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Singapore · SEABQ&A
BiotechnologyQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every Singapore Biotechnology syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Applications in Agriculture and Industry
- Describe how microorganisms are used to treat waste and clean up pollution through bioremediation4Q&A pairs
- Describe how microorganisms are used in food and drink production through fermentation4Q&A pairs
- Describe how crops are genetically modified and discuss the benefits and concerns of GM crops3Q&A pairs
- Describe the use of enzymes in industry and the production of biofuels, and explain their advantages5Q&A pairs
Applications in Medicine and Health
- Describe how biotechnology is used in diagnosis and genetic screening, and discuss the implications5Q&A pairs
- Outline the principles of gene therapy and the use of stem cells in medicine, and discuss their potential and limitations5Q&A pairs
- Describe how recombinant DNA technology is used to produce medicines such as human insulin5Q&A pairs
- Describe how biotechnology is used to produce vaccines and monoclonal antibodies and outline their uses5Q&A pairs
Bioethics and Biosafety
- Describe the hazards in a biotechnology laboratory and the biosafety measures used to control them7Q&A pairs
- Discuss the main ethical issues raised by biotechnology and how they can be weighed up6Q&A pairs
- Explain the role of regulation in biotechnology and the importance of informed consent3Q&A pairs
- Discuss the social and environmental impacts of biotechnology, including its benefits and risks5Q&A pairs
Cells and Microorganisms
- Describe aseptic technique and methods of sterilisation, and explain why they are essential in biotechnology5Q&A pairs
- Describe the phases of microbial population growth and the conditions microorganisms require to grow5Q&A pairs
- Describe the main groups of microorganisms used in biotechnology and explain why they are suitable as biological tools4Q&A pairs
- Describe the use of the light microscope and calculate magnification and actual size from an image6Q&A pairs
- Describe the structure of plant, animal and bacterial cells and identify the functions of their main parts7Q&A pairs
DNA and Genetic Material
- Describe how DNA is replicated, including the role of the template strand and complementary base pairing5Q&A pairs
- Describe how DNA can be extracted from cells in the laboratory and explain the purpose of each step3Q&A pairs
- Explain how a gene codes for a protein through transcription and translation using the genetic code6Q&A pairs
- Describe plasmids and other vectors and explain how they are used to carry genes into host cells6Q&A pairs
- Describe the structure of DNA as a double helix of nucleotides with complementary base pairing5Q&A pairs
Genetic Engineering Techniques
- Describe the purpose of DNA sequencing and how genetic profiling produces a pattern unique to an individual5Q&A pairs
- Describe gel electrophoresis and explain how it separates DNA fragments by size3Q&A pairs
- Describe how host cells are transformed with recombinant DNA and how transformed cells are identified and grown5Q&A pairs
- Describe the action of restriction enzymes and DNA ligase and explain how they are used to make recombinant DNA6Q&A pairs
- Describe the polymerase chain reaction and explain how it amplifies a specific DNA sequence5Q&A pairs
Introduction to Biotechnology
- Use appropriate units to describe the size of cells, molecules and laboratory volumes, and convert between them6Q&A pairs
- Describe the structure of the biotechnology industry, its main sectors, and the range of careers it offers4Q&A pairs
- Distinguish between traditional and modern biotechnology and describe how techniques have developed over time5Q&A pairs
- Define biotechnology and describe how living organisms and their parts are used to make useful products and provide services3Q&A pairs
Laboratory Techniques
- Describe how to culture bacteria on agar and use streaking and spreading to obtain colonies6Q&A pairs
- Describe the use of a bioreactor (fermenter) for large-scale culture and the conditions it controls4Q&A pairs
- Describe how to use a micropipette accurately and how to prepare a solution of a required concentration5Q&A pairs
- Describe serial dilution and use the dilution factor to calculate concentrations and cell numbers5Q&A pairs