DNA Structure and Genetic Markers: Foundations (UGC-NET Unit III)
Published:
Questions
30
Duration
30 min
Faculty-reviewed
0
Updated
17 May 2026
About this mock
UGC-NET Forensic Science Unit III drill on DNA structure and the genetic markers used in forensic identification, pitched at the foundations level. Covers the Watson and Crick double helix (Nature, 1953), nucleotide chemistry and base pairing (A with T by two hydrogen bonds, G with C by three), the 3 prime to 5 prime phosphodiester backbone, anti-parallel strand orientation, major and minor grooves, gene anatomy (exon, intron, promoter), nuclear genome size (about 3.2 gigabases), chromatin and histones, mitochondrial DNA (16,569 base pairs, maternal inheritance, no recombination, hypervariable regions HV1 and HV2), alleles and polymorphisms (SNP, VNTR, STR), CODIS-style tetranucleotide STR loci such as D3S1358 in non-coding regions, mitosis versus meiosis, Y-STR paternal lineage, STR mutation rates, and Chargaff base-composition rules. Indian context anchors at CDFD Hyderabad, CFSL DNA divisions, and NFSU MSc syllabus. Easy-band items calibrated for first-pass UGC-NET preparation and concept refresh.
Sources & references
Questions in this mock are written and verified against the following sources. Citations are recorded per question and shown in the explanation after submission.
- cited in 10 questions
Butler, John M.
Fundamentals of Forensic DNA Typing, Chapter on CODIS Core Loci, Rationale for Locus Selection
- cited in 9 questions
Alberts, Bruce et al.
Molecular Biology of the Cell, 6th Edition, Chapter 4 on DNA, Anti-Parallel Strand Orientation
- cited in 3 questions
Hartl, Daniel L. and Clark, Andrew G.
Principles of Population Genetics, 4th Edition, Chapter on Genetic Variation in Populations, Heterozygosity
- cited in 2 questions
Watson, James D. and Crick, Francis H.C.
Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid, Nature, Volume 171, Pages 737 to 738, 1953
Open source - cited in 2 questions
Nelson, David L. and Cox, Michael M.
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 7th Edition, Chapter 8 on Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids
- cited in 1 question
Chargaff, Erwin
Chemical specificity of nucleic acids and mechanism of their enzymatic degradation, Experientia, Volume 6, Pages 201 to 209, 1950
- cited in 1 question
Tjio, Joe Hin and Levan, Albert
The Chromosome Number of Man, Hereditas, Volume 42, Pages 1 to 6, 1956 (revised standard for human chromosome count)
- cited in 1 question
Andrews, R.M. et al.
Reanalysis and revision of the Cambridge reference sequence for human mitochondrial DNA, Nature Genetics, Volume 23, Page 147, 1999 (GenBank NC_012920.1)
Open source - cited in 1 question
International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome, Nature, Volume 431, Pages 931 to 945, 2004; updated by Nurk et al., T2T Consortium, Science, 2022
Open source
How our mocks are built
Questions are written and edited by the ForensicSpot team and cited from peer-reviewed forensic textbooks, official syllabi and primary case law. Each one is verified before publishing. Detailed explanations show after you submit, so the test stays a real test. See a mistake? Tell us.
Common questions
What does the DNA Structure and Genetic Markers: Foundations (UGC-NET Unit III) mock cover?+
UGC-NET Forensic Science Unit III drill on DNA structure and the genetic markers used in forensic identification, pitched at the foundations level. Covers the Watson and Crick double helix (Nature, 1953), nucleotide chemistry and base pairing (A with T by two hydrogen bonds, G with C by three), the 3 prime to 5 prime phosphodiester backbone, anti-parallel strand orientation, major and minor grooves, gene anatomy (exon, intron, promoter), nuclear genome size (about 3.2 gigabases), chromatin and h
How many questions and how long is the test?+
30 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes total. Difficulty: easy. Tier: Premium.
Who is this mock for?+
Forensic science students and aspirants who want timed, exam-style practice with explanations and verified source citations on NET. Useful for postgraduate entrance preparation and for BSc / MSc forensic students testing their recall under time.
Are the questions reviewed?+
Each question carries a verified source citation. Faculty review for individual questions is in progress.
Do I need an account to take this mock?+
Yes, a free ForensicSpot account is required to start a timed attempt — this lets you save progress, see per-question explanations after submission, and track your topic-level performance over time.