2 Nucleic acids

AQA Biology Exam-style questions

1 Figure 1 shows a section of a DNA molecule.

Figure 1
a Name the parts labelled A and B.

B (2 marks)

b Name the type of bond shown at E.

(1 mark)

c Name the bases C and D.

C ..........................................

D .......................................... (2 marks)

d On Figure 1, draw a ring around a single nucleotide unit. (1 mark)

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 1
 2 Nucleic acids
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

2 a Nucleic acids, such as DNA, are polymers, made up of many repeating

monomer units.
Name the monomer from which nucleic acids are made.

(1 mark)

b The table shows the percentage of different bases in the DNA of some organisms.
Percentage of each base
Organism
Adenine Guanine Cytosine Thymine
human 31.2 18.8 18.8 31.2
cow 27.9 22.1 22.1 27.9
salmon 29.4 20.6 20.6 29.4
rat 28.6
virus 24.7 24.1 18.5 32.7
i Calculate the missing figures for rat DNA and write them in the table. (2 marks)
ii The virus has single-stranded DNA as its genetic material. Explain the
evidence from the table which suggests that the DNA is single-stranded.

(2 marks)

iii The virus DNA and RNA are both single-stranded. Give two other
structural similarities between the virus DNA and RNA.

1. ..........................................

2. .......................................... (2 marks)

AQA June 2005 BYA2 Question 7

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 2
 2 Nucleic acids
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

3 Figure 2 shows the process of DNA replication. The horizontal lines represent
the positions of the bases.

Figure 2
a In the diagram, A represents adenine and C represents cytosine.
Name the base found at positions:

X ............................................

Y ............................................

Z ............................................ (3 marks)

b DNA replication is enzyme controlled.

Explain the role of the following enzymes in DNA replication.
i DNA helicase

ii DNA polymerase

(4 marks)

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 3
 2 Nucleic acids
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

4 a The replication of DNA is described as semi-conservative.

Explain why.

(2 marks)

Bacteria require a source of nitrogen to make the bases needed for DNA
replication. In an investigation of DNA replication, some bacteria were grown
for many cell divisions in a medium containing 14N, a light form of nitrogen.
Others were grown in a medium containing 15N, a heavy form of nitrogen.
Some of the bacteria grown in a 15N medium were then transferred to a 14N
medium and left to divide once. DNA was extracted from the bacteria and
centrifuged.
The DNA samples formed bands at different levels in the centrifuge tubes, as
shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3
b i Suggest what tubes A and B show about the density of the DNA formed
using the two different forms of nitrogen.

(1 mark)

ii Explain the position of the band in tube C.

(2 marks)

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 4
 2 Nucleic acids
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

c The bacteria were allowed to divide once more in the 14N medium. DNA was
extracted from the bacteria and centrifuged.
Sketch the position of the DNA in the centrifuge tube D.

(2 marks)

5 Figure 4 shows a molecule of ATP.

Figure 4
a Name the parts of the molecule
X ..........................................

Y ..........................................

Z .......................................... (3 marks)

b Give a simple equation to show how ATP is synthesised from ADP.

(1 mark)

c Give two ways in which the properties of ATP make it a suitable source of
energy in biological processes.

1.

2. (2 marks)

d It is necessary for humans to synthesise more than their body mass of ATP
each day.
Explain why.

(2 marks)

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 5
 2 Nucleic acids
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

6 Scientists performed experiments to try to show that DNA was the hereditary
material. In the first experiment, a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae
was used. It causes pneumonia in humans and other mammals. The bacterium
is rod-shaped and has two strains: the S strain and the mutant R strain.
Scientists injected mice with different combinations of these two strains of the
bacterium. Figure 5 shows their results.

Figure 5
a Use the information in Figure 5 to explain which strain of S. pneumonia
caused the mice to die.

(2 marks)

b The scientists used mice in the experiment. Suggest why.

(2 marks)

Later, other scientists set up an experiment to try to find the nature of the
transforming agent. They heat-killed samples of the S-strain and treated
them with different enzymes. Each enzyme broke down specific molecules
within the bacteria. The scientists then mixed each of the extracts from these
S-strain cells with a different culture of the R-strain, and looked at the
colonies that grew on an agar plate. Table 1 shows their results.

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 6
 2 Nucleic acids
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

Table 1
Enzyme used to treat heat-killed Appearance of R-strain colonies
Experiment
cells of S-strain of S. pneumoniae growing on agar plate
1 protease smooth
2 ribonuclease smooth
3 deoxyribonuclease rough
c The scientists suspected three types of molecule might be the transforming
agent. Use the information in Table 1 to suggest the three types of molecule
they were investigating.

1. ..........................................

2. ..........................................

3. .......................................... (3 marks)

d The scientists concluded that DNA was the transforming agent. Use the data
in Table 1 to explain why.

(3 marks)

© Oxford University Press 2015 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original 7