What is the basic structural unit of a living organism?
The cell.
Which organisms are composed of cells?
Humans, animals, and plants.
What two types of cells does the course distinguish?
Animal cells and plant cells.
Why are animal and plant cells classified as eukaryotic?
Because they possess a nucleus.
Which organelle in animal cells contains genetic information?
The nucleus contains genetic information.
Which organelles participate in protein synthesis?
Ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus participate in protein synthesis.
What additional structures do plant cells have compared to animal cells?
Plant cells have a cellulose wall and chloroplasts.
What function does the cellulose wall provide to plant cells?
It gives the plant cell a regular geometric shape.
What process do chloroplasts enable in plant cells?
Chloroplasts enable photosynthesis.
What is DNA in a living organism?
The genetic support found inside the cell nucleus.
What three components make up a nucleotide?
Phosphoric acid, deoxyribose sugar, and a nitrogenous base.
How are the two DNA strands arranged?
They are antiparallel, opposing polynucleotide strands in a helical structure.
What bonds join the nitrogenous bases in DNA?
Hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous bases.
Which nitrogenous bases pair in DNA?
Adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine.
How many hydrogen bonds connect adenine and thymine?
Two hydrogen bonds connect adenine and thymine.
How many hydrogen bonds connect cytosine and guanine?
Three hydrogen bonds connect cytosine and guanine.
Why does more cytosine–guanine pairing increase DNA cohesion?
Because cytosine–guanine pairs form three hydrogen bonds, increasing cohesion.
During which cell division stages does DNA wrap around histones?
During some stages of cell division.
What do histone proteins do to DNA during cell division?
They wrap and condense DNA into chromosomes.
How many chromosomes does a human cell contain?
46 chromosomes.
Into how many pairs are human chromosomes organized?
23 pairs.
Why are the two chromosomes in each human pair similar?
Because one is inherited from the father and the other from the mother.
What do paired human chromosomes carry in corresponding regions?
The same genes.
What is a gene in genetics?
A hereditary unit on a chromosome linked to a trait.
What does an allele determine?
A specific form of a gene's trait.
What do homologous chromosomes carry in common?
The same genes in corresponding regions.
How can alleles differ on homologous chromosomes?
They may be different alleles from each parent.
Which allele determines the visible trait when two differ?
The dominant allele.
Test your knowledge with 15 questions on Cellular and Genetic Foundations.
1. What does it mean to describe the cell as the basic structural unit of a living organism?
2. Why are both animal cells and plant cells classified as eukaryotic?
Review the complete course in the study sheet for Cellular and Genetic Foundations.
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