The Biology of Cancer, 2nd Edition, Question Bank
© 2014 Garland Science
Chapter 1 The Biology and Genetics of Cells and Organisms
Level 1: Comprehension of reading, knowledge of terminology
Level 2: Understanding and application of information to compare and contrast or
interpretation of data
Level 3: Analysis and application of information to a problem, an experiment, a
secondary concept, or previous knowledge
1.1 In a hypothetical cross between two fruit flies, one with red eyes and one with
white eyes, all resulting progeny had red eyes. This would suggest that (Level 2)
A. The red-eyed trait is recessive to white eyes.
B. The red-eyed trait is dominant to white eyes.
C. The red-eyed and white-eyed genes are co-dominant.
D. The eye color trait is most likely coded for by multiple genes.
E. None of the above.
1.2 Which of the following mutations would be MOST likely to be retained in a
species gene pool? (Level 3)
A. A mutation resulting in a deleterious change in a cytoskeletal protein structure
B. A mutation in an exon of a gene coding for DNA repair
C. A mutation in an intron of a gene coding for DNA repair
D. Both A and B
E. None of the above
1.3 Many cancer cells exhibit aneuploidy, meaning that they (Level 1)
A. Proliferate at higher rates than normal cells.

B. Exhibit higher rates of apoptosis than normal cells.
C. Have an abnormal number of chromosomes.
D. Have a normal number of autosomes.
E. Have mutations in genes involved in the cell cycle.
1.4 Which of the following is NOT true of somatic mutations? (Level 2)
A. They occur in non-germ-line cells.
B. They can be passed on to lineal descendants of the cell that was mutated.
C. They may occur at any time during an individual’s lifetime.
D. They can be passed on from parent to child.
E. They often play a role in cancer formation.
1.5 Which of the following is NOT a type of post-translational modification? (Level 2)
A. A change in the base sequences of DNA
B. Cleavage of a protein product by proteases
C. Addition of lipid groups to the protein chain
D. Glycosylation
E. Methylation
1.6 The template on which ribosomes assemble the amino acids that form proteins is
known as (Level 1)
A. hnRNA
B. messenger RNA
C. ribosomal RNA
D. DNA

E. None of the above
1.7 The expression of a given gene may be influenced by (Level 2)
A. Activating transcription factors
B. Enhancer sequences
C. Histone modifications
D. Changes in chromatin structure
E. All of the above
1.8 Which of the following types of changes would most likely NOT be associated
with increased cancer risk? (Level 3)
A. A mutation resulting in higher levels of K-Ras expression
B. Reduced expression of HOTAIR lncRNA
C. Loss of function of the Dicer enzyme
D. A mutation in K-Ras that prevents recognition by Let-7
E. None of the above
1.9 Which of the following is true of orthologous genes? (Level 1)
A. They are genes in different species that evolved from a common ancestor.
B. They code for proteins having different functions.
C. They are genes located on the same chromosome.
D. They are related genes within the same species.
E. All of the above.
1.10 The discovery of which of the following enzymes allowed researchers to
synthesize complementary DNA from mRNA in vitro? (Level 1)

A. DNA ligase
B. DNA polymerase
C. DNA synthetase
D. Reverse transcriptase
E. None of the above
1.11 Which of the following can contribute to the initiation of cancer? (Level 2)
A. Somatic mutations
B. Germ-line mutations
C. Gene amplification
D. Aneuploidy
E. All of the above
1.12 Which of the following would be LEAST likely to contribute to transformation of a
cell? (Level 2)
A. A mutation resulting in a change in splicing
B. A mutation in a transcription factor
C. A silent mutation in an intron
D. An activating mutation in an exon of a gene coding for a protein that promotes
cellular proliferation
E. Changes in the expression level of a miRNA that is involved in protein
synthesis
Answers
1.1 B
1.2 C

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The Biology of Cancer, 2nd Edition, Question Bank
© 2014 Garland Science
Chapter 2 The Nature of Cancer
Level 1: Comprehension of reading, knowledge of terminology
Level 2: Understanding and application of information to compare and contrast or
interpretation of data
Level 3: Analysis and application of information to a problem, an experiment, a
secondary concept, or previous knowledge
2.1 Which of the following is true of carcinomas? (Level 2)
A. They are responsible for >80% of Western world cancer deaths.
B. They involve cell types arising from all three embryonic germ layers.
C. They often involve epithelial cells.
D. Examples of tissue sites where they are found include the lung and pancreas.
E. All of the above.
2.2 Tumors that arise from mesenchymal cell types are called (Level 1)
A. Carcinomas
B. Lymphomas
C. Sarcomas
D. Adenocarcinomas
E. Leukemias

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2.3 Which of the following types of cellular changes would be considered to be
malignant? (Level 2)
A. Dysplasia
B. Squamous cell carcinoma
C. Papilloma
D. Fibroma
E. Adenoma
2.4 Which of the following schematics MOST likely describes the correct order of
cellular changes that occur in the progression of malignancy? (Level 2)
A. Normal → hyperplastic → dysplastic → neoplastic → metastatic
B. Normal → dysplastic → hyperplastic → neoplastic → metastatic
C. Normal → hyperplastic → dysplastic → metastatic → neoplastic
D. Normal → neoplastic → dysplastic → hyperplastic → metastatic
E. None of the above
2.5 Analysis of a patient’s lung tumor reveals that all of the malignant cells in this
tumor have a specific chromosomal abnormality involving a fusion event between
two sets of chromosomes. This MOST likely suggests that (Level 3)
A. This mutation was inherited.
B. The tumor is polyclonal.
C. The tumor is monoclonal in origin.
D. A large number of normal cells simultaneously underwent this mutation.

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E. None of the above.
2.6 In the revised Ames test, Bruce Ames mixed chemicals with homogenized rat
liver prior to adding them to bacteria to assess their mutagenicity. What was the
purpose of this step of the experiment? (Level 3)
A. To determine whether the chemicals killed mammalian cells
B. To determine whether the chemicals induced cancer in mammalian cells
C. To detoxify the chemicals prior to assessing their mutagenicity
D. To metabolically activate the chemicals prior to assessing their mutagenicity
E. None of the above
2.7 Which of the following is NOT a test for mutagenicity? (Level 2)
A. Proliferation assay
B. Ames test
C. Test for sister chromatid exchange (SCE)
D. Karyotype analysis
E. Analysis of micronuclei
2.8 A tumor promoter (Level 3)
A. Induces mutations in DNA.
B. Can cause cancer on its own.
C. Enhances tumorigenesis through nongenetic mechanisms.

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D. Is always a naturally occurring compound.
E. B and C.
2.9 The level of mutagenicity of a particular chemical may depend upon (Level 2)
A. Its metabolic conversion within an organism.
B. The cell type with which it comes in contact.
C. Expression levels of genes coding for proteins that are able to inactivate
mutagens within the cell.
D. The presence of other tumor-promoting compounds.
E. All of the above.
2.10 Which of the following compounds was identified as being carcinogenic by the
Ames test? (Level 1)
A. Black pepper
B. Rhubarb
C. Celery
D. Coffee
E. All of the above
2.11 Malignant tumors (Level 2)
A. Always contain a single cell type.
B. Have acquired characteristics of invasiveness.

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C. Are surrounded by an intact basement membrane.
D. Are often described as being in-situ.
E. C and D.
2.12 Which of the following is true of energy metabolism by cancer cells? (Level 2)
A. They usually generate ATP through the Krebs cycle.
B. They are more efficient at energy metabolism than normal cells and generate
36 molecules of ATP for every glucose molecule metabolized.
C. They generate energy through glycolysis only when cells are experiencing
hypoxia.
D. They import much higher levels of glucose in comparison with normal cells.
E. None of the above.
Answers
2.1 E
2.2 C
2.3 B
2.4 A
2.5 C
2.6 D
2.7 A
2.8 C
2.9 E
2.10 E
2.11 B

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The Biology of Cancer, 2nd Edition, Question Bank
© 2014 Garland Science
Chapter 3 Tumor Viruses
Level 1: Comprehension of reading, knowledge of terminology
Level 2: Understanding and application of information to compare and contrast or
interpretation of data
Level 3: Analysis and application of information to a problem, an experiment, a
secondary concept, or previous knowledge
3.1 Dulbecco and Rubin discovered that they could infect chicken embryo fibroblasts
with RSV in culture. Which of the following was NOT a characteristic exhibited by
these cells after they were infected? (Level 2)
A. Virus particles were produced by these cells for many weeks.
B. Cells formed clusters, or foci, after infection.
C. The cells seemed to demonstrate uninhibited proliferation.
D. The cells exhibited flattened morphology.
E. The cells exhibited metabolic properties similar to those observed in tumor
cells.
3.2 Experiments using temperature-sensitive mutants of RSV to infect chicken
embryo fibroblasts demonstrated that (Level 2)
A. Infection with RSV is necessary to initiate transformation of these cells, but
the RSV genome is not needed to maintain the transformed state.
B. The RSV transforming gene is necessary for both the initiation and
maintenance of transformation in these cells.

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C. Infection with RSV alone is unable to transform these cells.
D. Cells infected with RSV continue to exhibit normal cellular morphology.
E. None of the above.
3.3 Which of the following is considered to be a tumor virus? (Level 1)
A. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
B. Human papillomavirus (HPV)
C. Shope fibroma virus
D. Human adenovirus 5
E. All of the above
3.4 Which of the following is a property of transformed cells? (Level 2)
A. Rounded shape
B. Reduced requirement for mitogenic growth factors
C. Loss of contact inhibition
D. Increased transport of glucose
E. All of the above
3.5 The ability of cells suspended in soft (semi-solid) agar medium to form colonies is
a good predictor that (Level 3)
A. These cells will form tumors if injected subcutaneously into
immunocompromised mice.

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B. These cells have stopped proliferating and will die.
C. These cells would fail to grow in normal medium.
D. These cells have an increased requirement for growth factors.
E. None of the above.
3.6 Once a cell has been infected with a virus, how might viral genes be transmitted
from mother to daughter cells? (Level 2)
A. Viral DNA carries its own replication machinery, replicating its own genome
independently of host enzymes.
B. Viral DNA may be integrated into the host cell’s chromosomes, so that it is
replicated along with host DNA prior to cell division.
C. Viral DNA may be linked to host DNA through protein bridges, allowing it to
tag along with host chromosomal DNA during cell division.
D. B and C.
E. All of the above.
3.7 Which of the following enzymes are encoded by retroviral DNA? (Level 2)
A. Integrase.
B. Reverse transcriptase.
C. RNA polymerase II.
D. A and B.
E. None of these enzymes are encoded by retroviral DNA.

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3.8 A gene found in a normal cell’s genome that can be picked up and altered by a
virus to drive cellular transformation is known as (Level 1)
A. An oncogene
B. A proto-oncogene
C. A transgene
D. A protogene
E. None of the above
3.9 Scientists may map the insertion sites of viruses in DNA isolated from tumors
that formed following retroviral infection in order to (Level 3)
A. Identify the viral genes responsible for transformation.
B. Discover new proto-oncogenes.
C. Determine how viruses suppress tumorigenesis.
D. Understand how viruses infect cells.
E. All of the above.
3.10 Some retroviruses are able to transform cells through (Level 2)
A. Inserting themselves near a proto-oncogene in the host genome.
B. Acquiring oncogenes within their own genome.
C. Possessing genes that specify proteins that activate cellular genes involved in
proliferation.
D. A, B, and C.

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