BIO 116 1 MIAMI UNIVERSITY ACTUAL
EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What happens with the DNA when it is copied?.
Answer: Each strand of the double helix serves as a template for the
synthesis of a complementary strand
◍ What was Griffith's conclusion?.
Answer: a "transforming principle" was shown when a nonvirulent rough
strain was transformed into a smooth virulent strain
◍ What is DNA?.
Answer: DNA is a long, linear polymer made up of monomers called
deoxyribonucleotides
◍ What are the two components that the primary structure of DNA has.
Answer: DNA has a backbone made up of the sugar and phosphate groups
of deoxyribonucleotides and a series of nitrogen-containing bases that
project from the backbone
◍ The transcription of what molecule is similar to leading strand synthesis in
DNA replication? A) mRNA B) tRNA C) rRNA D) Primer E) Ribosomes.
Answer: A
◍ What statement regarding prokaryotic and prokaryotic chromosomes is
incorrect? A) Most bacteria have a single, circular chromosome, while
prokaryotic chromosomes can occur singly or in pairs. B) Prokaryotic
chromosomes are located in the nucleus, which the prokaryotic chromosome
is located in the Periplasm. C) Histone proteins are wound around
prokaryotic chromosomes, whereas histonelike proteins surround the
bacterial chromosome. D) Prokaryotic chromosomes can number from a few
, to several hundred, while prokaryotes typically have one chromosome. E)
The chromosomes of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes are subdivided into
genes..
Answer: B
◍ What is a genotype?.
Answer: composition of alleles inherited from parents
◍ What is antiparallel fashion.
Answer: Watson and Creeks proposal that two DNA strands line up in the
opposite direction to each other
◍ What are the complementary base pairing?.
Answer: Adenine (A) hydrogen bonds with thymine (T), Guanine (G)
hydrogen bonds with cytosine (C)
◍ What are the three alternative hypothesis for how old and new DNA strands
interacted during replication?.
Answer: -Semiconservative replication-Conservative replication-Dispersive
replication
◍ semiconservative replication.
Answer: Each old DNA strand is copied to generate a new strand. Each new
chromosome is composed of one strand of old DNA and one strand of newly
synthesized DNA
◍ conservative replication.
Answer: The original chromosome is copied but remains unchanged. One
chromosome is composed of old strands and the other of new strands.
◍ What are alleles?.
Answer: alternative versions of a gene
◍ dispersive replication.
Answer: the replication process generates two new chromosomes with new
and old sections of DNA mixed together randomly
◍ How can replication be bidirectional?.
, Answer: A "bubble" forms in a chromosome that is actively being
replicated. Replication bubbles grow as replication proceeds
◍ What is a phenotype?.
Answer: observed characteristics; influenced by genotype & environment
◍ Eukaryotes also have bidirectional replication but....
Answer: they have multiple orgins of replication and thus have multiple
replication bubbles
◍ What is a gene?.
Answer: an organized region of DNA that when transcribed results in
"functional product"
◍ Archibald Garrod made the first connection between __________ and
__________.
Answer: heredity, metabolism
◍ What is a replication fork in DNA replication?.
Answer: It is the Y-shaped region where the DNA is split into two separate
strands for copying
◍ Transcription is....
Answer: making a copy of the DNA information found in a gene
◍ What form is the transcription copy in?.
Answer: RNA
◍ __________ are the site of translating ____________ language to
___________language.
Answer: Ribosomes, nucleic acid, amino acid
◍ How is replication initiated at the replication fork?.
Answer: It is initiated by a different suite of proteins, whereas another is
responsible for recognizing the orgin and opening the double helix
◍ In __________, there is no barrier between transcription & translation.
Answer: bacteria
, ◍ What does the enzyme topoisomerase do in replication?.
Answer: The enzyme cuts and regions the DNA downstream of the
replication fork, relieving this tension
◍ How is the leading strand synthesized?.
Answer: DNA polymerase requires a primer, it can only catalyze the
synthesis reaction when both a 3' end and a single-stranded template are
available
◍ In bacteria, translation and transcription are __________.
Answer: coupled
◍ In _______________, a nuclear memebrane separates transcription and
translation.
Answer: eukaryotes
◍ In ___________, translation and transcription are coupled most of the time,
but there are some mRNA modifications.
Answer: archaea
◍ In ___________, RNA is processed and modified in between transcription
and translation.
Answer: eukaryotes
◍ What is the enzyme primase and why is it important?.
Answer: Primase is a type of RNA polymerase, synthesizes a short RNA
segment that serves as a primer for DNA synthesis and supplies the free
3'-hydroxyl group for addition of the first nucleotide
◍ What are the three steps of transcription?.
Answer: Initiation, Elongation, and Termination
◍ What is the lagging strand?.
Answer: It is the other DNA strand and synthesizes discontinuously in the
direction away from the replication fork and lags behind the fork
◍ In transcription, RNA is produced by _______________?.
Answer: RNA polymerase
EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What happens with the DNA when it is copied?.
Answer: Each strand of the double helix serves as a template for the
synthesis of a complementary strand
◍ What was Griffith's conclusion?.
Answer: a "transforming principle" was shown when a nonvirulent rough
strain was transformed into a smooth virulent strain
◍ What is DNA?.
Answer: DNA is a long, linear polymer made up of monomers called
deoxyribonucleotides
◍ What are the two components that the primary structure of DNA has.
Answer: DNA has a backbone made up of the sugar and phosphate groups
of deoxyribonucleotides and a series of nitrogen-containing bases that
project from the backbone
◍ The transcription of what molecule is similar to leading strand synthesis in
DNA replication? A) mRNA B) tRNA C) rRNA D) Primer E) Ribosomes.
Answer: A
◍ What statement regarding prokaryotic and prokaryotic chromosomes is
incorrect? A) Most bacteria have a single, circular chromosome, while
prokaryotic chromosomes can occur singly or in pairs. B) Prokaryotic
chromosomes are located in the nucleus, which the prokaryotic chromosome
is located in the Periplasm. C) Histone proteins are wound around
prokaryotic chromosomes, whereas histonelike proteins surround the
bacterial chromosome. D) Prokaryotic chromosomes can number from a few
, to several hundred, while prokaryotes typically have one chromosome. E)
The chromosomes of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes are subdivided into
genes..
Answer: B
◍ What is a genotype?.
Answer: composition of alleles inherited from parents
◍ What is antiparallel fashion.
Answer: Watson and Creeks proposal that two DNA strands line up in the
opposite direction to each other
◍ What are the complementary base pairing?.
Answer: Adenine (A) hydrogen bonds with thymine (T), Guanine (G)
hydrogen bonds with cytosine (C)
◍ What are the three alternative hypothesis for how old and new DNA strands
interacted during replication?.
Answer: -Semiconservative replication-Conservative replication-Dispersive
replication
◍ semiconservative replication.
Answer: Each old DNA strand is copied to generate a new strand. Each new
chromosome is composed of one strand of old DNA and one strand of newly
synthesized DNA
◍ conservative replication.
Answer: The original chromosome is copied but remains unchanged. One
chromosome is composed of old strands and the other of new strands.
◍ What are alleles?.
Answer: alternative versions of a gene
◍ dispersive replication.
Answer: the replication process generates two new chromosomes with new
and old sections of DNA mixed together randomly
◍ How can replication be bidirectional?.
, Answer: A "bubble" forms in a chromosome that is actively being
replicated. Replication bubbles grow as replication proceeds
◍ What is a phenotype?.
Answer: observed characteristics; influenced by genotype & environment
◍ Eukaryotes also have bidirectional replication but....
Answer: they have multiple orgins of replication and thus have multiple
replication bubbles
◍ What is a gene?.
Answer: an organized region of DNA that when transcribed results in
"functional product"
◍ Archibald Garrod made the first connection between __________ and
__________.
Answer: heredity, metabolism
◍ What is a replication fork in DNA replication?.
Answer: It is the Y-shaped region where the DNA is split into two separate
strands for copying
◍ Transcription is....
Answer: making a copy of the DNA information found in a gene
◍ What form is the transcription copy in?.
Answer: RNA
◍ __________ are the site of translating ____________ language to
___________language.
Answer: Ribosomes, nucleic acid, amino acid
◍ How is replication initiated at the replication fork?.
Answer: It is initiated by a different suite of proteins, whereas another is
responsible for recognizing the orgin and opening the double helix
◍ In __________, there is no barrier between transcription & translation.
Answer: bacteria
, ◍ What does the enzyme topoisomerase do in replication?.
Answer: The enzyme cuts and regions the DNA downstream of the
replication fork, relieving this tension
◍ How is the leading strand synthesized?.
Answer: DNA polymerase requires a primer, it can only catalyze the
synthesis reaction when both a 3' end and a single-stranded template are
available
◍ In bacteria, translation and transcription are __________.
Answer: coupled
◍ In _______________, a nuclear memebrane separates transcription and
translation.
Answer: eukaryotes
◍ In ___________, translation and transcription are coupled most of the time,
but there are some mRNA modifications.
Answer: archaea
◍ In ___________, RNA is processed and modified in between transcription
and translation.
Answer: eukaryotes
◍ What is the enzyme primase and why is it important?.
Answer: Primase is a type of RNA polymerase, synthesizes a short RNA
segment that serves as a primer for DNA synthesis and supplies the free
3'-hydroxyl group for addition of the first nucleotide
◍ What are the three steps of transcription?.
Answer: Initiation, Elongation, and Termination
◍ What is the lagging strand?.
Answer: It is the other DNA strand and synthesizes discontinuously in the
direction away from the replication fork and lags behind the fork
◍ In transcription, RNA is produced by _______________?.
Answer: RNA polymerase
