TALLER DE COMPRENSIÓN LECTORA (20%)

STUDENTS’ NAMES:____________________________________/______________________________________

I. Read the following the text and answer the questions below.

What kinds of mutations are there?

A gene is essentially a sentence made up of the bases A, T, G, and C that describes how to make a protein. Any
changes to those instructions can alter the gene's meaning and change the protein that is made, or how or when a
cell makes that protein. There are many different ways to alter a gene, just as there are many different ways to
introduce typos into a sentence.

Point Mutation: A point mutation is a simple change in one base of the gene sequence.

Frame-shift mutation: In a frame shift mutation, one or more bases are inserted or deleted, the equivalent of adding
or removing letters in a sentence. But because our cells read DNA in three letter "words", adding or removing one
letter changes each subsequent word.

Deletion: Mutations that result in missing DNA are called deletions. These can be small, such as the removal of just
one "word," or longer deletions that affect a large number of genes on the chromosome. Deletions can also cause
frame-shift mutations.

Insertion: Mutations that result in the addition of extra DNA are called insertions. Insertions can also cause frame-
shift mutations, and general result in a nonfunctional protein.

Inversion: In an inversion mutation, an entire section of DNA is reversed. A small inversion may involve only a few
bases within a gene, while longer inversions involve large regions of a chromosome containing several genes.

1) What DNA changes can cause frame-shift mutations?

a) ________________________________ b) _____________________________________

2) What is point mutation? (you may answer this question in Spanish)

________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

3) What is the difference between deletion and insertion? (you may answer this question in Spanish)

________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4) In line 2, the underlined word can be replaced by…

a) introduce b) delete c) make d) modify

5) In line 14, the underlined word can be replaced by…

a) added b) inverted c) deleted d) removed

II. Read the following abstract and answer the questions below.

“The Genetics of Bone Strength in Mice” (Jonathan Vu and Robert Blank, Endocrinology.)

The purpose of this study is to identify relationships between the physical and genetic characteristics of bones in
mice. The physical characteristics include size, density, and the force required to break the bone, while the genetic
ones are the genes of the marker loci associated with the genes that affect these qualities. This study uses strains of
mice with reduced genetic variation. The two strains of mice that are the most phenotypically extreme, meaning
those with the strongest and weakest bones, are crossed. The F2 generation from that cross is then analyzed. The
results of this analysis can be used to find which genotypes correlate with specific bone properties like size, density,
and failure load. The anticipated outcome of this lab is the identification of the genotypes that affect bone strength
in mice. The findings may be useful in treating medical conditions that are related to bone strength.

6) What is the purpose of this study? (you may answer this question in Spanish)
________________________________________________________________________________________

7) Find 3 verbs employed to explain the method of the study.

a)__________________________ b)______________________ c) _________________________

8) Find 3 technical terms in the text.

a)__________________________ b)______________________ c) _________________________

9) What is the conclusion of the study? (you may answer this question in Spanish)

________________________________________________________________________________________

10) In line 14, the underlined word can be replaced by…

a) expectation b) result c) strain d) condition