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Protein Synthesis Potpourri Trivia Quiz

This is a little quiz covering some interesting terms and facts related to the biological process of protein synthesis.

A multiple-choice quiz by M00se88. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
M00se88

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
363,689

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
251

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is the name of the process by which proteins are made? Hint

Duplication

Replication

Transcription

Translation

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Question 2 of 10

2. The individual units of proteins are called amino acids. What is the term for short chains of these amino acids? Hint

Polynucleotides

Fatty acids

Peptides

Polysaccharides

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Question 3 of 10

3. To make proteins, you need a starting template. What molecule acts as the template for protein synthesis? Hint

DNA

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

The same protein that is being produced

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Question 4 of 10

4. Protein synthesis also requires "machinery" to produce the protein. Which part of the cell acts as this machine? Hint

Mitochondria

Golgi apparatus

Nucleus

Ribosome

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Question 5 of 10

5. The template is read in groups of three called codons. Given the number of possible bases, how many total possible codons are there? Hint

125

216

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Question 6 of 10

6. How many total amino acids are coded for by the different codons? Hint

7. No matter what sequence of amino acids a protein contains, one amino acid in particular is commonly first in line. What is the full name of this amino acid, represented by the letter M and the abbreviation Met? Hint

Methane

Methionine

Methylene

Methadone

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Question 8 of 10

8. When amino acids bond in protein synthesis, a certain common molecule is left over in the process. What is this essential molecule, found in you, me and almost everywhere on Earth? Hint

Hydrogen

Carbon Dioxide

Water

Oxygen

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Question 9 of 10

9. When synthesis is finished, a stop codon tells the cell the protein is complete. In humans, there are three different types of stop codons with colorful names. Which of these is NOT one of the stop codons? Hint

Amber

Ochre

Opal

Sienna

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Question 10 of 10

10. Before the protein can be used, it has to be folded into the right shape. Which of these terms does NOT describe a common shape that proteins take? Hint

Helix

Strand

Sheet

Ladder

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the name of the process by which proteins are made?

Answer: Translation

In translation, the cell creates the protein from scratch, one amino acid at a time. This might seem like it would take forever to do, but translation can take only a matter of minutes! The other answers refer to steps in making DNA/RNA rather than proteins, which come before protein synthesis.

2. The individual units of proteins are called amino acids. What is the term for short chains of these amino acids?

Answer: Peptides

Peptide bonds are used to hold the amino acids together, end-to-end. When amino acids are linked together, the process is known as a condensation. A shorter chain of amino acids may also be known as a polypeptide, while longer chains are generally referred to as proteins.

3. To make proteins, you need a starting template. What molecule acts as the template for protein synthesis?

Answer: Messenger RNA (mRNA)

DNA is not used directly in the synthesis of proteins. Instead, messenger RNA is made from the DNA in the process of transcription. Transfer RNA is responsible for holding the amino acids in place during synthesis.

4. Protein synthesis also requires "machinery" to produce the protein. Which part of the cell acts as this machine?

Answer: Ribosome

The ribosome is a complex molecule, made up of many different proteins and pieces of RNA called ribosomal RNA (rRNA). The rRNA is often used to help trace the ways in which organisms might have evolved.

5. The template is read in groups of three called codons. Given the number of possible bases, how many total possible codons are there?

Answer: 64

The are four possible mRNA bases for each position in the codon; Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine and Uracil. Using multiplication, 4*4*4 (or 4 cubed) equals 64.

6. How many total amino acids are coded for by the different codons?

Answer: 20

All amino acids have the same general structure: an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain (or R group) that gives the amino acid its specific identity. While there are other amino acids than the twenty coded for in translation, they are added by the cell in different ways. Due to evolution, what each codon codes for can vary considerably from organism to organism.

Answer: Methionine

Methane is a gas, methadone is a drug and methylene is a short molecule also known as carbene. Methionine is named because its side chain contains both a methyl group (CH3) and a sulfur atom (S).

8. When amino acids bond in protein synthesis, a certain common molecule is left over in the process. What is this essential molecule, found in you, me and almost everywhere on Earth?

Answer: Water

One amino acid gives up a hydrogen atom, and the other gives up a hydrogen and oxygen atom in order to form the bond. Two hydrogens and one oxygen combine to form H2O, commonly known as water. In chemistry, this type of reaction is known as dehydration.

Answer: Sienna

Though a nice color, sienna is the odd one out here. There are only three possible stop codons out of the 64 possible combinations: UAG for amber, UAA for ochre, and UGA for opal.

10. Before the protein can be used, it has to be folded into the right shape. Which of these terms does NOT describe a common shape that proteins take?

Answer: Ladder

More complex shapes are possible for proteins, but the majority of them contain some combination of helices, strands and sheets. The ladder better describes the shape of DNA molecules than protein molecules.

Source: Author M00se88

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
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