Crowe & Bradshaw: Chemistry for the Biosciences 3e

Chapter 10: Multiple choice questions

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Question 1

Carbohydrates are polymers of which of the following class of biological molecule?

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d) Sugars

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While amino acids polymerise to form proteins, and nucleotides polymerise to form nucleic acids, carbohydrates are formed from the
polymerisation of sugars, such as glucose.

Page reference: 326

Question 2

Only one amino acid has two identical groups attached to its central carbon atom. Which of the following amino acids is it?

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c) Glycine

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Glycine, the smallest of the amino acids, is the only amino acid that is non-chiral: it has two hydrogen atoms attached (rather than one H and
one other R group, as per the other amino acids).

Page reference: 294

Question 3

In nature, glucose mostly exists in the cyclic (rather than linear) form. True or false?

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Correct answer:

a) True

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While it is often easier to draw the structure of glucose in linear form, the majority of glucose in nature exists in the cyclic form, in which the
two ends of the linear molecule join together to form a ring structure.

Page reference: 328

Question 4

Which of the following terms correctly describes a compound featuring more than one double bond?

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b) Polyunsaturated
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A saturated compound contains only single covalent bond, while one featuring double bonds is termed unsaturated. The prefix 'mono'
means 'one', so a monounsaturated compound contains only one double bond.

Page reference: 338

Question 5

Which one of the following compounds forms the 'backbone' of fats and oils?

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a) Glycerol

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Fats and oils belong to the family of compounds called triacylglycerols. This name gives us a clue as to the identity of a key structural
component of these compounds: glycerol.

Page reference: 338

Question 6

Triacylglycerols featuring fatty acids with unsaturated carbon chains are most likely to be solids at room temperature. True or false?

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Correct answer:

b) False

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Triacylglycerols with unsaturated carbon chains aren't able to pack together as tightly as those with saturated carbon chains. Consequently,
they experience lower intermolecular forces, and so have lower melting and boiling points. Their relatively low melting points mean that
such compounds change from solid to liquid at a relatively low temperature, so they are more likely to be liquids at room temperature.

Page reference: 339

Question 7

Which one of the following nucleotide bases is not found in RNA?

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b) Thymine

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Both DNA and RNA are composed of a mix of four bases. However, only three of the four bases are common to both nucleic acids - adenine,
guanine, and cytosine. In DNA, the fourth base is thymine; in RNA, thymine is replaced by uracil.

Page reference: 313

Question 8

The nucleotides in DNA and RNA have three components: a sugar group, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group. Adjacent nucleotides in a
nucleic acid are joined by a phosphodiester bond. This bond links the phosphate group of one nucleotide to which one of the following
components of a neighbouring nucleotide?

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Correct answer:

a) Sugar

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 The so-called phosphate backbone of a nucleic acid is formed from the joining of a phosphate group of one nucleotide to the sugar group of
a neighbouring nucleotide. The base group isn't involved.

Page reference: 313

Question 9

Which one of the following amino acids is unlikely to be found in an alpha-helix?

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d) Proline

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While certain amino acids facilitate the formation of alpha helices by polypeptide chains, two amino acids - proline and glycine - do not
favour alpha-helix formation. They are known as 'helix disrupters'.

Page reference: 305

Question 10

Both DNA and RNA can form double helices. True or false?

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a) True

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While the double-helical structure of DNA is well-known, it is also possible for adjacent, complementary regions of RNA to form a double-
helical structure too: uracil in RNA is just as able to base-pair with adenine as thymine is in DNA.

Page reference: 322

Question 11

Which one of the following statements best explains why the carbohydrates amylose and glycogen have different structures?

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d) In each case, the bonds joining the sugar monomers attach to different positions within the monomers

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Amylose and glycogen are both polymers of the same simple sugar subunit: glucose. The difference in their structures lies in the way that
neighbouring glucose subunits are joined to one another: in the case of amylase, the bond joining adjacent glucose subunits links 1-carbon
of one glucose to 4-carbon of another; in the case of glycogen, the bond links 1-carbon of one glucose to 6-carbon of another.

Page reference: 332

Question 12

A single polypeptide chain can only exhibit a single type of secondary structure. True or false?

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Correct answer:

b) False

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Different regions of a single polypeptide chain can adopt different types of secondary structure. For example, Figure 10.9c shows the
enzyme triosphosphate isomerise, which comprises regions of both beta sheet and alpha helix.

Page reference: 307

Question 13

Which of the following statements about disulfide bonds are true? Select any that apply.

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d) Disulfide bonds are stronger than hydrogen bonds.

e) Disulfide bonds confer structural stability upon the molecules in which they form.

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Three of these statements are false. First, the disulfide bond is covalent, not ionic. Second, it can be both intramolecular and intermolecular.
The only condition for disulfide bond formation is that two sulfur atoms must be adjacent. This can happen in two neighbouring polypeptide
chains, or one polypeptide chain that has folded to bring two cycsteine residues into close proximity. Third, disulfide bonds exist between
amino acids, which are a feature of polypeptides, not nucleic acids.

Page reference: 311

Question 14

Which two of the following amino acid residues favour the occurrence of a -turn?

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c) Glycine

e) Proline

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A β-turn is favoured by glycine and proline, as explained on page 304.

Page reference: 304

Question 15

A beta-barrel is an example of what level of structure?

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Correct answer:

c) Tertiary structure

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The primary structure describes the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain; secondary structure describes the way amino acid
residues in a polypeptide chain adopt characteristic three-dimensional arrangements, most particularly alpha-helices and beta-sheets;
quaternary structure describes the way that individual polypeptide subunits associate into a larger complex. A beta barrel is an example of a
tertiary structure, formed when regions of secondary structure fold into characteristic three-dimensional shapes.

Page reference: 306

Question 16

Two strands of a -sheet are joined by a structure that is given which of the following names?

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Correct answer:

b) -turn

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The structure is called a -turn.

Page reference: 303

Question 17
A polypeptide containing disulfide bonds is likely to be rich in which of the following amino acids?

Your answer:

e) Proline

Correct answer:

d) Cysteine

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Disulfide bond formation requires the presence of sulfur, which is present in the side chain of cysteine. Look at Figure 10.2 (page 295) for a
list of amino acid side chains; notice that cysteine is the only amino acid to contain sulfur.

Page reference: 295

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