Lesson 3.8.3.1

3.8.3.1 Genome sequencing and non-coding DNA Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.8.3.1, Genome sequencing and non-coding DNA: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 8: The control of gene expression, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Sequencing projects have so far read the genomes of:

    • Only plants grown for food
    • Only organisms with fewer than 1000 genes
    • A wide range of organisms, including humans
    • Only bacteria and viruses

  2. Determining the genome of a simpler organism allows which information to be found?

    • The exact number of its tRNA molecules
    • The proteome of the organism
    • The rate of its respiration
    • The age of the organism

  3. Why might identifying the proteome of a pathogen be useful?

    • Proteins can replace the need for any genome sequencing
    • Proteins on its surface may be potential antigens for vaccine production
    • Proteins allow the pathogen to be identified without any immune response
    • Proteins are always identical in all pathogens

  4. In complex organisms, why is knowledge of the genome not easily translated into the proteome?

    • Complex organisms have no protein-coding genes, so their proteins are made from the regulatory sequences alone in every cell
    • Non-coding DNA and regulatory genes affect which proteins are made and when
    • Complex organisms make proteins without using DNA, drawing their amino acid sequences directly from the food they eat each day
    • Complex organisms lack ribosomes, so the proteins they need must be assembled by a different system from the one found in simpler cells

  5. Sequencing methods have become:

    • Dependent on hand-drawn diagrams
    • Automated and continually updated
    • Less accurate than in earlier decades only
    • Restricted to a single laboratory

  6. Why is a vaccine developed from a pathogen's proteome sometimes preferred?

    • Its proteins can be recognised by the immune system as antigens
    • Proteins are more easily copied than DNA
    • Proteins cannot cause any immune response
    • Proteins can replace all antibodies in the blood

  7. Why is genome sequencing more straightforward for simpler organisms?

    • They lack regulatory genes entirely
    • They have no DNA at all
    • They have more repeated sequences than complex organisms
    • They have less non-coding DNA, so more of the genome codes for proteins

  8. Which information from a sequenced genome is used to predict the proteins an organism may make?

    • The number of mitochondria in each cell
    • The rate of ATP production
    • The coding sequences of the genome
    • The temperature of the habitat

  9. Automated sequencing matters because it:

    • Makes all genomes identical
    • Stops all mutations from occurring
    • Allows many genomes to be read faster and at lower cost
    • Removes the need for any computer analysis

  10. A bacterium's proteome has been determined. What does this mean?

    • The bacterium can no longer produce any protein, because its ribosomes were destroyed during the analysis of its proteome
    • Every gene in the bacterium has been deleted, so the cell can no longer carry out the metabolic reactions that it needs to survive
    • The full range of proteins the bacterium is able to produce has been identified
    • The bacterium's DNA has been replaced with protein, so the cell now stores its genetic information in the form of amino acid chains

  11. A pathogen has 40 genes, of which 10 encode surface proteins that are candidate antigens. What percentage of its genes encode candidate antigens?

    • 4 per cent
    • 40 per cent
    • 10 per cent
    • 25 per cent

  12. Why might a complex organism's genome contain far more DNA than its proteome requires?

    • Its genome is copied several times with no purpose
    • Its proteome includes every base in the genome
    • Much of the DNA is non-coding and includes regulatory sequences
    • Its DNA is only used to make lipids

  13. Which organism's genome is easiest to relate directly to its proteome?

    • A plant with extensive non-coding DNA and many regulatory genes
    • A simple bacterium with little non-coding DNA
    • A fungus with the largest known genome
    • A complex mammal with many regulatory genes

  14. A claim states that sequencing the human genome means all human proteins are now known. What is the best evaluation?

    • The claim is true only for the proteins that are made by the liver, since those are the only ones that are fully coded in the genome
    • The claim is false, because non-coding DNA and regulation mean the genome does not reveal every protein or when it is made
    • The claim is true because the genome contains the complete sequence of every protein, so proteins can be read directly from DNA
    • The claim is false because proteins are not made from DNA at all, so a genome sequence can never reveal any protein sequence

  15. A genome of 4 million bases is 88 per cent coding. How many coding bases does it contain?

    • 4 400 000
    • 480 000
    • 3 520 000
    • 3 000 000

  16. Why is automation of sequencing important for future medicine?

    • It removes the need to test any patient, because every genome is sequenced once at birth and the result is used for all later treatment
    • It makes large-scale genome projects feasible and supports personalised medicine
    • It means doctors no longer need genetic information at all, because the sequence of a genome can be replaced by a standard treatment
    • It ensures that no genetic disease can ever arise, since the sequence of every individual is corrected automatically by the sequencer

  17. Put these stages in the most likely order: 1 test candidate antigens, 2 predict proteins from coding regions, 3 sequence the genome, 4 identify coding regions. Which sequence is correct?

    • 4, 3, 2, 1
    • 1, 2, 3, 4
    • 3, 4, 2, 1
    • 2, 3, 1, 4

  18. Why does regulatory DNA make it hard to predict when a protein is made from a genome alone?

    • Regulatory genes are always the same as the proteome, so each regulatory gene has the same sequence as its protein
    • Regulatory genes are copied only once during development and are never expressed
    • Regulatory genes respond to conditions and control expression, so the genome alone does not show timing or amount
    • Regulatory genes make all proteins at a constant rate regardless of conditions

  19. Which statement best explains why a complex genome cannot simply be read to give the proteome?

    • Complex genomes are always identical to their proteome, so reading the DNA sequence gives the same result as reading the proteins
    • Complex genomes do not contain any DNA that codes for protein, so their proteome must be produced from non-coding sequences only
    • Complex genomes contain only protein-coding DNA, so every base in the genome is part of a gene that is expressed in the cell
    • Introns, non-coding DNA and regulatory control determine which parts of the genome are expressed

  20. A researcher uses sequence data to predict proteins from a complex genome. What is the most important limitation of this approach?

    • Sequence data cannot be stored on a computer because the files are too large, so the researcher must read every base by hand instead
    • Sequence data shows that every gene is expressed in every cell, so the proteins predicted from it are always made in every tissue
    • Sequence data always gives the wrong number of proteins, so predictions from it are useless
    • Sequence data alone cannot show which predicted proteins are actually produced in a given cell

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