Lesson 3.8.2.3.1

3.8.2.3.1 Gene expression and cancer Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.8.2.3.1, Gene expression and cancer: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 8: The control of gene expression, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is a defining characteristic of a benign tumour?

    • Metastasises quickly
    • Remains localised
    • Invades neighbouring tissue
    • Spreads via blood

  2. What key feature distinguishes a malignant tumour from a benign tumour?

    • Incapable of metastasis
    • Grows without dividing
    • Invades surrounding tissues
    • Remains fully enclosed

  3. What is the normal biological function of tumour suppressor genes?

    • Inhibiting cell division
    • Stimulating cell division
    • Promoting tumour growth
    • Increasing mutation rates

  4. What is the normal function of proto-oncogenes in healthy cells?

    • Repairing damaged DNA
    • Stimulating cell division
    • Inducing cell death
    • Inhibiting cell division

  5. How does hypermethylation of a tumour suppressor gene promote tumour growth?

    • Accelerates protein translation
    • Increases gene transcription
    • Mutates DNA sequence
    • Inhibits gene transcription

  6. High concentrations of oestrogen are linked to the development of which cancer?

    • Lung cancer
    • Bowel cancer
    • Breast cancer
    • Prostate cancer

  7. What type of gene mutates or becomes overexpressed to form an oncogene?

    • Structural gene
    • Proto-oncogene
    • Tumour suppressor gene
    • Homeobox gene

  8. What happens when both copies of a tumour suppressor gene are inactivated?

    • Reduced mitosis rate
    • Immediate cell apoptosis
    • Inhibition of transcription
    • Uncontrolled cell division

  9. What does a positive correlation between oestrogen levels and breast cancer indicate?

    • No relationship
    • Correlation, not causation
    • Somatic mutation
    • Definite causation

  10. What is the main effect of blocking an overactive oncogene protein in cancer cells?

    • Increased cell division
    • Decreased cell division
    • Rapid metastasis
    • Increased gene expression

  11. Which feature distinguishes malignant tumours from benign tumours?

    • Controlled cell growth
    • Metastasis to tissues
    • Slow cell division
    • Fibrous capsule presence

  12. What is required alongside a strong correlation to support a causal link to cancer?

    • Plausible biological mechanism
    • Correlated control group
    • High sample variation
    • Single case study

  13. How can a demethylating drug help treat a tumour showing hypermethylation?

    • Inactivates proto-oncogenes
    • Promotes histone acetylation
    • Increases DNA replication
    • Re-expresses suppressor genes

  14. Which of the following is an example of a tumour suppressor gene?

    • Ras
    • HER2
    • p53
    • Myc

  15. How many cell divisions starting from one cell give about one million cells?

    • 6
    • 100
    • 20
    • 10

  16. Why does correlation between an environmental factor and cancer not prove causation?

    • Sample sizes vary
    • Cancers are inherited
    • Confounding factors exist
    • Genomes never mutate

  17. What type of genetic alteration creates an active oncogene from a proto-oncogene?

    • Loss of function
    • Epigenetic gene silencing
    • Complete gene deletion
    • Gain of function

  18. What effect does hypermethylation of a tumour suppressor gene promoter have?

    • Gene silencing
    • Protein activation
    • Gene overexpression
    • Increased transcription

  19. How do targeted cancer drugs designed against oncogenes usually function?

    • Silencing all transcription
    • Promoting cell growth
    • Inhibiting mutant proteins
    • Mutating host DNA

  20. Why must both alleles of a tumour suppressor gene be mutated to promote cancer?

    • Dominant gain-of-function
    • Epigenetic promoter silencing
    • Polygenic trait inheritance
    • Recessive cellular effect

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