AMMISSIONE ALLIEVI ORDINARI

CONCORSO GEM 2021-2022

TEST SCRITTO

1 settembre 2021, orario 10:00 – 11:00 c/o Tigem, Pozzuoli (NA)

1) Which of the following organelles has protein- phospholipid membranes, energy-

conversion enzymes, and ribosomes similar to those found in bacteria?

(A) Lysosome
(B) Peroxisome
(C) Rough endoplasmic reticulum
(D) Centriole
(E) Mitochondrion

2) The complementary RNA sequence for GATCAA is

(A) CTAGTT
(B) CUAGUU
(C) AGCTGG
(D) AGCUGG
(E) TCGACC

3) Which of the following would best demonstrate that the genomes of differentiated cells
are genetically equivalent?

(A) Isolation and culture of blastomeres of two-or four-celled embryos

(B) Isolation and culture of nuclei in the presence of cells from which they have been
removed
(C) Isolation and fusion of two different somatic cell types
(D) Injection of a nucleus i solated from an adult cell into an egg from which the
nucleus has been removed
(E) Injection of an intact somatic cell into an egg from which the nucleus has been
removed

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4) All of the following mechanisms have been shown experimentally to contribute to the
formation of cancer cells EXCEPT

(A) abnormally high energy reserves in cancer cells that cause them to divide too quickly
(B) mutations that cause excessive production of growth factors by cancer cells
(C) mutations that reduce the need for growth factors in cancer cells
(D) mutations that inactivate genes that normally inhibit cell division
(E) viruses that carry genes that transform normal cells into cancer cells

5) The addition of colchicine to a culture of actively dividing flagellated eukaryotic cells

inhibits all of the following EXCEPT

(A) movement of flagella

(B) growth of flagella
(C) formation of the mitotic apparatus
(D) formation of the microtubular cytoskeleton
(E) polymerization of tubulin

6) In enzyme-mediated reactions, enzyme molecules are capable of all of the following

EXCEPT

(A) altering the equilibrium of the chemical reaction

(B) decreasing the activation energy of the reaction
(C) increasing the rate of the reaction
(D) binding of molecules other than substrate molecules
(E) showing specificity of binding for substrate molecules

7) Biological oxidation of glucose resulting in which of the following metabolic end

products would yield the largest number of ATP molecules?

(A) CH3CHOHCOOH
(B) CH3COCOOH
(C) C02 + N2 + H20
(D) C02 + H2S
(E) C02 + H20

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8) All of the following cellular events involve actin filaments EXCEPT

(A) amoeboid movement

(B) cytoplasmic streaming
(C) cytokinesis
(D) contraction in smooth muscles
(E) flagellar movement in bacteria

9) In E. coli, induction of the lactose operon occurs when allolactose binds to

(A) galactosidase
(B) lac mRNA
(C) the operator
(D) the promoter
(E) the repressor

10) Synthesis and processing of eukaryotic messenger RNA include all of the following
events EXCEPT

(A) formation of a ribonucleoprotein complex

(B) formation of a short region of RNA-DNA duplex
(C) addition of polyuridine to the 3'end
(D) addition of a methylguanosine to the 5' end
(E) ligation of exons

11) The rate at which a DNA fragment moves in an electrophoretic gel is primarily a
function of the fragment's

(A) length
(B) double helical structure
(C) radioactivity
(D) degree of methylation
(E) adenine content

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12) During which of the following stages of the cell cycle will a diploid cell contain twice
the amount of DNA found in a gamete?

(A) Prophase
(B) Entire S phase
(C) Entire G 1 phase
(D) Entire G 2 phase
(E) Metaphase

13) All of the following are responses of the vertebrate egg to fusion with the male
gamete EXCEPT the

(A) completion of maturation (meiotic division)

(B) loss of the ability to undergo mitosis
(C) transient elevation of intracellular free calcium
(D) fusion of male and female pronuclei
(E) activation of the metabolic machinery

14) Which of the following is secreted principally by the corpus luteum of the human
ovary?

(A) Luteinizing hormone

(B) Follicle-stimulating hormone
(C) Testosterone
(D) Gonadotropin-releasing factor
(E) Progesterone

15) If one compares the primary structure of the protein cytochrome c in organisms that
are separated in evolutionary time, e.g., humans and yeast, one discovers that

(A) hydrophilic amino acids are usually substituted for hydrophobic amino acids
(B) the overall tertiary structure of the molecules is quite different
(C) the proteins have evolved different functions
(D) considerable sequence similarity exists between the two proteins
(E) no differences exist in the primary structures

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16) Which of the following genotypes would produce the greatest variety of gametes if the
alleles assorted independently?

(A) aa BB Cc Dd
(B) aa bb CC DD
(C) Aa Bb CCDd
(D) AA BB CCDD
(E) AA bb cc Dd

17) The amino acids in the amino acid sequences of the polypeptide chains of human
proteins differ from those of chimpanzees by approximately what percentage?

(A) 90%
(B) 50%
(C) 30%
(D) 15%
(E) 1%

18) It has been proposed that mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved from certain bacteria
that existed as endosymbiotic organisms in early cells. Which of the following would
best support this hypothesis?

(A) Both organelles contain DNA molecules.

(B) Both organelles have microtubules.
(C) Both organelles lack mRNA.
(D) Mitochondria, but not chloroplasts, are surrounded by a double membrane.
(E) Chloroplasts, but not mitochondria, are able to synthesize protein

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19) Directions:
Each group of questions below consists of five lettered headings followed by a list of
numbered words, phrases, or sentences. For each numbered word, phrase or sentence,
select the one heading that is most closely related to it and fill in completely the
corresponding space on the answer sheet. One heading may be used once, more than
once, or not at all in each group.

(A) Covalent bond

(B) Ionic bond
(C) Hydrogen bond
(D) van der Waals interaction
(E) Hydrophobic interaction

i) Binding of a magnesium ion to ATP

ii) Polymerization of nucleotides to yield RNA

iii) Association of nonpolar groups in an aqueous solution

20) Directions:
Each group of questions below consists of five lettered headings followed by a list of
numbered words, phrases, or sentences. For each numbered word, phrase or
sentence, select the one heading that is most closely related to it and fill in
completely the corresponding space on the answer sheet. One heading may be used
once, more than once, or not at all in each group.

(A) Iron
(B) Boron
(C) Magnesium
(D) Copper
(E) Zinc

i) Part of a heme prosthetic group

ii) Bound in the porphyrin ring of chlorophyll a

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21) RNA molecules that exhibit catalytic activity are called

(A) mRNAs
(B) ribonucleases
(C) ribosomes
(D) ribozymes
(E) ribonucleotides

22) Which of the following hormones initiates biological actions by crossing the plasma
membrane and then binding to a receptor?

(A) Glucagon
(B) Estradiol
(C) Insulin
(D) Norepinephrine
(E) Adrenocorticotropic hormone

23) The major mechanism of turnover of molecular components of the plasma membrane
occurs through

(A) endocytosis of patches of membrane

(B) diffusion of individual molecules into the cytoplasm
(C) recovery of specific components by selective receptors
(D) expulsion of integral molecules into the extracellular medium
(E) the concerted action of multifunctional enzyme complexes

24) Cells with abundant apical microvilli are characteristically found in

(A) exocrine glands

(B) the reticuloendothelial system
(C) adipose tissue
(D) neuronal dendrites
(E) absorptive epithelia

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25) Virus-mediated transfer of cellular genetic material from one bacterial cell to another by
means of virus particles is called

(A)induction
(B) transfection
(C)transformation
(D) transposition
(E) transduction

26) In the classical model of transcriptional control described by Jacob and Monod, a
repressor protein binds to

(A) an enhancer
(B) an AUG sequence
(C) an operator
(D) a ribosome-binding site
(E) a TATA box

27) In the cross AaBb x AaBb, Mendel's principle of independent assortment predicts that
the ratio of the four possible phenotypes of the offspring will be

(A) 1: 1 : 1 : 1
(B) 3: 2: 2: 1
(C) 4: 2: 2: 1
(D) 9: 3: 3: 1
(E) 9: 7: 3: 1

28) Common lesions found in DNA after exposure to ultraviolet light are

(A) pyrimidine dimers

(B) single strand breaks
(C) base deletions
(D) purine dimers
(E) transpositions

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29) In prokaryotes, environmental sensing frequently involves regulatory proteins (two-
component systems) that sense and respond to changes in surroundings. These two-
component systems may involve which of the following?

I. Protein phosphorylation
II. Transcriptional regulation
III. Membrane proteins

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

30) Which of the following types of bonds or interactions are LEAST likely to be involved in
stabilizing the three-dimensional folding of most proteins?

(A) Hydrogen bonds

(B) Electrostatic bonds
(C) Hydrophobic interactions
(D) Disulfide bonds
(E) Ester bonds

31) In animals, an enzyme unique to gluconeogenesis is

(A) enolase
(B) phosphoglyceromutase
(C) glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase
(D) aldolase
(E) fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase

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32) Approximately how many moles of ATP will be generated as a result of the oxidation of
one mole of FADH2 in an actively respiring mitochondrion?

(A) 0
(B) 2.0
(C) 3.0
(D) 4.5
(E) 6.0

33) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of intermediate filaments?

(A) They form the nuclear lamina.

(B) They provide mechanical stability to animal cells.
(C) Their protein composition is tissue specific.
(D) They are composed of globular monomers that polymerize to form fibers.
(E) They include the keratin filaments of epithelial cells.

34) Which of the following is most likely to lead to a loss of gene function?

(A) A missense mutation in the open reading frame

(B) A change from a TAA codon to a TAG codon in the coding region
(C) A change from T to C in the promoter region
(D) A frameshift mutation in the coding region
(E) A sequence change in the 3' untranslated regton

35) All of the following processes occur in the mitochondria of mammalian cells EXCEPT

(A) fatty acid biosynthesis

(B) protein synthesis
(C) DNA synthesis
(D) beta oxidation of fatty acids
(E) the citric acid cycle

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36) Which of the following statements is correct concerning a homeobox?

(A) It is part of the promoter in eukaryotic genes that code for proteins involved in
segmentation.
(B) It is a conserved protein structure found in glycolytic pathway enzymes.
(C) It is a conserved protein structure found in tRNA-binding proteins.
(D) It is a conserved DNA sequence found in genes that code for proteins that regulate
development.
(E) It is a conserved DNA sequence found in genes that code for proteins that regulate
homeostasis.

37) Heat-shock proteins were originally described as proteins produced in response to

heat stress. Some are now known to act as

(A) molecular chaperones that regulate protein folding

(B) protein-tyrosine kinases
(C) proteases that degrade ubiquitin-tagged proteins
(D) GTPase-activating proteins
(E) ionophores that dissipate H+ gradients

38) A mammalian zygote resulted from the fusion of a normal gamete with a gamete that
formed after a nondisjunction event in one chromosome during meiosis II. Which of
the following best describes the zygote?

(A) Diploid
(B) Haploid
(C) Aneuploid
(D) Polyploid
(E) Polysomic

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39) Labeling of mesoderm with vital dyes in the vertebrate embryo would result in labeling
of which of the following adult tissues?

I. Neural
II. Intestinal epithelial
III. Skeletal muscle

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II
(E) II and III

40) The ribosome is involved in all of the following

EXCEPT

(A) peptide bond formation

(B) aminoacylation of tRNA
(C) binding of protein factors during elongation
(D) binding of aminoacyl tRNA to mRNA
(E) binding of mRNA at an initiation codon

41) Directions:
Each group of questions below consists of five lettered headings followed by a list of
numbered words, phrases, or sentences. For each numbered word, phrase or
sentence, select the one heading that is most closely related to it and fill in
completely the corresponding space on the answer sheet. One heading may be used
once, more than once, or not at all in each group.

(A) NaCl
(B) Glucose
(C) Valine
(D) Polyadenylate
(E) Cholesterol

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 i) Largely insoluble in aqueous solutions

ii) Highly soluble in water and solvated entirely by hydrogen bonding

iii) Forms hydrated ion pairs in aqueous solutions

iv) Exists largely as a zwitterion (dipolar ion) in acqueous solutions at normal pH

42) Directions:
Each group of questions below consists of five lettered headings followed by a list of
numbered words, phrases, or sentences. For each numbered word, phrase or
sentence, select the one heading that is most closely related to it and fill in
completely the corresponding space on the answer sheet. One heading may be used
once, more than once, or not at all in each group.

(A) Nuclear envelope

(B) Nucleolus
(C) Euchromatin
(D) Heterochromatin
(E) Nuclear lamina

i) Site of synthesis of histone mRNA

ii) Site of transcriptionally inactive DNA

iii) Site of transcription by RNA polymerase II

iv) Site of 45S rRNA processing

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