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SCIENCE OLYMPIAD DESIGNER GENES CHEAT SHEET PRACTICE SOLUTION 2026 STUDY GUIDE GRADED A+
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โโ Nucleotide. Answer: DNA building block composed of sugar, phosphate, and nitrogenous base. โโ Complementary Base Pairing. Answer: Adenine pairs with thymine; cytosine pairs with guanine. โโ Antiparallel. Answer: DNA strands run in opposite 5โฒ to 3โฒ directions. โโ Phosphodiester Bond. Answer: Bond linking nucleotides in DNA backbone. โโ James Watson. Answer: Co-discovered DNA structure. โโ Francis Crick. Answer: Co-discovered DNA structure. โโ DNA Replication. Answer: Process of copying DNA. โโ Helicase. Answer: Enzyme that unwinds DNA.
โโ DNA Polymerase. Answer: Enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands. โโ Leading Strand. Answer: Continuously synthesized strand. โโ Lagging Strand. Answer: Discontinuously synthesized strand. โโ Okazaki Fragments. Answer: Short DNA fragments on lagging strand. โโ Ligase. Answer: Enzyme that joins DNA fragments. โโ Transcription. Answer: Synthesis of RNA from DNA template. โโ RNA Polymerase. Answer: Enzyme that builds RNA. โโ mRNA. Answer: Messenger RNA carrying code to ribosome. โโ Introns. Answer: Noncoding RNA sequences removed during processing. โโ Exons. Answer: Coding RNA sequences retained.
โโ Allele. Answer: Alternative form of a gene. โโ Gene. Answer: Unit of heredity that codes for a trait. โโ Genotype. Answer: Genetic makeup of an organism. โโ Phenotype. Answer: Observable characteristics of an organism. โโ Homozygous. Answer: Having two identical alleles. โโ Heterozygous. Answer: Having two different alleles. โโ Dominant Allele. Answer: Allele expressed when at least one copy is present. โโ Recessive Allele. Answer: Allele expressed only when two copies are present. โโ Law of Segregation. Answer: Two alleles separate during gamete formation.
โโ Law of Independent Assortment. Answer: Genes on different chromosomes assort independently during meiosis. โโ Monohybrid Cross. Answer: Genetic cross involving one trait. โโ Dihybrid Cross. Answer: Genetic cross involving two traits. โโ Test Cross. Answer: Cross with a homozygous recessive individual to determine unknown genotype. โโ Punnett Square. Answer: Diagram used to predict genetic outcomes. โโ Incomplete Dominance. Answer: Heterozygote shows intermediate phenotype. โโ Codominance. Answer: Both alleles are fully expressed in heterozygote. โโ Multiple Alleles. Answer: More than two allele forms exist in a population. โโ Epistasis. Answer: One gene masks or modifies expression of another gene.
โโ Inducer. Answer: Molecule that inactivates repressor. โโ Inducible Operon. Answer: Operon usually off but turned on by inducer. โโ Repressible Operon. Answer: Operon usually on but turned off by corepressor. โโ Escherichia coli. Answer: Model prokaryote used to study operons. โโ Lac Operon. Answer: Inducible operon activated by lactose presence. โโ Trp Operon. Answer: Repressible operon inhibited by tryptophan. โโ CAP-cAMP Complex. Answer: Protein complex that enhances transcription when glucose is low. โโ Cell Cycle. Answer: Series of stages a cell goes through to divide. โโ G1 Phase. Answer: Cell growth phase. โโ S Phase. Answer: DNA replication phase.
โโ G2 Phase. Answer: Preparation for cell division. โโ Mitosis. Answer: Division of somatic cells producing two identical diploid cells. โโ Prophase. Answer: Chromosomes condense; spindle forms. โโ Metaphase. Answer: Chromosomes align at cell equator. โโ Anaphase. Answer: Sister chromatids separate. โโ Telophase. Answer: Nuclear membranes reform. โโ Cytokinesis. Answer: Division of cytoplasm. โโ Meiosis. Answer: Two-stage division producing four genetically unique haploid cells. โโ Meiosis I. Answer: Homologous chromosomes separate. โโ Meiosis II. Answer: Sister chromatids separate.
โโ Blunt Ends. Answer: Straight DNA cuts with no overhang. โโ DNA Ligase. Answer: Enzyme that joins DNA fragments. โโ Plasmid. Answer: Circular bacterial DNA used as vector. โโ Vector. Answer: DNA molecule used to carry foreign DNA into a cell. โโ Transformation. Answer: Uptake of foreign DNA by bacteria. โโ Selectable Marker. Answer: Gene used to identify transformed cells. โโ PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Answer: Technique to amplify DNA. โโ Denaturation. Answer: Separation of DNA strands by heat. โโ Annealing. Answer: Binding of primers to template DNA. โโ Extension. Answer: DNA synthesis by polymerase. โโ Taq Polymerase. Answer: Heat-stable DNA polymerase used in PCR.
โโ Gel Electrophoresis. Answer: Technique separating DNA by size using electric field. โโ DNA Ladder. Answer: Size reference in gel electrophoresis. โโ Sanger Sequencing. Answer: DNA sequencing method using chain- terminating nucleotides. โโ Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Answer: High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies. โโ CRISPR-Cas9. Answer: RNA-guided gene editing system. โโ Guide RNA (gRNA). Answer: RNA molecule directing Cas9 to target sequence. โโ Knockout. Answer: Inactivation of a gene. โโ Knock-in. Answer: Insertion of a gene at specific location. โโ Southern Blot. Answer: Technique detecting specific DNA sequences.
โโ Founder Effect. Answer: Reduced genetic variation when new population is started by few individuals. โโ Gene Flow. Answer: Movement of alleles between populations. โโ Natural Selection. Answer: Differential survival and reproduction of individuals. โโ Fitness. Answer: Reproductive success of an organism. โโ Mutation. Answer: Change in DNA sequence introducing new variation. โโ Directional Selection. Answer: Selection favoring one extreme phenotype. โโ Stabilizing Selection. Answer: Selection favoring intermediate phenotypes. โโ Disruptive Selection. Answer: Selection favoring both extremes. โโ