BIOLOGY 305 UPDATED EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026
LATEST VERSION EXAM PREP
GUIDE
◉ DNA supercoiling is important for
A. Maintaining genetic information
B. Replication
C. Restriction digestion
D. Answers A and B are correct
E. Answers B and C are correct. B. Replication (because it may be an
obstacle to replication)
◉ Imagine you performed a metagenomic study in which you obtained a
sample of water from the Huron river, isolated DNA from the water
sample and sequenced it using next generation sequencing on a new
PacBio system, which allows to sequence fragments up to 5 kb long.
You obtained sequences of several long DNA fragments with no
sequence similarity to any known genomes. Which sequence is the most
likely to be of viral origin?
A. A is 12%; T is 13%; G is 37%; C is 38%
B. A is 31%; T is 32%; G is 18%; C is 19%
C. A is 10%; T is 32%; G is 39%; C is 19%
D. A is 24%; T is 24%; G is 27%; C is 25%
E. A is 39%; T is 40%; G is 10%; C is 11%. C. A is 10%; T is 32%; G is
39%; C is 19%
,◉ Although DNA is the primary carrier of genetic material, under
certain circumstances other molecules also carry genetic information.
Which molecule is least likely to contain some genetic information?
A. RNA
B. Proteins
C. Lipids
D. None of the above molecules is capable of containing some genetic
information
E. All of the above sequences are equally capable of containing some
genetic information. C. Lipids (have no complex structure capable of
containing information)
◉ Which of the features below is NOT similar between replication and
translation?
A. Synthesis in the 5' to 3' orientation
B. Proofreading
C. Synthesis of polymeric molecules
D. Involvement of RNA
E. All features are similar between replication and translation. B.
Proofreading (no proofreading in translation)
◉ What enzymatic activity is present in telomerase?
A. DNA-dependent DNA polymerase
B. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase
,C. DNA-dependent RNA polymerase
D. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
E. None of the above. B. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (uses RNA
as a template)
◉ How is telomeric DNA converted from single-stranded to double-
stranded form?
A. Never, telomeres are always single-stranded
B. Never, telomeres are extended as double-stranded DNA
C. In the next cell cycle by the leading strand
D. In the next cell cycle by Okazaki fragments
E. Two cell cycles after the first strand had been produced. D. In the
next cell cycle by Okazaki fragments (telomerase only produces single
stranded DNA)
◉ gel electrophoresis. a laboratory method for separating proteins or
nucleic acid molecules or fragments using electrical current in a gel
matrix
◉ Southern blot. a laboratory method devised by Edwin Southern for
transferring DNA from an electrophoresis gel to a permanent membrane
or filter
◉ northern blot. a method for transferring mRNA from an
electrophoresis gel to a permanent membrane or filter
, ◉ western blot. a method for transferring protein from an
electrophoresis gel to a permanent membrane or filter
◉ Sanger sequencing. a method of DNA sequencing devised by Fred
Sanger that uses a mixture of deoxynucleotide and dideoxynucleotide
triphosphates to selectively block DNA replication, producing a ladder
of partially synthesized DNA strands of different lengths
◉ plasmids and other vectors. plasmids are one of multiple types of
extrachromosomal circular DNA molecules that may be found in
bacterial cells
R (resistance) plasmid: a type of bacterial plasmid conferring resistance
to one or more antibiotic compounds
◉ genomic and cDNA libraries. genomic library: a set of clones
consisting of the DNA representing the genome of an organism
complementary DNA (cDNA) library: collection of DNA clones,
originally derived via reverse transcription of mRNA molecules into
DNA (cDNA) and cloned into a vector
◉ reverse transcription. the process of DNA synthesis from an RNA
template by the enzyme reverse transcriptase
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026
LATEST VERSION EXAM PREP
GUIDE
◉ DNA supercoiling is important for
A. Maintaining genetic information
B. Replication
C. Restriction digestion
D. Answers A and B are correct
E. Answers B and C are correct. B. Replication (because it may be an
obstacle to replication)
◉ Imagine you performed a metagenomic study in which you obtained a
sample of water from the Huron river, isolated DNA from the water
sample and sequenced it using next generation sequencing on a new
PacBio system, which allows to sequence fragments up to 5 kb long.
You obtained sequences of several long DNA fragments with no
sequence similarity to any known genomes. Which sequence is the most
likely to be of viral origin?
A. A is 12%; T is 13%; G is 37%; C is 38%
B. A is 31%; T is 32%; G is 18%; C is 19%
C. A is 10%; T is 32%; G is 39%; C is 19%
D. A is 24%; T is 24%; G is 27%; C is 25%
E. A is 39%; T is 40%; G is 10%; C is 11%. C. A is 10%; T is 32%; G is
39%; C is 19%
,◉ Although DNA is the primary carrier of genetic material, under
certain circumstances other molecules also carry genetic information.
Which molecule is least likely to contain some genetic information?
A. RNA
B. Proteins
C. Lipids
D. None of the above molecules is capable of containing some genetic
information
E. All of the above sequences are equally capable of containing some
genetic information. C. Lipids (have no complex structure capable of
containing information)
◉ Which of the features below is NOT similar between replication and
translation?
A. Synthesis in the 5' to 3' orientation
B. Proofreading
C. Synthesis of polymeric molecules
D. Involvement of RNA
E. All features are similar between replication and translation. B.
Proofreading (no proofreading in translation)
◉ What enzymatic activity is present in telomerase?
A. DNA-dependent DNA polymerase
B. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase
,C. DNA-dependent RNA polymerase
D. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
E. None of the above. B. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (uses RNA
as a template)
◉ How is telomeric DNA converted from single-stranded to double-
stranded form?
A. Never, telomeres are always single-stranded
B. Never, telomeres are extended as double-stranded DNA
C. In the next cell cycle by the leading strand
D. In the next cell cycle by Okazaki fragments
E. Two cell cycles after the first strand had been produced. D. In the
next cell cycle by Okazaki fragments (telomerase only produces single
stranded DNA)
◉ gel electrophoresis. a laboratory method for separating proteins or
nucleic acid molecules or fragments using electrical current in a gel
matrix
◉ Southern blot. a laboratory method devised by Edwin Southern for
transferring DNA from an electrophoresis gel to a permanent membrane
or filter
◉ northern blot. a method for transferring mRNA from an
electrophoresis gel to a permanent membrane or filter
, ◉ western blot. a method for transferring protein from an
electrophoresis gel to a permanent membrane or filter
◉ Sanger sequencing. a method of DNA sequencing devised by Fred
Sanger that uses a mixture of deoxynucleotide and dideoxynucleotide
triphosphates to selectively block DNA replication, producing a ladder
of partially synthesized DNA strands of different lengths
◉ plasmids and other vectors. plasmids are one of multiple types of
extrachromosomal circular DNA molecules that may be found in
bacterial cells
R (resistance) plasmid: a type of bacterial plasmid conferring resistance
to one or more antibiotic compounds
◉ genomic and cDNA libraries. genomic library: a set of clones
consisting of the DNA representing the genome of an organism
complementary DNA (cDNA) library: collection of DNA clones,
originally derived via reverse transcription of mRNA molecules into
DNA (cDNA) and cloned into a vector
◉ reverse transcription. the process of DNA synthesis from an RNA
template by the enzyme reverse transcriptase
