Must-Know Biochemistry Questions and Answers for Students
Biology is the investigation of living organisms, while biochemistry is the part of science managing the investigation of the chemistry of life. Biochemistry concentrates about the nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. Biology examines the anatomy and physiology of living organisms. Biology is substantially more extensive of a subject while biochemistry is progressively centred around the chemical parts of biology. Biology is known as the natural science which reviews the life and the living organisms, including their physical structure, different chemical processes, physiological mechanisms, advancement, molecular communications, and evolution. Biochemistry, in some cases called biological chemistry, is the investigation of chemical processes inside and identifying with living organisms. Biochemical processes offer ascent to the unpredictability of life. In this article, we will take a look at the biochemistry important questions, learn about the difference between biology and chemistry and know about what is biology and chemistry in detail.
Biology Meaning
Biology is the investigation of life. It manages the investigation of structure, capacities, development and evolution of living organisms. All the parts of biology run from the investigation of molecular mechanisms to the order and conduct of living organisms.
Biochemistry Meaning
Biochemistry is the investigation of the chemistry of life. It is the investigation of chemical processes inside the living organisms. It is a sub-control of biology and chemistry. It centres around the processes at the molecular level. It contemplates the structure and collaborations between particles.
Similarities Between Biology and Biochemistry
Following are the different kinds of similarities among biology and biochemistry:
Biochemistry is a branch of biology.
The exploration in the two aides in finding the working of living organisms.
Let us now take a look at what is the difference between biology and biochemistry.
Difference Between Biology and Biochemistry
Biochemistry Important Questions
Let us now take a look at some of the biochemistry important questions.
Define Biochemistry.
Biochemistry is the part of science that investigates the chemical processes inside and identified with living organisms. It is a research centre based science that unites biology and chemistry. By utilizing chemical information and methods, natural chemists can comprehend and take care of biological issues.
Biochemistry centres around processes occurring at a molecular level. It centres around what's going on inside our cells, examining segments like proteins, lipids and organelles. It likewise takes a gander at how cells speak with one another, for instance during development or battling the disease. Organic chemists need to see how the structure of an atom identifies with its capacity, permitting them to anticipate how particles will collaborate.
Biochemistry covers a scope of logical orders, including hereditary qualities, microbiology, crime scene investigation, plant science and medication. As a result of its expansiveness, biochemistry is significant and progresses in this field of science in the course of recent years have been faltering. It's an energizing chance to be a piece of this intriguing zone of study.
What are the areas of study in Biochemistry?
A portrayal of life at the molecular level incorporates a depiction of all the impressively interrelated chemical changes that happen inside the cell—i.e., the processes known as the intermediary metabolism. The processes of development, multiplication, and heredity, additionally subjects of the organic chemist's interest, are personally identified with the mediator metabolism and can't be seen autonomously. The properties and limits displayed by a complex multicellular organism can be diminished to the properties of the individual cells of that organism, and the conduct of every individual cell can be comprehended regarding its chemical structure and the chemical changes happening inside that cell.
What are the different kinds of methods used in Biochemistry?
Like different sciences, biochemistry targets evaluating, or estimating, results, at times with advanced instrumentation. The most punctual way to deal with an investigation of the occasions in a living organism was an examination of the materials entering an organism (nutrients, oxygen) and those leaving (discharge items, carbon dioxide). This is as yet the premise of alleged parity tests led on creatures, in which, for instance, the two nutrients and excreta are completely investigated.
For this reason, numerous chemical strategies including explicit shading responses have been created, requiring range examining instruments (spectrophotometers) for quantitative measurement. Gasometric techniques are those ordinarily utilized for measurements of oxygen and carbon dioxide, yielding respiratory remainders (the proportion of carbon dioxide to oxygen). To some degree, more detail has been picked up by deciding the amounts of substances entering and leaving a given organ and furthermore by brooding cuts of a tissue in a physiological medium outside the body and examining the progressions that happen in the medium.
Since these techniques yield a general image of metabolic limits, it got important to disturb cell structure (homogenization) and to disengage the individual pieces of the cell—cores, mitochondria, lysosomes, ribosomes, membranes—lastly the different enzymes and discrete chemical substances of the cell trying to comprehend the chemistry of life all the more completely.
FAQs on Biochemistry Important Questions for Biology Exams
1. What are some important 5-mark questions from the Biochemistry (Biomolecules) unit for the CBSE Class 11 Biology exam 2025-26?
From an exam perspective, the most expected 5-mark questions from this unit cover comprehensive topics. For the 2025-26 session, you should prepare:
A detailed explanation of the four levels of protein structure (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary) with appropriate diagrams.
The mechanism of enzyme action, including both the 'lock and key' and 'induced fit' hypotheses.
A description of different types of polysaccharides, such as starch, cellulose, and glycogen, highlighting their structures and specific biological functions.
The detailed structure of a nucleic acid like DNA, explaining the formation of phosphodiester and N-glycosidic bonds.
2. Which topics in Biochemistry are frequently asked as short-answer (2 or 3-mark) questions?
For 2 or 3-mark questions in the upcoming exams, focus on specific, high-yield concepts. Frequently asked topics include:
Differentiating between primary and secondary metabolites with two examples for each.
Defining the Zwitterionic form of an amino acid and drawing its structure.
Explaining the role of cofactors or co-enzymes in catalytic activity.
Listing the key factors that affect enzyme action, like temperature, pH, and substrate concentration.
Drawing a labelled diagram of an adenylic acid or uridylic acid.
3. Why is the tertiary structure of a protein so crucial for its biological function?
The tertiary structure is critical because it represents the final, three-dimensional folding of a polypeptide chain, which creates the protein's specific, functional shape. This precise 3D conformation forms the active sites in enzymes or binding sites in other proteins like antibodies and receptors. Any disruption to this structure, a process called denaturation, leads to a loss of biological activity. Therefore, the tertiary structure is the functional level for the vast majority of proteins.
4. How do competitive inhibitors affect enzyme activity, and how does this differ from non-competitive inhibition?
A competitive inhibitor functions by mimicking the shape of the actual substrate and binding to the enzyme's active site. This physically blocks the real substrate from binding, thereby reducing the rate of reaction. This type of inhibition can be overcome by increasing the substrate concentration. In contrast, a non-competitive inhibitor binds to a different site on the enzyme (an allosteric site), which alters the enzyme's overall shape, including the active site. This prevents the substrate from binding effectively, and the inhibition cannot be reversed by simply adding more substrate. This is a key difference often tested in exams.
5. What are nucleic acids, and what are the key structural differences between DNA and RNA that determine their roles?
Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are vital biomacromolecules that store and transmit genetic information. Their distinct roles are determined by key structural differences:
Sugar Moiety: DNA contains deoxyribose sugar, while RNA has ribose sugar. The absence of an oxygen atom on the 2' carbon in deoxyribose makes DNA more chemically stable and suitable for long-term genetic storage.
Nitrogenous Bases: DNA uses Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine (T). RNA uses Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Uracil (U) in place of Thymine.
Strand Structure: DNA is typically a double-stranded helix, providing a stable, protected template for genetic information. RNA is usually single-stranded, which allows it to fold into complex shapes for its diverse roles in protein synthesis (e.g., mRNA, tRNA, rRNA).
6. From an exam point of view, why are biomolecules like carbohydrates and lipids considered scoring topics?
Carbohydrates and lipids are considered scoring topics in biology exams because the questions asked are typically direct and based on well-defined structures and functions. Important questions often revolve around identifying glycosidic bonds in polysaccharides, distinguishing between monosaccharides and disaccharides, or explaining the structural difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Since these concepts are fundamental and require precise, factual answers, students can often score full marks, especially in objective or short-answer sections.
7. What are essential amino acids, and why is it an important concept for human health?
Essential amino acids are those that the human body cannot synthesise on its own and must be obtained from the diet. They are critically important because they are the fundamental building blocks for all proteins, which perform countless functions, including acting as enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and structural components of tissues. A dietary deficiency in even one essential amino acid can halt the synthesis of necessary proteins, leading to severe malnutrition and disease. This makes understanding them crucial for human health and nutrition.
8. A student observes that boiling an enzyme permanently destroys its function, whereas freezing it only causes temporary inactivation. Explain the biochemical reason for this difference.
This is a classic higher-order thinking question. The difference lies in how temperature affects the enzyme's structure. Boiling provides high thermal energy that breaks the weak hydrogen and ionic bonds maintaining the enzyme's specific tertiary structure. This irreversible change is called denaturation, and it permanently destroys the shape of the active site. Freezing, however, only lowers the kinetic energy, making the enzyme temporarily inactive. It does not break the crucial chemical bonds. When thawed, the enzyme regains its proper shape and activity, demonstrating that its primary structure remains intact.
