Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Who first isolated phosphate-rich chemicals from white blood cells?
○ a) Rosalind Franklin
○ b) Friedrich Miescher
○ c) Watson and Crick
○ d) Erwin Chargaff
○ Answer: b) Friedrich Miescher
2. Which of the following are pyrimidines in DNA?
○ a) Adenine and Guanine
○ b) Thymine and Cytosine
○ c) Guanine and Cytosine
○ d) Adenine and Thymine
○ Answer: b) Thymine and Cytosine
3. According to Chargaff’s rule, the amount of Adenine in DNA equals the amount of:
○ a) Guanine
○ b) Cytosine
○ c) Thymine
○ d) Uracil
○ Answer: c) Thymine
4. Which enzyme is responsible for synthesizing RNA during transcription?
○ a) Helicase
○ b) DNA polymerase
○ c) RNA polymerase
○ d) Primase
○ Answer: c) RNA polymerase
5. What is the start codon in translation?
○ a) UGA
○ b) UAA
○ c) AUG
○ d) UAG
○ Answer: c) AUG
6. Which type of bond forms the sugar-phosphate backbone in DNA?
○ a) Hydrogen bonds
○ b) Peptide bonds
○ c) Phosphodiester bonds
○ d) Ionic bonds
○ Answer: c) Phosphodiester bonds
7. Which molecule carries amino acids to the ribosome during translation?
○ a) mRNA
○ b) tRNA
○ c) rRNA
○ d) DNA
○ Answer: b) tRNA
True or False Questions
1. RNA has thymine (T) instead of uracil (U).
○ Answer: False
2. In eukaryotic cells, DNA is stored in the nucleus.
○ Answer: True
3. DNA replication results in two daughter molecules, each containing one new and
one old strand.
○ Answer: True
4. RNA polymerase is responsible for unwinding the DNA during replication.
○ Answer: False (Helicase unwinds DNA)
5. A codon consists of two nucleotides.
○ Answer: False (It consists of three nucleotides)
6. Mutations in somatic cells are usually not passed to the next generation.
○ Answer: True
7. A stop codon initiates protein synthesis in translation.
○ Answer: False (A start codon initiates synthesis)
Matching Questions (Table)
Column A Column B
1. DNA a. Single-stranded nucleic acid
2. RNA b. Enzyme that synthesizes new
DNA
3. Helicase c. Contains A=T and G≡C base pairs
4. DNA polymerase d. Enzyme that unwinds DNA
5. Ribosome e. Protein synthesis machinery
Answers: 1 - c
2-a
3-d
4-b
5-e
Column A Column B
1. tRNA a. Building blocks of nucleic acids
2. Nucleotides b. Carries amino acids to the
ribosome
3. Adenine c. Start codon for translation
4. AUG d. Pairs with thymine in DNA
Answers: 1 - b
2-a
3-d
4-c
Advanced Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Which of the following processes does not directly involve DNA?
○ a) Replication
○ b) Transcription
○ c) Translation
○ d) Mutagenesis
○ Answer: c) Translation
2. Which enzyme provides a starting point during DNA replication by synthesizing a
short RNA primer?
○ a) DNA polymerase
○ b) Ligase
○ c) Primase
○ d) Helicase
○ Answer: c) Primase
3. During transcription, which strand of the DNA is used as a template for RNA
synthesis?
○ a) Leading strand
○ b) Lagging strand
○ c) Coding strand
○ d) Non-coding strand
○ Answer: d) Non-coding strand
4. Which of the following correctly describes the flow of genetic information in the
central dogma?
○ a) Protein → RNA → DNA
○ b) DNA → RNA → Protein
○ c) RNA → DNA → Protein
○ d) DNA → Protein → RNA
○ Answer: b) DNA → RNA → Protein
5. What is the role of tRNA in translation?
○ a) To carry genetic information from the DNA to the ribosome
○ b) To form the ribosome subunits that synthesize proteins
○ c) To bring amino acids to the ribosome and match them with the codon on
mRNA
○ d) To unwind the double-stranded DNA before transcription
○ Answer: c) To bring amino acids to the ribosome and match them with the codon
on mRNA
6. Which of the following mutations involves the insertion or deletion of a single
nucleotide and can cause a frameshift?
○ a) Silent mutation
○ b) Missense mutation
○ c) Nonsense mutation
○ d) Frameshift mutation
○ Answer: d) Frameshift mutation
7. Which codon signals the termination of protein synthesis?
○ a) AUG
○ b) UAA
○ c) CCG
○ d) GGC
○ Answer: b) UAA
True/False Variations
1. Each gene holds instructions for producing a protein, which is crucial for an
organism's traits.
○ Answer: True
2. In RNA, uracil (U) replaces adenine (A) during transcription.
○ Answer: False (Uracil replaces thymine, not adenine)
3. Okazaki fragments are synthesized continuously along the leading strand of DNA.
○ Answer: False (They are synthesized on the lagging strand)
4. In eukaryotic cells, replication starts at a single origin of replication.
○ Answer: False (Eukaryotic cells have multiple origins of replication)
5. In the process of translation, the codons in mRNA are matched by the anticodons
of tRNA.
○ Answer: True
6. The double helix model of DNA was first proposed by Rosalind Franklin.
○ Answer: False (It was proposed by Watson and Crick using Franklin's data)
7. Splicing removes introns and joins exons together in eukaryotic mRNA before
translation.
○ Answer: True
Matching Questions (Deeper Variations)
Column A Column B
1. Transcription a. Occurs in the cytoplasm, synthesizes proteins
2. Helicase b. RNA is synthesized from DNA template
3. DNA polymerase c. Enzyme that unwinds the DNA helix
4. Translation d. Links nucleotides to form a new strand of DNA
5. Codon e. Three-nucleotide sequence on mRNA
Answers:
1-b
2-c
3-d
4-a
5-e
Column A Column B
1. Uracil a. RNA polymerase attaches here
2. Start codon b. Nitrogenous base only found in RNA
3. Promoter c. Base pair substitution leads to no change in amino
acid
4. Silent mutation d. AUG, initiates translation
Answers:
1-b
2-d
3-a
4-c
Match the Enzymes to Their Functions
Enzyme Function
1. Helicase a. Unwinds DNA at the replication fork
2. DNA polymerase b. Joins Okazaki fragments together
3. Ligase c. Adds nucleotides to a growing DNA strand
4. Primase d. Synthesizes short RNA primers
Answers:
1-a
2-c
3-b
4-d
Conceptual MCQs
1. Which of the following best describes the central dogma of molecular biology?
○ a) DNA → RNA → Protein
○ b) RNA → Protein → DNA
○ c) Protein → RNA → DNA
○ d) RNA → DNA → Protein
○ Answer: a) DNA → RNA → Protein
2. During DNA replication, which enzyme seals the nicks in the sugar-phosphate
backbone of the lagging strand?
○ a) DNA polymerase
○ b) Helicase
○ c) Ligase
○ d) Primase
○ Answer: c) Ligase
Deeper Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. During DNA replication, which enzyme is responsible for joining Okazaki
fragments?
○ a) DNA ligase
○ b) DNA polymerase
○ c) Primase
○ d) Helicase
○ Answer: a) DNA ligase
2. Which of the following steps directly follows the attachment of RNA polymerase to
the promoter during transcription?
○ a) DNA unwinding by helicase
○ b) RNA synthesis initiation
○ c) RNA splicing
○ d) Translation of RNA
○ Answer: b) RNA synthesis initiation
3. Which process allows for different polypeptides to be produced from a single
gene?
○ a) DNA replication
○ b) Alternative splicing
○ c) Translation
○ d) RNA capping
○ Answer: b) Alternative splicing
4. Which of the following best explains why eukaryotic mRNA must be processed
before translation?
○ a) It removes mutations from the DNA sequence
○ b) It removes noncoding introns and adds stability with a cap and tail
○ c) It directly synthesizes proteins from the mRNA transcript
○ d) It prevents ribosome binding to mRNA prematurely
○ Answer: b) It removes noncoding introns and adds stability with a cap and tail
5. Which of the following would be a consequence if RNA polymerase malfunctioned
during transcription?
○ a) DNA replication would stop
○ b) mRNA would not be synthesized from the DNA template
○ c) Proteins would be directly translated from DNA
○ d) DNA would not unwind for replication
○ Answer: b) mRNA would not be synthesized from the DNA template
6. What would likely happen if a mutation occurred at the promoter region of a gene?
○ a) RNA polymerase would fail to bind, preventing transcription
○ b) DNA replication would proceed with errors
○ c) The protein would be synthesized incorrectly
○ d) The codons in mRNA would be misread during translation
○ Answer: a) RNA polymerase would fail to bind, preventing transcription
7. Which of the following is NOT involved in DNA replication?
○ a) Helicase
○ b) DNA polymerase
○ c) Ligase
○ d) tRNA
○ Answer: d) tRNA
8. In eukaryotes, where does transcription occur?
○ a) Cytoplasm
○ b) Nucleus
○ c) Ribosome
○ d) Mitochondria
○ Answer: b) Nucleus
9. Which of the following is NOT a part of RNA processing?
○ a) Splicing out introns
○ b) Adding a poly-A tail
○ c) Adding a 5’ cap
○ d) Binding of tRNA to the mRNA
○ Answer: d) Binding of tRNA to the mRNA
10. A point mutation in which of the following could lead to the greatest change in a
protein's function?
○ a) Exon
○ b) Intron
○ c) Promoter region
○ d) 5' UTR
○ Answer: a) Exon
Deeper True or False Questions
1. All mutations in DNA will result in a change in protein structure.
○ Answer: False (Some mutations are silent or occur in noncoding regions)
2. DNA replication occurs during the S-phase of the cell cycle.
○ Answer: True
3. Okazaki fragments are formed on the leading strand during DNA replication.
○ Answer: False (They are formed on the lagging strand)
4. RNA polymerase can bind to DNA without a promoter sequence.
○ Answer: False (Promoter sequences are necessary for RNA polymerase to
initiate transcription)
5. A mutation in the start codon would prevent translation from starting.
○ Answer: True (If the start codon is mutated, translation cannot initiate properly)
6. In eukaryotic cells, transcription and translation occur simultaneously.
○ Answer: False (Transcription occurs in the nucleus, and translation occurs in the
cytoplasm)
7. Alternative splicing allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins.
○ Answer: True
8. DNA polymerase synthesizes new DNA in the 3' to 5' direction.
○ Answer: False (It synthesizes DNA in the 5' to 3' direction)
9. Stop codons code for specific amino acids that terminate translation.
○ Answer: False (Stop codons do not code for any amino acids, they signal the
end of translation)
10. Single nucleotide mutations always result in diseases like sickle cell anemia.
○ Answer: False (Not all single nucleotide mutations lead to diseases)
Deeper Matching Questions (Table)
Column A Column B
1. Central Dogma a. Mutations that result from random errors
2. RNA polymerase b. The flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to Protein
3. Silent Mutation c. Enzyme responsible for transcription
4. Exon d. A type of mutation that does not affect the protein product
5. Spontaneous e. Coding region in eukaryotic genes
Mutation
Answers: 1 - b
2-c
3-d
4-e
5-a
Column A Column B
1. Helicase a. Prevents premature degradation of mRNA
2. Poly-A tail b. Enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix
3. tRNA c. Molecule with anticodon for mRNA codon pairing
4. Transcription d. Process of copying genetic information from DNA to RNA
5. Missense Mutation e. Mutation that results in a different amino acid
Answers: 1 - b
2-a
3-c
4-d
5-e
