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What do you know?

Once you've read these pages thoroughly and carried out the activities, try these questions to test what you know. Click the button at the bottom of the page to get your score, and to see the correct response to any question you got wrong.

Question 1
Which of the following processes is NOT an example of biotechnology?
a) cheese making
b) genetic engineering
c) polymerase chain reaction
d) the Haber process

Question 2
What is the polymerase chain reaction?
a) a method of making proteins in the laboratory
b) a method of amplifying DNA, making large quantities from tiny samples very rapidly
c) a method of sequencing the DNA to identify the individual genes
d) a method of developing new medicines

Question 3
3 Genetically modified organisms, from bacteria to sheep, are a very important development of biotechnology which are useful in a number of ways. Which of the following chemicals is NOT made by genetically modified organisms?
a) hepatitis B vaccine
b) human insulin
c) alpha-1-antitrypsin
d) acetylsalicylic acid

Question 4
In one form of stem cell research the DNA from the cells of a patient is introduced into an empty ovum which is then induced to begin early embryonic development. Stem cells are harvested from this embryo to produce new healthy tissue for the original DNA donor. This is known as:
a) therapeutic stem cell cloning
b) embryonic stem cell therapy
c) adult stem cell therapy
d) genetic engineering

Question 5
Gene therapy has been tried in a number of different diseases, although as yet it has not been completely successful in any of them. In one of the diseases listed, the planned approach to gene therapy will work by switching off damaged genes rather than by replacing them with healthy genes. Which of the following diseases is it?
a) cystic fibrosis
b) SCID
c) Huntington’s disease
d) Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Question 6
How long did it take for the human genome project to complete the sequencing of the entire human genome?
a) 10 years
b) 13 years
c) 16 years
d) 19 years

Question 7
Many of the new biotechnological advances are directed at improving and developing medical diagnosis and treatment. There is one that has also played a very important role in advancing crime detection. It is:
a) gene mapping
b) genetic modification
c) DNA fingerprinting
d) RNA analysis

Question 8
In what year was Dolly the sheep born?
a) 1991
b) 1993
c) 1995
d) 1997

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