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Practice Test 2 Winter 2020

Biology (McMaster University)

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BIOLOGY 1A03 – TEST # 2 Practice Test Winter 2020

VERSION 1 Dr. Kajiura & Dr.da Silva

Duration: 90 Minutes
Part A = /30 (marks to be posted on Avenue) Name: _____________________________________
Part B = /10 ID# _______________________________
Lab Section:
This test consists of 10 PAGES and 35 QUESTIONS. You are responsible for ensuring that your copy of the
test is complete. Bring any discrepancies to the attention of your invigilator. PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME,
STUDENT # AND LAB SECTION IN PEN ON PAGE 1 & ON PAGES 2 & 7 OF THIS TEST PAPER.

There are two parts to this test:

Part A: Multiple choice questions (Questions 1 to 30), worth a total of 30 marks.
Part B: Written answer-style questions (Questions 31 to 35), worth a total of 10 marks.

Please answer Questions 1-30 (Part A) on the optical scan sheets in dark HB pencil.
Only calculators (Casio Fx991 MS or Casio Fx991MS Plus) are permitted.
CIRCLE YOUR MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS ON THE OPTICAL SCAN SHEET AS WELL AS YOUR
OWN TEST PAPER.

NOTE: IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THE ANSWER SHEET IS PROPERLY

COMPLETED. YOUR TEST RESULT DEPENDS UPON PROPER ATTENTION TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
Carefully read the following instructions for the optical scan sheets. The scanner, which reads the sheets, senses
the shaded areas by their non-reflection of light. A heavy mark must be made, completely filling the circular
bubble, with an HB pencil. Marks made with a pen or felt-tip marker will NOT be sensed. Erasures must be
thorough or the scanner may still sense a mark. Do NOT use correction fluid, correction tape, or erasable ink
on the sheets. Do NOT put any unnecessary marks or writing on the sheet.
1. On Side 1 (red side) of the form, in the top box, in pen, print your student number, name, course name,
section number, instructor name and the date in the spaces provided. Then you MUST write your signature
in the space marked SIGNATURE.
2. Mark your 9 digit MOSAIC student number in the space provided on sheet on Side 1 and fill in the
corresponding bubbles underneath. In the second box, with a pencil, mark your student number and lab
section number in the space provided and fill in the corresponding bubbles underneath.
3. Mark only ONE choice from the alternatives (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or A, B, C, D, E) provided for each question. If
there is a True/False questions, enter response of 1 (or A) as True, and 2 (or B) as False. The question
number is to the left of the bubbles. Make sure that the number of the question on the scan sheet is the
same as the question number on the exam paper.
4. Pay particular attention to the Marking Directions on the form.
5. Begin answering questions using the first set of bubbles, marked “1”.
6. Answer all multiple choice questions (1-30) on the optical scan sheet provided. There is only one
fully correct answer for each question. You have 90 minutes to complete this test.
7. All test papers & scan sheets will be collected at the end of the test.

THIS BIOLOGY 1A03 TEST #2 IS THE INTELLECTUAL & ACADEMIC PROPERTY OF

DR. KAJIURA & DR. DA SILVA. ANY REPRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, OR COMMUNICATION IN ANY
FORM USING ANY MEDIA IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. ANY USE OF THIS COPYRIGHT MATERIAL MUST
HAVE WRITTEN EXPRESSED PERMISSION FROM DR. KAJIURA or DR. DA SILVA.

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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020

PART A: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (worth 30 marks)

Please answer Questions 1 to 30 on the OMR Scan Sheet in HB pencil, NOT pen.
Select the option which best answers the question. There is no penalty for guessing.
Each question is worth 1 mark.

DR. KAJIURA’S MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. Which of the following occurs during the transition from proinsulin to the formation of insulin?
A. The removal of the A chain and the formation of 2 disulphide bonds
B. The formation of 3 disulphide bridges and the removal of the signal sequence.
C. The removal of preproinsulin and the formation of 6 disulphide bonds
D. The removal of the C chain
E. Both A and C.

2. In eukaryotes, which of the following events may take place during the process of translation?
A. Pairing occurs between codons in messenger RNA and anticodons in transfer RNA
B. Ribosomes that are located in the cytoplasm may interact with messenger RNA
C. The poly-uracil tail and 5’ cytosine cap are added to the transfer RNA
D. Both A & B
E. Both B & C

3. Recall during Biology 1A03 Theme 2 Modules 3 & 4 lectures that we discussed the important experiments
which related to the metabolic pathway of the synthesis of arginine. According to the results of these
experiments, an arg1 mutant would grow in the presence of medium which has been supplemented with which
of the following?
A. Ornithine
B. Citrulline
C. Arginine
D. All of the above
E. Both B & C only

4. Why is the translated resinous protein, named byssus, of great significance to humans for further
applications?
A. Surgeons may be able to use bysuss as a strong adhesive to perform surgeries on babies.
B. Construction workers may be able to use bysuss as a waterproof adhesive for repairing leaks in cargo
shipping vessels
C. Researchers may be able to easily fix broken organelles with this adhesive.
D. Both A & B
E. Both A & C

5. What is minimal medium?

A. It is combined with molecule which are needed for the growth of wild type individuals.
B. It is a support medium.
C. It is a type of high energy supplement that is supplied to the aquatic habitat of Mytilus mussels.
D. It is a medium on which all arg2 mutants can live alone without any supplements.
E. Both A & B

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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020
6. When an individual, such as actress, Eden Atwood, possesses the condition known as androgen
insensitivity syndrome (AIS), which of the following correctly describes the AIS condition from a cellular and
molecular biology perspective?
A. Eden has a mutation which changes the nucleotide sequence of a gene, which results an increased amount
of estrogen being produced in the body.
B. Eden has no functional androgen receptor proteins, so her cells are not able to respond to testosterone.
C. Eden has two extra Y chromosomes and only one X chromosome.
D. Both A & B
E. Both A & C

7. Suppose that alternative splicing did not exist. Which of the following would you predict to
happen?
A. The genome of yeast cells would be composed of a larger number of genes.
B. There would be no correlation between the complexity of organisms and their respective genome
size.
C. The human genome would produce a fewer number of protein products.
D. There would be many fewer genes dedicated to DNA replication and morphological modification in
humans.
E. Both A & B.

8. Imagine that a high level glucose stimulus is detected by sensor cells of the pancreas, what then happens?
A. Insulin acts as an effector signal that targets cells of the body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream.
B. Androgens functions as effector signal which targets cells in the muscles to release glucose.
C. Insulin acts as a transducer that targets cells of the body to destroy glucose in all adipose tissues (fat)
D. Both A and C
E. Both B and C

9. As discussed during Biology 1A03 Applied lectures, Dr. Ritland’s research helped to reveal which of the
following important discoveries regarding Kermode bears?
A. Kermode bears are a rare albino species that lives on white sandy beaches in British Columbia.
B. Kermode bears have a single nucleotide mutation in the MC1R gene
C. Kermode bears have a single nucleotide mutation in the OCA1 gene for tyrosinase enzyme.
D. Kermode bears possess defective androgen receptors and are sterile.
E. Kermode bears possess pink coloured eyes.

10. Examine the figure shown below, which displays a stage in the process of translation in a eukaryote. Which
of the following options describes what would happen next?

A. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the methionine transferring the
Arginine to the P site
B. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the valine, transferring the arginine to
the P site.
C. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the valine, transferring the polypeptide to the A site.
D. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the methionine, transferring the polypeptide to the A
site.
E. Both B and D are correct.
DR. DA SILVA’S MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020

11.Which of the following is an example of a housekeeping gene?

A. histone gene
B. lactose permease gene
C. beta-galactosidase gene
D. lactase enzyme gene

12.Which of the following is an example of transcriptional regulation of gene expression?

A. mRNA splicing
B. histone methylation
C. the destruction of mRNA by siRNA
D. the translation of polycistronic mRNA

13. When considering regulation of gene expression,

A. transcriptional regulation is faster than translational regulation.
B. translational regulation is the slowest mechanism of regulation.
C. translational regulation is less efficient than transcriptional regulation.
D. post-translational regulation is faster than transcriptional regulation.

14. Enhancers are

A. distant sites where activator proteins bind.
B. able to interact directly with RNA polymerase.
C. proteins that bind with repressors, deactivating them.
D. a bacterial form of promoters.

15. Two potential methods that eukaryotic cells use to regulate gene expression are
A. DNA acetylation and methylation.
B. DNA methylation and histone amplification.
C. DNA amplification and histone methylation.
D. DNA methylation and histone modification.

16. Which of the following elements, when non-functional would lead to a reduction in the total amount of
functional lacZ produced by a bacterial cell?
A. The repressor protein.
B. The lac I gene.
C. The lac Y gene.
D. The CRP-cAMP binding site.

17. Using the image below of the lac operon, what is the role of the CRP-cAMP binding site?
A. It is the area where RNA polymerase will begin transcription.
B. It promotes the expression of the lac operon when glucose levels are low.
C. It is involved in the negative regulation of the lac operon.
D. It binds the lac I repressor protein.

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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020
18. Given the image below, showing the growth of E. coli in an environment containing both glucose and
lactose, what is happening at time point B?

A. Bacteria are starting to die off.

B. Bacteria are starting to metabolize glucose.
C. Bacteria will start to increase expression of the lac operon.
D. Bacteria are metabolizing lactose at high rates.

19. Lactose is involved in ________________ of the lac operon by __________________.

A. negative regulation; increasing expression.
B. positive regulation; preventing transcription.
C. negative regulation; preventing transcription.
D. positive regulation; increasing transcription.

20. As a response to extracellular glucose levels, _______________________.

A. high glucose levels will activate the adenylyl cyclase enzyme in bacteria, producing cAMP.
B. low glucose levels will inactivate the adenylyl cyclase enzyme in bacteria.
C. low glucose levels will lead to the production of low levels of cAMP in bacteria.
D. low glucose levels will lead to the greatest activation of the CRP-cAMP complex in bacteria.

21. The lactose operon is likely to be transcribed when

A. the cyclic AMP and lactose levels are both high within the cell.
B. the cAMP level is high and the lactose level is low.
C. there is more glucose in the cell than lactose.
D. the cyclic AMP levels are low.

22. Which of the following statements is true regarding individuals with lactase persistence after weaning?
A. These individuals have a reduced ability to digest lactose after weaning.
B. A mutation in a neighbouring regulatory gene keeps the lactase gene permanently on.
C. These individuals transport the disaccharide lactose across the membranes of the absorptive microvilli of
the small intestine.
D. Lactose metabolism continues to decrease in the intestines of these individuals as they age.

23. Human fetal hemoglobin has a high oxygen binding affinity because:
A. alpha-globin gene expression is always off.
B. gamma-globin gene expression is off and alpha-globin gene expression is on.
C. gamma-globin gene expression is on and beta-globin gene expression is off.
D. beta-globin gene expression is on and gamma-globin gene expression is off.

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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020
24. The tagging of ubiquitin on the human lactase enzyme
A. is an example of post-translational regulation of the lactase enzyme gene expression.
B. enables both the lactase and the labeling ubiquitin to be unfolded and passed through the proteasome.
C. regulates the processing of lactase mRNA.
D. promotes the binding of transcription factors to the lactase gene promoter.

25. Which of the following statements is true with regards to the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression?
A. Methylated promoters will be transcribed.
B. RNA polymerase binds to undermethylated promoters.
C. Epigenetic mechanisms change nucleotide sequences in a gene.
D. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) bind to undermethylated promoters.

26. In situ hybridization can be used:

A. to detect protein degradation in developing tissues.
B. in humans to measure gene expression throughout the whole body.
C. to directly determine where DNA is located in tissues.
D. to indirectly determine when DNA is being expressed in tissues.

27. Researchers are trying to localize this target mRNA sequence 5’ CCCAUUCA 3’, using in situ
hybridization. Which of the following fluorescent DNA probes should researchers use to detect this mRNA
sequence?
A. 3’ GGGTAAGT 5’
B. 5’ GGGTAAGT 3’
C. 3’ GGGUAAGU 5’
D. 5’ GGGUAAGU 3’

28. siRNAs are able to regulate gene expression by

A. tagging proteins that are meant for destruction with ubiquitin.
B. degrading target mRNA.
C. escorting mRNA to the proteasome for destruction.
D. blocking the ability of a ribosome to slide along mRNA and carry out translation.

29. Previous epigenetics research on identical twins has shown that

A. younger twin pairs have many differences in DNA methylation patterns when compared to older twin pairs.
B. older twins have very similar DNA methylation patterns.
C. younger twin pairs have very large differences in gene expression when compared to older twin pairs.
D. there is an epigenetic drift in gene expression in identical twins with increasing age.

30. The image below is a representation of the structure of the lactase gene. The final mature and functional
lactase protein will be made up of which regions from this sequence?

A. The SS, LCT α profragment, LCT β final, MA and CT regions.

B. The SS, LCT α profragment, MA and CT regions.
C. The LCT β final, MA and CT regions.
D. The SS, LCT β final, and MA regions.

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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020
PART B: WRITTEN ANSWER-STYLE QUESTIONS 31 – 35 (worth 10 marks)
PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN BLUE OR BLACK PEN.
ANSWERS WRITTEN IN PENCIL WILL NOT BE RE-GRADED.

DR. KAJIURA’S WRITTEN ANSWER QUESTIONS (3 marks)

31. What are the names of any TWO locations (sites) where tRNA would be found inside of a ribosome during
the process of translation and describe the events at each of these locations (0.5 + 0.5 = 1 mark).

32. Is the “one gene, one polypeptide” hypothesis considered to be the preferred hypothesis? Yes or No.
Describe the preferred hypothesis and elaborate upon why it is currently the most complete hypothesis. Also,
describe in detail the events associated with any one of the three related examples of a covalent attachment of
the other molecules that is related to the preferred hypothesis as related to Theme 2 Module 4 information
(0.5 + 0.5 + 0.5 + 0.5 =2 marks).

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Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020
DR. DA SILVA’S WRITTEN ANSWER QUESTIONS (7 marks)

33. The image below shows the results of a microarray analysis. In this experiment, researchers are trying to
determine which of 2 cell types that are found in a breast tumour is cancerous. Researchers know that
cancers typically have high expression of a mobility gene that enables a cancer cell to crawl to a new location
in the body. (Total = 2 marks)

A. Which of the two cells is likely the cancerous cell? How were you able to determine this? (0.5+ 0.5= 1
mark)

B. Do you think that the ribosomal protein gene may play a role in making a cell cancerous? Why or Why not?
(0.5+ 0.5= 1 mark)

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Name: Student Number:

Biology 1A03 – TEST #2 VERSION 1 Practice Test Winter 2020
34. The figure below shows the effect of pH on the activity of the isolated β-galactosidase enzyme that is found
in yogurt.

Considering that the pH of the stomach can be as low as pH 2, would the microbial β- galactosidase enzyme
that is present in yogurt be denatured as it passes through the stomach? Be sure to explain your answer with
experimental evidence from previous studies. (0.5+0.5+0.5+0.5 = 2 marks)

35. The Agouti gene experiments were the pioneering research that first showed strong evidence for
epigenetic regulation of gene expression. (Total = 3 marks)

A. Based on your knowledge of Agouti gene expression in Agouti mice, answer the following questions when
comparing between a brown mouse and its genetically identical yellow sibling. (0.5+ 0.5+ 0.5+0.5= 2 marks)
Characteristic Brown mouse Yellow mouse

Is the Agouti gene methylated (Yes/No)?

Is the Agouti gene expression level high or low?

B. A researcher is able to experimentally make most of the offspring of a pregnant yellow female Agouti
mouse be born brown, by supplementing the mother’s diet with vitamin B12. Explain how the vitamin B12
supplement is able to lead to mostly brown offspring for this female yellow mouse. (0.5+0.5= 1 mark)

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