Bio4241 - Midterm exam questions, 2014
Exam: Wednesday, 05 March, 2-3P [1 hour exam]

Instructions:
1. Prepare answers for all of the assigned midterm essay questions.
2. Your answer for each should fit on the front and back of one lined sheet of paper.
3. For the exam, I will select four questions. Answer any two of these: you may not answer the question pertaining to your own group's presentation).
4. You may bring notes on your prepared answers, on the front and back of one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. [Please don't try to cram complete essays onto this page!].
5. You will have one hour to answer the two questions.


SMC1: What is a Gene? How would you define the concept "gene" in 2014? Compare and contrast your definition with the “gene” as it was understood by the time of the “cracking of the genetic code” ca. 1965.

SMC2:  Repeat the Luria & Delbruck calculations for the mean and variance in Experiment 21a in Table 2 [http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/4241smc_Luria_&_Delbruck_Table_2.htm]. Use the MOSSOM formula, not a calculator. Show your work.

Group 1. Introductory textbooks often present the Hershey & Chase (1952) experiment in an oversimplified manner.
    Identify at least three oversimplifications in the illustration at [ http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Hershey_Chase_Experiment2.html ].
    Draw the graph for the blender experiment [  http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Bio4241_Hershey-Chase_1952_experiment_ideal.html ] if the ideal result had been obtained.

Group 2. Sketch the expected ultracentrifuge picture from the Meselson & Stahl (1958) experiment
                 
[ http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Bio4241_Meselson-Stahl_1958_experiment.html ]
               IF DNA replication were (1) conservative or (2) dispersive. Describe a specific mode for dispersive replication..

SMC 3. For the heritability example at [http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Biol4241_Heritability_&_Environment.html], calculate the indicated correlation..

Group 4:Consider Table 3 in McClintock 1953 [http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Biol4241_McClintock_1950,_Table_3.html ].
                Explain how the concept of graded potential of Ac activator explains the difference between the 1:1 and 6:1 experimental ratios in the first block.


Group 5: King & Wilson 1975 used four types of data to estimate the genetic similarity of chimps and humans. Summarize the method  of calculation for protein electrophoresis, and show how the value of 99.18% similarity was obtained from the data.

Group 6:
Nirenberg et al. 1966

Group 7: Gill et al. 1994

Group 8: Hermani et al. 2010



All text material ©2014 by Steven M. Carr