Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain why DNA moves toward the positive electrode and why short fragments travel farthest in a gel. (Guide: “Gel electrophoresis”; Practice Q1)
- I can describe the three steps of a PCR cycle and the purpose of the primers and the heat-stable polymerase. (Guide: Figure 2; Practice Q2, Q4)
- I can explain how a plasmid with a resistance marker lets you select transformed bacteria, and what gene cloning means. (Guide: “Bacterial transformation and gene cloning”; Practice Q6)
- I can explain what DNA sequencing tells you and how DNA fingerprints are used in forensics, kinship and species identification. (Guide: “DNA sequencing and DNA fingerprints”; Practice Q5)
Calculation and skills
- I can estimate fragment sizes from a ladder, remembering the scale is roughly logarithmic. (Guide: Worked example 2)
- I can use N = N₀ × 2ⁿ to find copy numbers and the minimum number of cycles, rounding up. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
- I can calculate transformation efficiency using only the DNA actually spread. (Practice Q3)
- I can calculate percentage identity between DNA sequences. (Practice Q7)
Reasoning
- I can explain the purpose of every control lane or control plate in a biotechnology experiment. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q6)
- I can use band patterns to exclude or fail to exclude an individual, and explain why a match supports but does not prove identity. (Practice Q5)
- I can connect sequence differences to common ancestry and state a limitation of the data. (Practice Q7)
- I can predict how a mutation in a primer-binding site would affect a PCR result. (Practice Q4)
All ticked? Move on to Unit 7, Introduction to Natural Selection, or return to the course roadmap.