Original Project
Reproduction, Genes, and Heredity
DNA molecules provide the cells with instructions for assembling protein molecules from amino acids.
Item RH037002: To make proteins in its cells, an animal needs amino acids and instructions for assembling them.
What does an organism need in order to make proteins?
- Amino acids and instructions for assembling them
- Amino acids but not instructions for assembling them
- Individual carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms but not instructions for assembling them
- An organism eats proteins, so it does not need to make them.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 705 | 1620 | 44% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 313 | 930 | 34% |
| 9–12 | 392 | 690 | 57% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 373 | 816 | 46% |
| Female | 323 | 782 | 41% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 634 | 1440 | 44% |
| Other | 51 | 130 | 39% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- LS1.A All cells contain genetic information in the form of DNA molecules. Genes are regions in the DNA that contain the instructions that code for the formation of proteins, which carry out most of the work of cells.
- NRC Framework
- HS LS1.C The sugar molecules thus formed contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; their hydrocarbon backbones are used to make amino acids and other carbon-based molecules that can be assembled into larger molecules (such as proteins or DNA), used for example to form new cells.