Scottish Highers · Higher Biology

Cell Biology, Metabolism and Genetics

41 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 41 questions

  1. Which molecule carries the genetic code in the nucleus of a human cell?
  2. What is the function of the enzyme DNA polymerase during replication?
  3. In the polymerase chain reaction, why is the DNA heated to about 95 degrees Celsius in the first stage?
  4. Which type of cell is described as pluripotent?
  5. Which statement about the structure of a eukaryotic gene is correct?
  6. A single mRNA can code for several different proteins in a eukaryotic cell. Which process explains this?
  7. What is the role of ATP in cells?
  8. Where in the cell does glycolysis take place?
  9. During fermentation in animal muscle cells, pyruvate is converted to what?
  10. Which statement about the electron transport chain is correct?
  11. What is the function of the cell membrane protein described as a receptor?
  12. Which hormone is released from the pancreas when the blood glucose concentration rises?
  13. In type 1 diabetes, why does the blood glucose concentration stay high after a meal?
  14. What is a food chain?
  15. In a DNA double helix the two strands run in opposite directions. What term describes this?
  16. During DNA replication, why can DNA polymerase only add nucleotides to the 3′ end of a primer?
  17. What is the role of the enzyme DNA ligase?
  18. Why is a heat-stable DNA polymerase used in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)?
  19. Starting with one molecule of DNA, how many copies are present after 5 cycles of PCR?
  20. What is the function of primers in PCR?
  21. Which statement correctly describes transcription?
  22. What happens during RNA splicing?
  23. A tRNA molecule has the anticodon UAC. Which mRNA codon does it bind to?
  24. A gene mutation changes a single nucleotide so that a codon for one amino acid codes for a different amino acid. What is this called?
  25. A deletion of one nucleotide in a gene is most likely to cause what effect?
  26. What is cell differentiation?
  27. In a metabolic pathway, the end product inhibits an enzyme early in the pathway. What is this called?
  28. A competitive inhibitor reduces enzyme activity. Why can the effect be reduced by adding more substrate?
  29. What is the net gain of ATP from the breakdown of one molecule of glucose to pyruvate in glycolysis?
  30. Where in the cell does the electron transport chain of aerobic respiration take place?
  31. What is the role of oxygen in aerobic respiration?
  32. Why does fermentation in muscle cells convert pyruvate to lactate?
  33. In photosynthesis, which enzyme fixes carbon dioxide in the Calvin cycle?
  34. Where do the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis occur?
  35. What are the products of the light-dependent stage that are used in the Calvin cycle?
  36. The template strand of a gene reads 3′-TACGGA-5′. Given that the mRNA codons AUG and CCU code for methionine and proline respectively, what is the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide?
  37. A yeast culture respires at 4, 9, 12 and 2 units at 20, 30, 40 and 50 °C. What is the percentage decrease in rate from 40 °C to 50 °C, to the nearest whole number?
  38. When the light is switched off, ATP and NADPH are no longer made. What happens to the concentrations of 3-phosphoglycerate and RuBP in the Calvin cycle?
  39. A bar chart shows the mean growth of two groups of seedlings with error bars of one standard deviation that overlap almost completely. What is the best conclusion?
  40. Why can a human gene not be expressed directly by a bacterium unless it is first made as complementary DNA (cDNA)?
  41. In a metabolic pathway A → B → C → D, an inhibitor stops the enzyme that converts B to C. Which substances are most likely to accumulate or fall?

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