Terminology

Question 1

evolution

Answer 1

the process by which living species become gradually modified and adapted to their environment in more and more sophisticated ways.

Question 2

genome

Answer 2

the entire library of genetic information in its DNA

Question 3

allele

Answer 3

alternative versions of genes that account for the variations seen in inherited characteristics

Question 4

genotype

Answer 4

the whole collection of alleles possessed by an individual, its genetic makeup

Question 5

phenotype

Answer 5

the physical appearance

Question 6

transcription

Answer 6

the first step a cell takes in reading out one of its many thousands of genes to copy the nucleotide sequence of that gene into RNA

Question 7

RNA polymerase

Answer 7

enzymes that carry out transcription

Question 8

messenger RNA

Answer 8

the RNA molecules that are copied from genes and ultimately direct the synthesis of proteins

Question 9

gene expression

Answer 9

the process by which the information encoded in a DNA sequence is translated into a product that has some effect on a cell or organism

Question 10

ribosomal RNA

Answer 10

forms the core of the ribosome and catalyzes protein synthesis

Question 11

transfer RNA

Answer 11

serves as an adapter between mRNA and amino acids during protein synthesis

Question 12

intron

Answer 12

long, noncodng intervening sequences in eukaryotic genes

Question 13

exon

Answer 13

scattered pieces of coding sequences

Question 14

translation

Answer 14

the conversion of the information in RNA into protein

Question 15

combinatorial control

Answer 15

refers to the way that groups of regulatory proteins work together to determine the expression of a single gene