DNA and Genes

Question 1

DNA stands for

Answer 1

deoxyribonucleic acid

Question 2

Function of DNA

Answer 2

controls how an organism develops, how different body parts are assembled, and how they work together; it does this by providing instructions for the way amino acids join together to form proteins

Question 3

Structure of DNA

Answer 3

a very large molecule made up of a long chain of sub-units called nucleotides

Question 4

What are nucleotides made up of?

Answer 4

a sugar called deoxyribose, a phosphate group -PO4, and an organic base

Question 5

Organic bases

Answer 5

adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine

Question 6

Complementary organic bases

Answer 6

adenine and thymine; cytosine and guanine

Question 7

Double helix

Answer 7

double strand of nucleotides that twist around each other

Question 8

Genes

Answer 8

a section of DNA that provides instructions for building a specific protein; the length and sequence of bases within a gene determine the size and shape of a protein

Question 9

Helicase

Answer 9

an enzyme that unzips chromosomes into two strands (before DNA replication)

Question 10

Polymerase

Answer 10

captures free nucleotides and attaches them to the complementary pair in the unzipped DNA strand (replication)

Question 11

Karyotype

Answer 11

a picture showing the chromosomes organised in matching pairs in order from biggest to smallest