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PUCET (Punjab) Genetic Material — practice questions

Explore 4 free Genetic Material questions in PUCET (Punjab) Biology. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

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Genetic Material questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–4 of 4.

Griffith's 1928 transformation experiments used the bacterium:Read the answer and worked solution →The **Hershey-Chase** experiment (1952) used:Read the answer and worked solution →In Griffith's transformation experiment, the 'transforming principle' was later identified by Avery, MacLeod and McCarty (1944) as:Read the answer and worked solution →Spot the trait Mendel never usedRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

Griffith's 1928 transformation experiments used the bacterium:

  1. Escherichia coli
  2. Streptococcus pneumoniae
  3. Bacillus subtilis
  4. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
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Correct answer: B. Streptococcus pneumoniae

Griffith worked with *Streptococcus pneumoniae* (S = smooth/virulent, R = rough/non-virulent strains). Heat-killed S mixed with live R turned R into deadly S — the 'transforming principle' (later shown by Avery et al. to be DNA).

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The **Hershey-Chase** experiment (1952) used:

  1. Mice and pneumonia bacteria
  2. Bacteriophages with radioactive ³²P (DNA) and ³⁵S (protein)
  3. Drosophila melanogaster
  4. Garden pea plants
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Correct answer: B. Bacteriophages with radioactive ³²P (DNA) and ³⁵S (protein)

Hershey and Chase used bacteriophages labelled with ³²P (DNA) or ³⁵S (protein coat) to infect *E. coli*. Only ³²P entered the cells — proving DNA, not protein, is the genetic material.

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In Griffith's transformation experiment, the 'transforming principle' was later identified by Avery, MacLeod and McCarty (1944) as:

  1. Protein
  2. RNA
  3. DNA
  4. Lipopolysaccharide
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Correct answer: C. DNA

Avery et al. selectively destroyed proteins (proteases), RNA (RNase) and DNA (DNase) in cell-free extracts of S strain. Only DNase eliminated the transformation — pinpointing DNA as the transforming principle.

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