Biochemistry Questions and Answers – Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids Basics

This set of Biochemistry Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on
“Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids Basics”.

1. Identify the purine base of nucleic acids in the following

a) Cytosine
b) Thymine
c) Uracil
d) Adenine
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: Purines have two rings in their structure, but pyrimidine bases have
only one ring.
Adenine has two rings in its structure.

2. Which of the following are not the components of RNA?

a) Thymine
b) Adenine
c) Guanine
d) Cytosine
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Thymine is present in DNA but not in RNA.

3. Which of the following statements is true?

a) Sugar component of a nucleotide is ribose
b) Sugar component of a nucleotide is deoxyribose
c) The bases in nucleotides are attached to a pentose sugar moiety by a glycosidic
linkage
d) The sugar molecule of the nucleotide is in L-configuration
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: Sugar component of a nucleotide may be ribose or deoxyribose.

4. What is the composition of nucleoside?

a) a sugar + a phosphate
b) a base + a sugar
c) a base + a phosphate
d) a base + a sugar + phosphate
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: A nucleoside is composed of a base and a sugar.

5. What is the composition of nucleotide?

a) a sugar + a phosphate
b) a base + a sugar
c) a base + a phosphate
d) a base + a sugar + phosphate
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: A nucleotide is composed of a base, a sugar and a phosphate.

6. Group of adjacent nucleotides are joined by

a) Phosphodiester bond
b) Peptide bond
c) Ionic bond
d) Covalent bond
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: The phosphodiester linkage joins 3’ carbon atom of one sugar
molecule and 5’ carbon atom of another carbon atom

.
7. The sugar molecule in a nucleotide is
a) Pentose
b) Hexose
c) Tetrose
d) Triose
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Ribose or deoxyribose is a 5 carbon sugar.

8. Which of the following is true about phosphodiester linkage?

a) 5’-phosphate group of one nucleotide unit is joined to the 3’-hydroxyl group of
the next nucleotide
b) 3’-phosphate group of one nucleotide unit is joined to the 5’-hydroxyl group of
the next nucleotide
c) 5’-phosphate group of one nucleotide unit is joined to the 5’-hydroxyl group of
the next nucleotide
d) 3’-phosphate group of one nucleotide unit is joined to the 3’-hydroxyl group of
the next nucleotide
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: 5’-phosphate group of one nucleotide unit is joined to the 3’-
hydroxyl group of the next nucleotide.

9. Which of the following is false about purine and pyrimidine bases?

a) They are hydrophobic and relatively insoluble in water at the near-neutral pH
of the cell
b) At acidic or alkaline pH the bases become charged and their solubility in water
increases
c) Purines have two rings in their structure, but pyrimidine bases have only one
ring
d) At acidic or alkaline pH the bases become charged and their solubility in water
decreases
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: At acidic or alkaline pH the bases become charged and their
solubility in water increases.

10. Building blocks of nucleic acids are

a) Nucleotides
b) Nucleosides
c) Amino acids
d) Histones
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids.

his set of Molecular Biology Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses
on “Chemical Structures of Nucleic Acids”.

1. Which macromolecule is not abundantly found though being of critical

importance for biological mechanism?
a) Proteins
b) Lipids
c) Nucleic acids
d) Polysaccharides
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Though lipids is of essential use in the cell for the formation of cell
wall it is a micro molecule and is generally found in association with either
phosphate or polysaccharide. In case of the other three they are all
macromolecules and are of essential use for the cell. For example: proteins such
as, enzymes regulates biological functions, nucleic acids carry genetic information
and polysaccharides functions as either storage of energy or acts as structural
polymers.

2. Which of the following is wrongly paired?

a) Proteins – peptide bond
b) Nucleic acid – hydrogen bond
c) Polysaccharide – glycosidic bond
d) Phospholipids –phosphate linkage
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Nucleic acids, that is, DNA and RNA show phosphodiesterase linkage
which is the major type of linkage. Without the phosphodiester bonds between
the phosphate and adjacent 3’OH sugar molecule the backbone will not be
formed. Therefore, the nucleotides would not be able to attach and bond to form
a nucleic acid.

3. With respect to nucleosides which of the following is paired correctly?

a) Purine – Adenosine, Thymidine
b) Purine – Guanosine, Thymidine
c) Pyrimidine – Uridine, Cytidine
d) Pyrimidine – Uridine, Adenosine
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: As we know purines have a fused ring structure with 9 element
backbones ring structure. They are of two types Adenosine and Guanine. Again,
the other three residues cytidine, Thymidine and Uridine are pyrimidines having a
ring structure of 6 elements in the core backbone. Thus the correct pair among
the above options is pyrimidine – uridine, cytidine.

4. Which of the following is not a component of the nucleic acid backbone?

a) Pentose sugar
b) Phosphate group
c) Nucleotide
d) Phosphodiesterase bond
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: A nucleic acid backbone is mainly composed of a pentose-phosphate
unit which acts as a monomer. The repeat of this monomer is attached together
by the phosphodiesterase linkage, thus, giving rise to the backbone. The
nucleotides attached to the sugar moieties forms the side chain which gives rise
to the hydrogen linkage with its complementary strand.

5. According to Chargaff’s rule the two strands of DNA has ___________

a) Same molecular weight
b) Same amount of A and G
c) Different amount of A and G
d) Different molecular weight

View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: According to Chargaff’s rule the two strands have equal number of A
and T residues and equal number of G and C residues. Thus when in one strand A
is more automatically in the other T is more. Thus, A being a pyrimidine has a
higher molecular weight than T, which is a purine, and so the two strands have
different molecular weight. The same happens in case of G and C also.

6. In one strand of a double stranded DNA the rate of occurrence of A is 3 times C

in consecutive 10 bases. So how many G will be there in 100 base pairs of a DNA
duplex?[Consider G=T in one strand].
a) 30
b) 20
c) 40
d) 60
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Let’s consider C = 1
Therefore, A = 3C = (3*1) = 3
Now, A+C = (3+1) = 4
Again G = T [given] And A+C+G+T = 10 [given] Now replacing T with G and putting
the value of A+C
We get,
4 + 2G = 10
2G = 6
G = 3, T = 3, A = 3, C = 1
Thus in 100 bases in one strand there are (3*10 = 30) G residues
Now for the complementary strand G = C residues [Chargaff’s rule] Therefore, C =
G = 1 residue in every 10 bases
That is, G = 1*10 = 10 in 100 bases
Therefore total number of G residues = 30 + 10 = 40 in 100 base pairs of a DNA
duplex.

7. In a diploid organism with 30,000 bases haploid genome contains 23% A

residues. What is the number of G residues in the genome of this organism?
a) 16000
b) 16200
c) 16500
d) 14200
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: By Chargaff’s rule, A = T = 23%
Therefore, G + C = [100 – (A+T)] G + C = [100 – 46] G + C = 54
G = C = 27 [By Chargaff’s rule] Therefore, G = 27%
Now, each cell is diploid thus it contains (2*30,000 = 60,000) bases
So, G = 27% of 60,000
G = 16,200 bases.

8. Which of the following is not a characteristic of nucleotide bases?

a) Planar
b) Heterocyclic
c) Aliphatic
d) Ubiquitous
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: The nucleotide bases have a 6 member ring structure as one
component which is common for all five bases. Thus, they are considered as
aromatic molecules due to the presence of a benzene ring structure which
provides the molecules with an aromatic property.

9. Which of the following factors do not provide to the separation of DNA

fragments during electrophoresis?
a) Chargaff’s rule
b) Matrix density
c) Ethidium bromide
d) Size
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Ethidium bromide only helps in tagging the DNA molecules to make
the visible under the UV radiation due to its fluorescence property, but does not
take any part in the separation of DNA molecules during electrophoresis.

10. Which one of the following is not a function of a nucleotide?

a) Nucleic acid monomer
b) Ribozyme
c) Energy carrier molecules
d) Receptors
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: Nucleotides do not form receptor molecules. Receptor molecules are
generally polysaccharide molecules or protein molecules which can have
structural configurations. Energy carrying nucleotide molecules such as ATP helps
binding and unbinding of signal molecules to these receptors thus facilitating
different biological functions.
This set of Life Sciences Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on
“Nucleotide Metabolism”.

1. Salvage pathway is used in the synthesis of ___________

a) Amino acid
b) Carbohydrate
c) Nucleotide
d) Fatty acid
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Nucleotide synthesis takes place by two pathways: salvage pathways
and de novo pathways. In de novo pathway pyrimidine base is assembled first and
then attached to ribose while in the salvage pathway preformed base is recovered
and reconnected to a ribose sugar.

2. All deoxyribonucleotide is synthesized by the ribonucleotides.

a) True
b) False
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Deoxyribonucleotide cannot be synthesized directly from de novo
and salvage pathway but it is generated by the reduction of ribose from the
corresponding ribonucleotide.

3. Name the precursor of RNA?

a) Glutamine
b) Cytidine
c) Orotidylate
d) Uridylate
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: Uridylate or UMP is a major pyrimidine nucleotide formed by the
decarboxylation of orotidylate (OMP) during pyrimidine synthesis. UMP further
gets converted to a ribonucleotide, and act as a precursor of RNA.

4. The activity of which of the following enzyme is inhibited by the

chemotherapeutic agent during deoxyribonucleotide synthesis?
a) Dihydrofolate reductase
b) Ribonucleotide reductase
c) Thymidylate synthase
d) CTP synthetase
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Methotrexate and aminopterin are two anticancer drugs which
inhibits the activity of dihydrofolate reductase. This will stop the formation of
deoxyribonucleotide or DNA and the growth of the cell stops.

5. Which of the following is not the precursor of a purine ring?

a) Glutamine
b) Lysine
c) Glycine
d) Aspartate
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Purine ring is derived from various precursors like glutamine (N2 and
N9), glycine (C4, C5, and N7), aspartate (N1), Co2 (C6), folate (C2 and C8). Except
for lysine, all are the precursor of purine ring.

6. During purine synthesis the activity of amidotransferase enzyme is inhibited by

the antitumor agent, mark the correct one.
a) Aminopterin
b) Methotrexate
c) Texol
d) Azaserine
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: Azaserine is the structural analog of glutamine and works as an
antitumor agent by preventing the activity of enzyme amidotransferase which in
turn block purine synthesis.

7. urxaView Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Punine nucleotides are sequentially degraded from inosine to
hypoxanthine and guanine and finally to the uric acid which is excreted with the
urine in the human being while in some other animals it is further degraded to
urea and ammonia.

8. Name the deficiency in which T and B lymphocyte do not develop properly?

a) XLA
b) CVID
c) SCID
d) Multiple myeloma
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID) is caused by
the deficiency of adenosine deaminase which leads to increase in the cellular
concentration of dATP. High level of dATP reduces dNTPs in T-lymphocytes.

9. Which of the following disorder is caused due to the high serum level of urate?
a) Gout
b) Galectosemia
c) Cystic fibrosis
d) Maple syrup urine disease
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Gout is caused due to the high amount of uric acid, which is the
product of purine degradation. It involves precipitation of sodium urate crystals in
the joints and causes inflammation.
10. Name the genetic disorder which is caused by the deficiency of enzyme
HGPRT?
a) SCID
b) Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
c) Cystic fibrosis
d) Down syndrome
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: This genetic disorder is caused by the deficiency of enzyme
hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HGPRT). This results in
increase rate of purine biosynthesis by de novo pathway and overproduction of
urate.