The chemical structure of DNA | Biology | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

The drawing shows a bacterial cell. Which structure (A, B or C) contains the genetic material?

A

B

C ✓
Which is the best definition of a gene?

A large chemical molecule made of smaller groups.

All the DNA of an organism.

A short section of DNA carrying the genetic code for a process or feature. ✓

All the chromosomes in the nucleus.
All organisms have similarities in their DNA. Put these examples in order, starting with the example of two things that have the most similar DNA.

1

⇔

two brothers

2

⇔

a granddaughter and her grandmother

3

⇔

a human being and a chimpanzee

4

⇔

a human being and a lion

5

⇔

a human being and a banana
What do scientists call the sections of DNA in a chromosome that lie between genes?

'non-coding' ✓
True or false? Only genes make up the genome of an organism.

True

False ✓
Which is the best explanation for why the genomes of humans and bananas have similarities?

Humans and bananas are very closely related.

Humans and bananas share many similar features.

Humans and bananas have no similar features.

Humans and bananas have common life processes. ✓

In plant and animal cells, the genome is stored in the ...

'nucleus' ✓
DNA is a nucleic acid polymer. How many nucleic acid strands make up each DNA molecule?

one

two ✓

four

eight
Put these in size order, starting with the smallest.

1

⇔

nucleotide

2

⇔

nucleic acid

3

⇔

DNA molecule

4

⇔

nucleus
The diagram is a model of a nucleotide. Which part (A, B or C) represents the base?

'B' ✓
The instructions contained in a gene are often referred to as the genetic code. Which is the best description of the genetic code?

It is the feature or process that the gene provides instructions for.

It is all of the DNA in a nucleus.

It is the number of nucleotide bases in a gene.

It is the order of the nucleotide bases in a gene. ✓
The photograph shows a model of part of a DNA molecule. It is made from liquorice and jelly babies. What would improve the model?

Add more than four colours of jelly baby.

Add more than two liquorice sticks.

Twist the model to form a helix. ✓

Bend the model into a square.

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DNA is a type of biological molecule called a nucleic acid.
DNA is made of two strands, each a long polymer of nucleotides, wound together in a double helix shape.
DNA is a polymer of four different nucleotides (A, C, G and T).
Each of the four types of nucleotide in DNA is made of the same sugar and a phosphate group, bonded to a different base.
Nucleotides in each strand of DNA pair up in a complementary way; A pairs with T, and C pairs with G.

DNA is living and not necessarily a chemical.

Discussing that DNA is a chemical molecule and showing how it is made up of smaller chemical groups, and then modelling this chemical structure.

Dna - DNA is a nucleic acid polymer made up of four nucleotides, it contains the genetic code in all living organisms.
Nucleic acid - A nucleic acid is a polymer made up of nucleotides, an example is DNA.
Polymer - A polymer is a chemical made up of smaller repeating chemical groups.
Nucleotide - A nucleotide is a chemical group that make up the building blocks of DNA, the four types are coded A, T, C and G.
Base - A base is the part of a nucleotide that pairs to its complementary base across the middle of the DNA double helix C-G and A-T.