Unit 4: Continuity and Change
Topic 4.2: Protein Synthesis Questions
Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB Biology Topic 4.2. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.
1Identify1 mark
In which part of a eukaryotic cell does transcription take place?
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What does it mean to say that the genetic code is universal?
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State what is meant by a codon.
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What is the role of a tRNA molecule in translation?
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During transcription, which base is added to the mRNA opposite an adenine (A) on the DNA template strand?
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Which event takes place during translation?
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Which type of bond joins neighbouring amino acids together in a polypeptide?
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State the name of the enzyme that carries out transcription.
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State the name of the structure that reads the mRNA codons and joins the amino acids together during translation.
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Where in the cell does translation take place?
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Which enzyme carries out transcription, and what does it produce?
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How many bases of an mRNA molecule are read together as a single codon?
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RNA polymerase and DNA polymerase are two enzymes that act on nucleic acids.
Distinguish between the roles of RNA polymerase and DNA polymerase, and explain why mRNA is important for making a protein.
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Unlock Question14Explain4 marks
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The genetic code is described as a triplet code that is both universal and degenerate.
Explain what is meant by the genetic code being universal and by it being degenerate, and state one consequence of degeneracy.
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Which row correctly matches each enzyme to the process it carries out?
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Describe how a ribosome builds a polypeptide once an mRNA molecule has reached it.
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Which statement correctly describes the role of mRNA in protein synthesis?
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Draw and label a diagram to show the process of transcription.
Your diagram should identify RNA polymerase, the DNA template strand and the mRNA being produced.
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A base substitution changes one mRNA codon to a different codon that codes for the SAME amino acid.
What is this kind of mutation called, and which property of the genetic code makes it possible?
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A polypeptide is 60 amino acids long.
What is the minimum number of mRNA bases needed to code for it?
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