Gene Expression Quizzes: Master the Basics of Gene Function

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a step in transcription?

Accepted Answer

Replication

Answer

Initiation

Answer

Elongation

Answer

Termination

Question 2

What is the primary role of RNA polymerase in transcription?

Accepted Answer

To synthesize the RNA transcript

Answer

To unwind the DNA double helix

Answer

To terminate transcription

Answer

To splice the RNA molecule

Question 3

What is the process by which mRNA is translated into a protein?

Accepted Answer

Translation

Answer

Replication

Answer

Transcription

Answer

Mutation

Question 4

What is the primary function of the ribosome in translation?

Accepted Answer

To assemble amino acids into a polypeptide chain

Answer

To unwind the DNA double helix

Answer

To proofread the mRNA molecule

Answer

To splice the RNA molecule

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a commonly used method to study gene expression?

Accepted Answer

DNA fingerprinting

Answer

Microarrays

Answer

RNA sequencing

Answer

Protein analysis

Question 6

In eukaryotic cells, where does transcription primarily take place?

Accepted Answer

Nucleus

Answer

Cytoplasm

Answer

Mitochondria

Answer

Ribosomes

Question 7

RNA polymerase's primary role in gene expression is to:

Accepted Answer

Initiate and extend the RNA strand

Answer

Translate the RNA into protein

Answer

Splice the RNA molecule

Answer

Modify the RNA after transcription

Question 8

What is the name of the process that modifies the primary RNA transcript into a mature mRNA molecule?

Accepted Answer

Splicing

Answer

Translation

Answer

Transcription

Answer

Replication

Question 9

Which codon signals the termination of protein synthesis?

Accepted Answer

UAA

Answer

AUG

Answer

GGC

Answer

CCC

Question 10

Ribosomes are responsible for:

Accepted Answer

Catalyzing the formation of peptide bonds

Answer

Transporting amino acids to the ribosome

Answer

Proofreading the newly synthesized protein

Answer

Initiating the translation process

Question 11

Which of the following is not a type of post-translational modification?

Accepted Answer

Replication

Answer

Glycosylation

Answer

Phosphorylation

Answer

Acetylation

Question 12

The term 'epigenome' refers to:

Accepted Answer

Chemical modifications to DNA that influence gene expression

Answer

The order of amino acids in a protein

Answer

The three-dimensional structure of DNA

Answer

The complete set of genes in an organism

Question 13

Which enzyme is responsible for catalyzing the formation of the phosphodiester bonds during transcription?

Accepted Answer

Polymerase

Answer

Helicase

Answer

Ligase

Answer

Exonuclease

Question 14

What is the primary function of ribosomes in protein synthesis?

Accepted Answer

To decode the genetic code and assemble amino acids into proteins

Answer

To synthesize amino acids

Answer

To transport mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm

Answer

To modify post-translational proteins

Question 15

Describe the key difference between constitutive and inducible gene expression.

Accepted Answer

Constitutive genes are expressed continuously, while inducible genes are only expressed under specific conditions.

Answer

Inducible genes are expressed continuously, while constitutive genes are only expressed under specific conditions.

Answer

Both constitutive and inducible genes are expressed under specific conditions.

Answer

There is no significant difference between constitutive and inducible gene expression.

Question 16

Explain the roles of introns and exons in eukaryotic gene expression.

Accepted Answer

Introns are removed during splicing, while exons are retained in the mature mRNA.

Answer

Exons are removed during splicing, while introns are retained in the mature mRNA.

Answer

Both introns and exons are retained in the mature mRNA.

Answer

Neither introns nor exons are retained in the mature mRNA.

Question 17

Which type of RNA molecule carries the genetic code from DNA to the ribosomes during protein synthesis?

Accepted Answer

mRNA

Answer

tRNA

Answer

rRNA

Answer

snRNA

Question 18

Define transcription and state what type of molecule it produces.

Accepted Answer

The process of transferring information from DNA to RNA, producing RNA

Answer

The process of transferring information from RNA to protein, producing protein

Answer

The process of copying DNA into identical strands, producing DNA

Answer

The process of copying RNA into DNA, producing DNA

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a type of RNA polymerase?

Accepted Answer

DNA gyrase

Answer

RNA polymerase I

Answer

RNA polymerase II

Answer

RNA polymerase III

Question 20

Describe the primary function of the ribosome during translation.

Accepted Answer

Reads the genetic code and assembles amino acids into a polypeptide chain

Answer

Unwinds the DNA double helix and initiates transcription

Answer

Catalyzes the polymerization of nucleotides during DNA replication

Answer

Modifies RNA molecules by adding a poly(A) tail

Question 21

Identify a post-translational modification and briefly describe its effect.

Accepted Answer

Phosphorylation: Alters protein function and activity

Answer

Splicing: Removes non-coding regions from RNA

Answer

Capping: Protects mRNA from degradation

Answer

Translation: Synthesizes a polypeptide chain

Question 22

Describe the significance of the genetic code.

Accepted Answer

Determines the sequence of amino acids in a protein

Answer

Controls the rate of transcription

Answer

Prevents mutations from occurring

Answer

Provides the instructions for DNA replication

Question 23

Explain how alternative splicing contributes to gene expression.

Accepted Answer

Allows a single gene to produce multiple proteins with different functions

Answer

Increases the accuracy of translation

Answer

Prevents the formation of non-functional proteins

Answer

Enhances the stability of mRNA molecules

Question 24

Describe the potential consequence of a mutation in a regulatory region of a gene.

Accepted Answer

Altered gene expression

Answer

Truncated protein product

Answer

Frameshift mutation

Answer

Premature termination of translation

Question 25

During which stage of gene expression is the genetic information in DNA used to produce a complementary RNA molecule?

Accepted Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Replication

Answer

Mutation

Question 26

What is the term for the region of DNA that codes for a functional unit of a protein?

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Codon

Answer

Intron

Answer

Operon

Question 27

What is the function of the promoter region in a gene?

Accepted Answer

Initiates transcription

Answer

Binds ribosomes for translation

Answer

Encodes the polypeptide chain

Answer

Regulates gene expression

Question 28

What is a major challenge researchers face when studying gene expression?

Accepted Answer

The complexity of gene expression processes

Answer

The lack of model organisms for gene expression research

Answer

The predictability of gene expression patterns

Question 29

A mutation disrupts the binding of a transcription factor to the regulatory sequence of a target gene. How will this mutation likely impact the expression of the target gene?

Accepted Answer

Decreased expression

Answer

Increased expression

Answer

No change in expression

Answer

Increased expression of unrelated genes

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a stage of transcription in eukaryotes?

Accepted Answer

Translation

Answer

Initiation

Answer

Elongation

Answer

Termination

Question 31

The process by which DNA is copied into a complementary RNA molecule is known as:

Accepted Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Replication

Answer

Mutation

Question 32

The process by which mRNA is processed to remove introns and join exons in eukaryotes is called:

Accepted Answer

Splicing

Answer

Capping

Answer

Polyadenylation

Answer

Translation

Question 33

The study of gene expression patterns is a field called:

Accepted Answer

Transcriptomics

Answer

Genome sequencing

Answer

Proteomics

Answer

Metabolomics

Question 34

Explain how epigenetics can influence gene expression without altering the DNA sequence.

Accepted Answer

Epigenetic mechanisms involve modifications to the chromatin structure or DNA methylation patterns, affecting gene accessibility and expression.

Answer

Epigenetics involves changes to the DNA sequence, affecting gene expression.

Answer

Environmental factors directly modify the DNA molecule, influencing gene expression.

Answer

Epigenetic modifications are always reversible and cannot be inherited.

Question 35

In translation, what is the role of tRNA?

Accepted Answer

To carry amino acids to the ribosome

Answer

To decode the mRNA sequence

Question 36

Which type of mutation leads to a premature stop codon?

Accepted Answer

Nonsense mutation

Answer

Missense mutation

Question 37

What is the primary function of an enhancer in gene regulation?

Accepted Answer

To increase gene expression

Answer

To decrease gene expression

Question 38

What is the main role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in gene expression?

Accepted Answer

To suppress gene expression by degrading mRNA

Answer

To promote gene expression by modifying chromatin structure

Question 39

What is the primary significance of alternative splicing in gene expression?

Accepted Answer

It allows for the production of multiple protein isoforms from a single gene

Answer

It regulates the stability of mRNA transcripts

Question 40

Which of the following is not a type of RNA polymerase found in eukaryotic cells?

Accepted Answer

DNA polymerase

Answer

RNA polymerase I

Answer

RNA polymerase II

Answer

RNA polymerase III

Question 41

What is the process by which mRNA is synthesized from DNA?

Accepted Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Replication

Answer

Splicing

Question 42

Which of the following is a key feature of eukaryotic gene structure?

Accepted Answer

Introns and exons

Answer

Single-stranded mRNA

Answer

No introns

Answer

Continuous transcription

Question 43

What is the primary role of ribosomes in gene expression?

Accepted Answer

Assembling amino acids into proteins

Answer

Initiating transcription

Answer

Terminating translation

Answer

Proofreading mRNA

Question 44

Describe the distinction between constitutive and inducible gene expression.

Accepted Answer

Constitutive genes are constantly expressed; inducible genes are expressed only under specific conditions.

Answer

Inducible genes are constantly expressed; constitutive genes are expressed only under specific conditions.

Answer

Constitutive genes are expressed at a low level; inducible genes are expressed at a high level.

Answer

Inducible genes are expressed in all cell types; constitutive genes are only expressed in specific cell types.

Question 45

What is the primary function of transcription factors in gene expression?

Accepted Answer

Binding to DNA to initiate transcription

Answer

Binding to RNA polymerase to promote elongation

Answer

Terminating transcription and releasing mRNA

Answer

Translating mRNA into protein

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a key step in gene expression?

Accepted Answer

Replication

Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Post-translational modification

Question 47

The process by which mRNA is synthesized using a DNA template is known as:

Accepted Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Replication

Answer

Mutation

Question 48

In eukaryotic cells, where does protein synthesis take place?

Accepted Answer

Ribosome

Answer

Nucleus

Answer

Golgi apparatus

Answer

Mitochondria

Question 49

The genetic code refers to:

Accepted Answer

A sequence of nucleotides in mRNA that specifies the order of amino acids in a protein

Answer

A sequence of amino acids that specifies the order of nucleotides in mRNA

Answer

A sequence of nucleotides in DNA that specifies the order of nucleotides in mRNA

Answer

A sequence of bases in tRNA that specifies the order of codons in mRNA

Question 50

The process by which tRNA molecules bring specific amino acids to the ribosome during translation is called:

Accepted Answer

Charging

Answer

Initiation

Answer

Elongation

Answer

Termination

Question 51

The primary function of a promoter region in a gene is to:

Accepted Answer

Provide a binding site for RNA polymerase

Answer

Enhance the stability of the mRNA transcript

Answer

Facilitate the termination of transcription

Answer

Signal the ribosome to start translation

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT a potential consequence of a gene mutation?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced gene expression

Answer

Altered protein function

Answer

Loss of gene function

Answer

Creation of new gene products

Question 53

Which term describes the process by which cells selectively express certain genes in response to specific environmental cues?

Accepted Answer

Gene regulation

Answer

Gene therapy

Answer

Genetic engineering

Answer

Epigenetics