Q2
1 markVery Short AnswerSection A

Newly formed DNA copies may not be identical at times. Give one reason.

Chemical Reactions and Equations
DNA Copying
Official Answer

Newly formed DNA copies may not be identical because no biochemical reaction is absolutely reliable; variations occur during the process of DNA replication.

biochemical reactionnot absolutely reliablevariationDNA replicationinaccuracy

Marking Scheme

  • 11 mark for mentioning that biochemical reactions are not absolutely reliable or for mentioning inaccuracies in DNA copying.

Hint

Think about the reliability of biochemical reactions during replication.

Quick Oral Answer

DNA copies are not identical because biochemical reactions involved in replication have inherent inaccuracies, leading to variations.

Analysis & Explanation

As discussed in the NCERT text (Section 1.2), chemical reactions involve the breaking and making of bonds between atoms. DNA copying is a complex set of biochemical reactions. Since no chemical process is 100%100\% accurate, small inaccuracies in the bonding or sequence during replication lead to variations, meaning the daughter DNA is not an exact identical copy of the original.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1Attributing it only to external mutations.
  2. 2Stating that DNA copying is always 100%100\% accurate.

Interesting Facts

These minor inaccuracies in DNA copying are the basic source of variations that lead to evolution over long periods.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many marks does this question carry in CBSE Class 10 Science 2017?

This question carries 1 mark in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2017 examination.

Which chapter does this question come from in Science?

This question is from the chapter "Chemical Reactions and Equations" in the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus.

What topic does this question cover in Science?

This question covers the topic "DNA Copying" from CBSE Class 10 Science.

What type of question is this in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2017 paper?

This is a Very Short Answer question from Section A in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2017 paper.