CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL BIOLOGY: COURSEBOOK

Sample answers have been written by the authors.

Coursebook answers
Chapter 6
Self-assessment questions
1 a diagram as Figure 6.2 with sugar labelled
as deoxyribose and base labelled as
adenine, guanine, thymine or cytosine
b diagram as Figure 6.2 with sugar labelled
as ribose and base labelled as adenine,
guanine, thymine or uracil
7 The fact that the code is universal (the same
in all organisms) suggests that all living
organisms have evolved from a single common
ancestor that used this code.
8 TTT = Lys (lysine), GAA = Leu (leucine),
CCC = Gly (glycine)

2 a peptide bond 9

b glycosidic bond Feature DNA messenger

RNA
3 A = T and G = C for all organisms (within sugar deoxyribose ribose
experimental error) present in
structure
4 a DNA, (DNA) nucleotides, DNA
polymerase, DNA ligase bases used adenine, guanine, adenine,
in structure thymine, cytosine guanine,
b Nucleotides are needed to make DNA uracil, cytosine
(DNA is a polynucleotide). number of 2 1
strands
DNA polymerase copies the DNA, lining
up nucleotides. overall double helix single linear /
structure unfolded
DNA ligase joins neighbouring strand
nucleotides with phosphodiester bonds. location in nucleus nucleus and
cell cytoplasm
c nucleus
function instructions for carries
5 a The two daughter molecules should have cell / code for code for a
one blue and one red strand each. making proteins polypeptide
/ molecule of from DNA /
b One daughter molecule should have two inheritance / nucleus to a
blue strands and one should have two red genetic molecule ribosome
strands.

6 4n, where n = number of bases coding for one

amino acid

1 Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2020

 CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL BIOLOGY: COURSEBOOK

10 There are various possible flow diagrams or word-only flow diagrams you could use. Examples
are shown.

DNA unwinds and the two strands separate

↓
complementary mRNA molecule built up against
one DNA strand (transcription)
↓
mRNA molecule attaches to ribosome
↓
complementary tRNA, loaded with appropriate
amino acid pairs, with one codon on mRNA
(translation)
↓
peptide bond forms between adjacent
amino acids

nucleus translation

ribosome
DNA mRNA mRNA
tRNA
transcription

nuclear amino acid-tRNA

pore
amino acid
polypeptide

In the nucleus, DNA unwinds and the two strands separate → one strand is copied to make a
complementary mRNA molecule (transcription) → mRNA leaves the nucleus via a nuclear pore and
travels to and attaches to a ribosome → complementary tRNA carrying an appropriate amino acid
pairs with first codon on the mRNA (translation) → process is repeated with second amino acid-tRNA
→ peptide bond forms between neighbouring amino acids → process continues to make a polypeptide.

2 Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2020