duplication
B. Nondisjunction
C. Polyploidy
D. Point mutation
D. Point mutation
Which is part of the body's first line of defence?
A. Memory B cells
B. Skin
C. Antibodies
D. Cytotoxic T cells
B. Skin
Which mechanism is most commonly involved in maintaining homeostasis?
A. Positive feedback
B. Mutation
C. Negative feedback
D. Natural selection
C. Negative feedback
What happens to chromosome number during meiosis?
A. It doubles
B. It stays the same
C. It is halved
D. It becomes random
C. It is halved
Which type of mutation can be passed to offspring?
A. A mutation in a skin cell
B. A germline mutation
C. A mutation in a liver cell
D. Any somatic mutation
B. A germline mutation
What is a key difference between innate and adaptive immunity?
A. Innate immunity is specific to one pathogen
B. Adaptive immunity is always immediate
C. Innate immunity only occurs after vaccination
D. Adaptive immunity has antigen specificity and memory
D. Adaptive immunity has antigen specificity and memory
Which sequence correctly represents a homeostatic control system?
A. Receptor, control centre, effector
B. Effector, receptor, stimulus
C. Control centre, DNA, receptor
D. Hormone, chromosome, effector
A. Receptor, control centre, effector
What is the role of mRNA during polypeptide synthesis?
A. It joins amino acids together
B. It carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome
C. It replicates DNA
D. It destroys incorrect proteins
B. It carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome
Why can an insertion or deletion cause a major change in a protein?
A. It always destroys the chromosome
B. It stops DNA replication completely
C. It can cause a frameshift that changes later codons
D. It doubles the number of chromosomes
C. It can cause a frameshift that changes later codons
Which cells are responsible for producing antibodies?
A. Plasma cells
B. Red blood cells
C. Platelets
D. Neurons
A. Plasma cells
What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
A. Incidence is total existing cases while prevalence is new cases
B. They mean exactly the same thing
C. Both only measure deaths
D. Incidence is new cases while prevalence refers to existing cases in a population
D. Incidence is new cases while prevalence refers to existing cases in a population
Why is crossing over important during meiosis?
A. It increases genetic variation
B. It reduces chromosome number
C. It repairs damaged DNA
D. It produces identical gametes
A. It increases genetic variation
Why might a mutation have no noticeable effect on an organism?
A. All mutations are repaired immediately
B. Mutations only occur in bacteria
C. Mutations cannot affect proteins
D. It may occur in non-coding DNA or may not alter the amino acid sequence
D. It may occur in non-coding DNA or may not alter the amino acid sequence
What was the purpose of Koch's postulates?
A. To measure mutation rate
B. To determine whether a microorganism causes a particular disease
C. To produce vaccines
D. To identify blood groups
B. To determine whether a microorganism causes a particular disease
Which hormone lowers blood glucose levels?
A. Glucagon
B. Adrenaline
C. Insulin
D. Thyroxine
C. Insulin
Two heterozygous parents, Aa and Aa, have offspring. What is the probability of an offspring with the recessive phenotype?
A. 0 per cent
B. 50 per cent
C. 75 per cent
D. 25 per cent
D. 25 per cent
Insects resistant to a pesticide survive and reproduce while susceptible insects die. What process is occurring?
A. Natural selection
B. Artificial cloning
C. Meiosis
D. Genetic drift only
A. Natural selection
Why can vaccination provide long-term protection?
A. Vaccines permanently kill all pathogens in the environment
B. Vaccination prevents mutations
C. Vaccination produces memory cells
D. Vaccines replace white blood cells
C. Vaccination produces memory cells
A person's body temperature rises above normal. Which response would help reduce it?
A. Vasoconstriction and shivering
B. Sweating and vasodilation
C. Increased metabolic rate
D. Reduced blood flow to the skin
B. Sweating and vasodilation
A parent with blood group genotype Iᴬi has children with a parent with genotype Iᴮi. Which blood groups are possible?
A. Only A and B
B. Only AB and O
C. A, B, AB and O
D. A, B and AB only
C. A, B, AB and O
What is the main purpose of PCR?
A. To translate proteins
B. To make many copies of a selected DNA sequence
C. To separate proteins
D. To produce antibodies
B. To make many copies of a selected DNA sequence
Why does overuse of antibiotics contribute to antibiotic resistance?
A. Antibiotics cause bacteria to intentionally mutate
B. Antibiotics strengthen all bacteria equally
C. Antibiotics cause viruses to become bacteria
D. Resistant bacteria are more likely to survive and reproduce
D. Resistant bacteria are more likely to survive and reproduce
A study finds that people exposed to a chemical have a higher rate of disease. What can researchers conclude immediately?
A. There is an association, but causation has not necessarily been established
B. The chemical definitely causes the disease
C. Genetics must cause the disease
D. The study is invalid
A. There is an association, but causation has not necessarily been established
A mother carries an X-linked recessive condition and the father does not have the condition. What proportion of their sons are expected to inherit the condition?
A. 50 per cent
B. 0 per cent
C. 25 per cent
D. 100 per cent
A. 50 per cent
How can bacteria be engineered to produce human insulin?
A. By removing all bacterial DNA
B. By exposing bacteria to antibiotics
C. By crossing bacteria with human cells
D. By inserting the human insulin gene into a bacterial plasmid
D. By inserting the human insulin gene into a bacterial plasmid
What is a major difference between B cells and cytotoxic T cells?
A. T cells produce insulin
B. B cells produce antibodies while cytotoxic T cells destroy infected cells
C. B cells destroy red blood cells
D. Cytotoxic T cells produce mucus
B. B cells produce antibodies while cytotoxic T cells destroy infected cells
Why are epidemiological studies useful?
A. They prove causation in every case
B. They change people's genes
C. They identify patterns and possible risk factors for disease in populations
D. They eliminate all confounding variables
C. They identify patterns and possible risk factors for disease in populations
Which combination best explains how sexual reproduction increases genetic variation?
A. DNA replication and mitosis
B. Binary fission and mutation only
C. Transcription and translation
D. Crossing over, independent assortment and random fertilisation
D. Crossing over, independent assortment and random fertilisation
Which statement best explains how mutation and natural selection can alter a population?
A. Natural selection creates useful mutations when organisms need them
B. Mutations always decrease survival
C. Mutation produces new alleles and selection can increase the frequency of advantageous alleles
D. Natural selection prevents genetic change
C. Mutation produces new alleles and selection can increase the frequency of advantageous alleles
A respiratory pathogen can spread before infected people develop symptoms. Which combination would most effectively reduce transmission?
A. Testing, isolation, vaccination and improved ventilation
B. Antibiotics alone
C. Increasing population density
D. Only treating people once symptoms become severe
A. Testing, isolation, vaccination and improved ventilation
A disease is twice as common in Population A as Population B. Before concluding that genetics is responsible, what should researchers investigate?
A. Only the average height of each population
B. Environmental exposure, lifestyle, age, healthcare and other confounding factors
C. Only the number of chromosomes
D. Whether everyone has identical diets
B. Environmental exposure, lifestyle, age, healthcare and other confounding factors