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9th grade The structure of DNA worksheet

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The structure of DNA

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Model strands (not to scale). Strand 2 is its partner, with bases and ends not shown. Tala has the model strand 5′-CCGATA-3′. Its partner strand is written from its own 5′ end. Which choice is the partner?

    • 5′-ATAGCC-3′
    • 5′-GCGATT-3′
    • 5′-TATCGG-3′
    • 5′-GGCTAT-3′
  2. six base pairs. Noah builds a model whose strand 1 is 5′-GCGCAT-3′ with its partner. How many hydrogen bonds hold the six base pairs together?

    • 18
    • 16
    • 14
    • 12
  3. Read this first

    Use this

    Model data card (number of pairs). Columns: pair type, number of pairs. A–T before the swap: 5. C–G before the swap: 5. Pairs swapped from A–T to C–G: 3.

  4. Zee builds a model with 5 A–T and 5 C–G pairs, then swaps 3 A–T pairs for C–G pairs. How many hydrogen bonds does the ladder have after the swap?

    • 34
    • 28
    • 22
    • 25
  5. Use this

    Measurement card (Data: OpenStax Biology 2e). Columns: measure, value. Distance between base pairs: 0.34 nm. Base pairs per turn: 10. Width of the double helix: 2 nm. A model ladder has 30 base pairs before and 60 base pairs after it is extended.

  6. Bo extends a model ladder from 30 to 60 base pairs, using the measurement card. What changes?

    • Length rises to 204 nm, turns double to 6, and width stays 2 nm
    • Length doubles to 20.4 nm, turns double to 6, and width stays 2 nm
    • Length doubles to 20.4 nm, turns double to 6, and width doubles to 4 nm
    • Length doubles to 20.4 nm, turns stay at 3, and width stays 2 nm
  7. Use this

    Notebook (model data), 4 rows. Columns: line, what it says. 1, The two strands run in opposite directions. 2, The sugar-phosphate backbone forms the outer rails. 3, A pairs with T and C pairs with G. 4, A–T has 3 hydrogen bonds and C–G has 2.

  8. Pia reviews a classmate's notebook on DNA structure. Exactly one line is wrong. Which line, and why?

    • Line 1, because both strands run the same way
    • Line 4, because A–T has 2 hydrogen bonds and C–G has 3
    • Line 3, because A pairs with G and C pairs with T
    • Line 2, because the rails are made of bases
  9. Use this

    Notebook (model data), 4 rows. Columns: line, what it says. 1, A pairs with T and C pairs with G. 2, The two strands run in the same direction, with both 5′ ends at the left. 3, The bases sit between the two backbones. 4, A–T has 2 hydrogen bonds.

  10. Esme reviews a second notebook on DNA structure. Exactly one line is wrong. Which line, and why?

    • Line 1, because A pairs with G and C pairs with T
    • Line 4, because A–T has 3 hydrogen bonds
    • Line 2, because the strands run in opposite directions
    • Line 3, because the rails are built from bases
  11. Use this

    Notebook (real dates and places), 4 rows. Columns: line, what it says. 1, Franklin used X-ray diffraction on DNA in the lab of Maurice Wilkins at King's College London. 2, With Raymond Gosling, Franklin made a clear X-ray photo of the B form of DNA in May 1952. 3, Watson and Crick took that photo at the University of Cambridge. 4, Watson and Crick's paper appeared in Nature on 25 April 1953.

  12. Luz reviews a notebook on the history of the double helix. Exactly one line is wrong. Which line, and why?

    • Line 4, because the paper appeared in 1962
    • Line 1, because Franklin worked at Cambridge
    • Line 3, because the photo came from Franklin's work, not theirs
    • Line 2, because the photo was made after the paper
  13. Use this

    Model data card, percent of the bases in four two-stranded samples. Columns: sample, A, T, G, C. P: 31, 31, 19, 19. Q: 22, 22, 28, 28. R: 30, 20, 25, 25. S: 27, 27, 23, 23.

  14. Ren checks four model samples against Chargaff's rule. Which sample cannot be a complete two-stranded DNA?

    • Sample S, because A and G are not equal
    • Sample Q, because its percents are not 25 each
    • Sample R, because A and T are not equal
    • Sample P, because A and C are not equal
  15. Use this

    History card (real dates). 1952: Rosalind Franklin with Raymond Gosling, at King's College London, make an X-ray photo of the B form of DNA, labeled 51. 1953: James Watson and Francis Crick, at the University of Cambridge, publish a double-helix model built with Franklin's X-ray data on 25 April; Franklin and Gosling publish a paper in the same issue of Nature. 1962: Francis Crick, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Franklin is no longer living, and the prize is not awarded after death.

  16. Jun uses the history card to place Franklin's photo. Which statement does the card support?

    • The photo was made in 1952, before the 1953 papers, and the model used Franklin's data
    • The photo was made in 1953, after the model, to test the model
    • The photo was made in 1962, the year of the prize, by Watson and Crick
    • The photo was made in 1952 by Watson and Crick, who then wrote the 1953 paper
  17. Milo uses the history card. How many years passed between the X-ray photo labeled 51 and the Nobel Prize, and who made the photo?

    Use the picture in question 9.

    • 9 years; the photo was made by Wilkins, who showed it to Watson
    • 9 years; the photo was made by Franklin and Gosling
    • 10 years; the photo was made by Franklin and Gosling
    • 10 years; the photo was made by Watson and Crick
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9th grade The structure of DNA worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

The structure of DNA: nucleotides, base pairs and the double helix. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say a nucleotide has three parts, a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose in DNA), a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base, and point to one on a drawing.
  • I can say the sugar-phosphate backbone forms the two outer rails, and the bases stack inside, facing the other strand.
  • I can name the four bases (A, T, G, C), say that A and G are purines with a double ring and C and T are pyrimidines with a single ring, and say why every rung joins one of each.
  • I can write the partner of a strand: A with T and C with G.
  • I can say that A–T pairs are held by 2 hydrogen bonds and C–G pairs by 3, and count the bonds in a stretch.
  • I can say the two strands run in opposite directions (antiparallel), so the 5′ end of one lies against the 3′ end of the other, and write a partner strand from its own 5′ end.

Standard: HS-LS1-1, HS-LS3-1

Words to know

nucleotide: One unit of DNA: a sugar, a phosphate and a base

deoxyribose: The five-carbon sugar in DNA

phosphate: The part of a nucleotide that links to the sugar of the next one

base: The lettered part of a nucleotide: A, T, G or C

sugar-phosphate backbone: The outer rail of a strand, made of sugars and phosphates

purine: A base with a double ring: A or G

pyrimidine: A base with a single ring: C or T

base pair: Two bases, one from each strand, joined by hydrogen bonds

Common mistakes

Your child paired a base with the wrong partner. In DNA, A pairs with T and C pairs with G, so a double-ring base always meets a single-ring base. Ask your child to say each pair aloud before choosing.

Your child put the bases on the outside of the ladder. The sugar-phosphate backbone forms the two outer rails, and the bases meet in the middle. Ask your child which part forms the rails.

Your child thought the two strands of DNA run in the same direction. They run in opposite directions, so the 5′ end of one faces the 3′ end of the other. Ask your child to mark the ends on both strands.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with the structure of dna?

Your child paired a base with the wrong partner. In DNA, A pairs with T and C pairs with G, so a double-ring base always meets a single-ring base. Ask your child to say each pair aloud before choosing.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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