Biology Semester Test Study Guide

Front

What is Darwin's theory of evolution?

Back

Darwin's theory of evolution explains the mechanism by which evolution occurs, primarily through natural selection.

Front

What is the purpose of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)?

Back

PCR is used to amplify small amounts of DNA, making it easier to analyze.

Front

What is inbreeding in dog breeding?

Back

Inbreeding is the mating of closely related individuals, such as a male poodle and a female poodle with similar traits.

Front

How does the double-helical structure of DNA facilitate replication?

Back

The double-helical structure allows each strand to serve as a template for the other due to base pairing.

Front

What are Chargaff's rules of base pairing?

Back

Chargaff's rules state that in DNA, adenine pairs with thymine and cytosine pairs with guanine, due to hydrogen bonding.

Front

What is natural selection?

Back

Natural selection is the process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Front

What is the role of DNA polymerase in DNA replication?

Back

DNA polymerase synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides complementary to the template strand.

Front

What is the significance of genetic variation?

Back

Genetic variation is crucial for evolution as it provides the raw material for natural selection.

Front

What is a mutation?

Back

A mutation is a change in the DNA sequence that can lead to variations in traits.

Front

What is the function of mRNA in protein synthesis?

Back

mRNA carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized.