Vocab

Question 1

Anaphase

Answer 1

Spindle fibers shorten, pulling the sister chromatids toward the opposite poles of the cell. This gives each pole a complete set of chromosomes.

Question 2

binary fission

Answer 2

a kind of asexual reproduction. It is the most common form of reproduction in prokaryotes and occurs in some single-celled eukaryotes.

Question 3

cell cycle

Answer 3

All of the stages that a cell goes through make up the cell cycle.

Question 4

Cell division

Answer 4

the division of a cell into two daughter cells with the same genetic material.

Question 5

Chromosome

Answer 5

A chromosome consists of DNA and protein molecules coiled into a definite shape.

Question 6

Cytokinesis

Answer 6

the cytoplasmic division of a cell at the end of mitosis or meiosis, bringing about the separation into two daughter cells.

Question 7

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

Answer 7

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) The molecule that carries genetic information in all living systems (see genetic code).

Question 8

DNA replication

Answer 8

The process in which DNA is copied is called DNA replication.

Question 9

interphase

Answer 9

Interphase is longer than mitotic phase.

Question 10

metaphase

Answer 10

Spindle fibers attach to the centromeres of the sister chromatids. The sister chromatids line up at the center of the cell.

Question 11

mitosis

Answer 11

Mitosis, or division of the nucleus, occurs only in eukaryotic cells.

Question 12

prophase

Answer 12

Chromosomes form, and the nuclear membrane breaks down.

Question 13

telophase

Answer 13

The chromosomes uncoil, and the spindle fibers break down. New nuclear membranes form.

Question 14

asexual reproduction

Answer 14

Asexual reproduction can happen very quickly.

Question 15

diploid

Answer 15

(of a cell or nucleus) containing two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.

Question 16

Egg

Answer 16

A gamete produced by a female parent is generally called an egg.

Question 17

fertilization

Answer 17

The union of the two gametes is called fertilization.

Question 18

gamete

Answer 18

Special cells called gametes are produced by the parents.

Question 19

haploid

Answer 19

having a single set of unpaired chromosomes.

Question 20

homologous chromosomes

Answer 20

The two members of a given pair of chromosomes are called homologous chromosomes.

Question 21

meiosis

Answer 21

Meiosis is a special type of cell division.

Question 22

Sexual reproduction

Answer 22

Sexual reproduction is more complicated. It involves two parents.

Question 23

sperm

Answer 23

A gamete produced by a male parent is usually called a sperm.

Question 24

zygote

Answer 24

The initial cell that forms when two gametes unite is called a zygote.

Question 25

codon

Answer 25

a sequence of three nucleotides that together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule.

Question 26

genetic code

Answer 26

the nucleotide triplets of DNA and RNA molecules that carry genetic information in living cells.

Question 27

mutagen

Answer 27

Anything in the environment that causes a mutation is known as a mutagen.

Question 28

mutation

Answer 28

the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes.

Question 29

protein synthesis

Answer 29

The process in which proteins are made is called protein synthesis.

Question 30

RNA (ribonucleic acid)

Answer 30

RNA is smaller than DNA. It can squeeze through pores in the membrane that encloses the nucleus.

Question 31

transcription

Answer 31

the process by which genetic information represented by a sequence of DNA nucleotides is copied into newly synthesized molecules of RNA, with the DNA serving as a template.

Question 32

translation

Answer 32

the process by which a sequence of nucleotide triplets in a messenger RNA molecule gives rise to a specific sequence of amino acids during synthesis of a polypeptide or protein.