Biology 210A – Sample Quiz (Chapters 11 & 18)

The following is meant to provide a familiarity with the general format and style/types of questions you may see on the actual assessment.

Multiple choice – choose the single best answer

1. All of the following are true except: general transcription factors
A) are required for the expression of all protein-encoding genes.
B) bind to other proteins or to a sequence element within the promoter called the TATA box.
C) help RNA polymerase bind to the promoter and begin transcribing.
D) usually lead to a high level of transcription with or without additional proteins called specific transcription factors.
E) all of the above are true

2. A eukaryotic gene typically has all of the following features except

A) control elements. C) a promoter.
B) an operator. D) TATA box. E) introns.

3. In eukaryotes, what binds to a site in the DNA far from the promoter to stimulate transcription?
A) repressor C) enhancer
B) terminator D) activator

4. A lack of this small molecule would result in the loss of repressor inactivation:
A) co-repressor C) repressor
B) inducer D) promoter

5. This protein is produced by a regulatory gene:

A) repressor C) inducer
B) promoter D) operator

6. A mutation in this section of DNA could influence the binding of RNA polymerase to the DNA:
A) co-repressor C) repressor
B) inducer D) promoter

7. In a nucleosome, what is the DNA wrapped around?

A) polymerase molecules C) mRNA
B) histones D) ribosomes

8. Ubiquitination is an example of:

A) post-translational modification C) transcriptional modification
B) post-transcriptional modification D) chromatin modification

9. What does the operon model attempt to explain?

A) how genes move between homologous regions of DNA
B) bacterial resistance to antibiotics
C) the coordinated control of gene expression in bacteria
D) the mechanism of viral attachment to a host cell

10. If you were to observe the activity of methylated DNA, you would expect it to
A) be replicating.
B) be improving conditions for maximum transcription.
C) have turned off or slowed down the process of transcription.
D) be very active in translation.

11. For a repressible operon to be transcribed, which of the following must be true?
A) A corepressor must be present.
B) RNA polymerase and the active repressor must be present.
C) RNA polymerase must bind to the promoter, and the repressor must be inactive.
D) RNA polymerase cannot be present, and the repressor must be inactive.

12. This segment of DNA is the site of attachment for an active repressor:
A) operon C) operator
B) promoter D) regulatory gene

13. If you were to observe DNA actively being transcribed, histones would be:
A) methylated C) ubiquitinated
B) acetylated D) unmodified

14. A proteasome is a protein complex that:

A) phosphorylates a protein C) degrades a protein
B) assists with protein folding D) ubiquitinates a protein

15. Human liver cells and kidney cells are different from one another due to
A) having different genes. C) using different genetic codes.
B) having different chromosomes. D) differential gene expression.
16) Paracrine signaling
A) involves secreting cells acting on nearby target cells by discharging a local regulator into the extracellular fluid.
B) requires nerve cells to release a neurotransmitter into the synapse.
C) occurs only in paracrine yeast cells.
D) has been found in plants but not animals.

17) A drug designed to inhibit the response of cells to testosterone would almost certainly result in which of the following?
A) lower cytoplasmic levels of cAMP
B) an increase in receptor tyrosine kinase activity
C) a decrease in transcriptional activity of certain genes
D) an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration

18) The activation of receptor tyrosine kinases is always characterized by

A) dimerization and phosphorylation. B) IP3 binding.
C) a phosphorylation cascade. D) GTP hydrolysis.

19) At puberty, an adolescent female body changes in both structure and function of several organ systems, primarily under the influence of
changing concentrations of estrogens and other steroid hormones. How can one hormone, such as estrogen, mediate so many effects?
A) Estrogen is produced in very large concentration and therefore diffuses widely.
B) Estrogen has specific receptors inside several cell types, but each cell responds in the same way to its binding.
C) Estrogen is kept away from the surface of any cells not able to bind it at the surface.
D) Estrogen binds to specific receptors inside many kinds of cells, each of which have different responses to its binding.
E) Estrogen can change shape to accomodate different shaped receptors for each of several cell types.

20. Lipid-soluble ligands cross the membranes of all cells, but affect only target cells because
A) only target cells retain the appropriate DNA segments. C) intracellular receptors are present only in target cells.
B) only in target cells can a phosphorylation cascade be initiated. D) most cells lack the Y chromosome required.

21. The general name for an enzyme that adds phosphate groups to a protein is
A) protease. C) protein kinase.
B) ATPase. D) phosphatase. E) phosphorylase.

22. Which of the following statements correctly compares water-soluble hormones with lipid-soluble hormones?
A) Lipid-soluble hormones are more efficient when triggering apoptosis.
B) Both types of hormone almost always stimulate increases in mRNA transcription.
C) Only water-soluble hormones use transmembrane receptors.
D) Lipid-soluble hormones do not require a receptor.