The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)is Used to

question 18

Multiple Choice

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to

• A)duplicate the chromosomes of bacteria.
• B)produce billions of copies of a segment of DNA.
• C)separate DNA fragments in an electromagnetic field.
• D)stain fragments of DNA with a radioactive label.
• E)determine the sequence of nucleotides in a segment of DNA.

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Definitions:

Cytoplasm

Semifluid substance enclosed by a cell’s plasma membrane.

Bacteria

Singular bacterium. The most diverse and well-known group of prokaryotes.

Archaea

Singular archaean. Group of single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus but are more closely related to eukaryotes than to bacteria.

Introns

Noncoding sections of an RNA transcript, or the DNA encoding it, that are spliced out before the RNA is translated into a protein.