

InterviewSolution
This section includes InterviewSolutions, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.
1. |
Unlike the commonly used methods for aligning a pair of sequences, the Bayesian method _______ using a particular scoring matrix or designated gap penalties.(a) does not depend on(b) depends on(c) is based on(d) involvesI had been asked this question in an online quiz.This interesting question is from Bayesian Statistics in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» CORRECT answer is (a) does not depend on For explanation: Because it doesn’t depend on the MENTIONED techniques, there is no need to choose a particular scoring SYSTEM or gap penalty. Instead, a number of different scoring matrices and range of block numbers up to some reasonable maximum are examined, and the most probable alignments are determined. The Bayesian method provides a distribution of alignments weighted according to probability and can also PROVIDE an ESTIMATE of the evolutionary distance between the sequences that is independent of scoring matrix and gaps. |
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2. |
Who suggested that the global alignment scores between unrelated protein sequences followed the extreme value distribution, similar to local alignment scores? And when?(a) Abagyan and Batalov, in 1981(b) Chvátal and Lipman, in 1984(c) Abagyan and Batalov, in 1997(d) Chvátal and Sankoff, in 1995This question was posed to me during an interview.I'd like to ask this question from Assessing the Significance of Sequence Alignments topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct ANSWER is (c) Abagyan and Batalov, in 1997 |
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3. |
The higher is the score in the alignment _________(a) the more significant is the alignment(b) or the less it resembles alignments in related proteins(c) the less significant is the alignment(d) the less it aligns with the related protein sequenceThe question was posed to me during an online interview.The question is from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct choice is (a) the more significant is the alignment |
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4. |
Isolated dots that are not on the diagonal represent exact matches.(a) True(b) FalseThis question was addressed to me in an online interview.This interesting question is from Dot Matrix Sequence Comparison in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct answer is (b) False |
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5. |
Which of the following is false in case of the database SMART and its algorithm?(a) Contains HMM profiles constructed from manually refined protein domain alignments(b) Alignments in the database are built based on tertiary structures whenever available or based on PSI-BLAST profiles(c) Alignments are further checked but not refined by human annotators before HMM profile construction(d) SMART stands for Simple Modular Architecture Research ToolI have been asked this question in semester exam.This intriguing question originated from Motif and Domain Databases Using Statistical Models in section Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct choice is (c) Alignments are further checked but not refined by HUMAN annotators before HMM profile construction |
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6. |
Which of the following is not an advantage of Needleman-Wunsch algorithm?(a) New algorithmic improvements as well as increasing computer capacity make it possible to align a query sequence against a large DB in a few minutes(b) Similar sequence region is of same order and orientation(c) This does not help in determining evolutionary relationship(d) If you have 2 genes that are already understood as closely related, then this type of algorithm can be used to understand them in further detailsI had been asked this question in class test.This is a very interesting question from Global Sequence Alignment in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right ANSWER is (c) This does not HELP in DETERMINING evolutionary relationship |
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7. |
_______ analyzed the distribution of scores among 100 vertebrate nucleic acid sequences and compared these scores with randomized sequences prepared in different ways.(a) Lipman, in 1984(b) Batalov, in 1964(c) Waterman, in 1987(d) Lipman, in 1967This question was addressed to me in my homework.The question is from Assessing the Significance of Sequence Alignments topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct answer is (a) Lipman, in 1984 |
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8. |
Which of the following doesn’t describe PAM matrices?(a) This family of matrices lists the likelihood of change from one amino acid to another in homologous protein sequences during evolution(b) There is presently no other type of scoring matrix that is based on such sound evolutionary principles as are these matrices(c) Even though they were originally based on a relatively small data set, the PAM matrices remain a useful tool for sequence alignment(d) It stands for Percent Altered MutationI had been asked this question during an interview for a job.My question is taken from Use of Scoring Matrices and Gap Penalties in Sequence Alignments topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right option is (d) It STANDS for Percent Altered Mutation |
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9. |
In scoring matrices, for convenience, odds scores are converted to log odds scores.(a) True(b) FalseI had been asked this question during a job interview.This key question is from Use of Scoring Matrices and Gap Penalties in Sequence Alignments in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right answer is (a) True |
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10. |
Which of the following does not describe k-tuple methods?(a) k-tuple methods are best known for their implementation in the database search tools FASTA and the BLAST family(b) They are also known as words methods(c) They are basically heuristic methods to find local alignment(d) They are useful in small scale databasesThe question was asked by my school principal while I was bunking the class.I'd like to ask this question from Local Sequence Alignment in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct answer is (d) They are USEFUL in small SCALE databases |
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11. |
Which of the following is not a site on internet for alignment of sequence pairs?(a) BLASTX(b) BLASTN(c) SIM(d) BCM Search LauncherThe question was asked during an online interview.I would like to ask this question from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» | |
12. |
Which of the following does not describe global alignment algorithm?(a) In initialization step, the first row and first column are subject to gap penalty(b) Score can be negative(c) In trace back step, beginning is with the cell at the lower right of the matrix and it ends at top left cell(d) First row and first column are set to zeroThis question was posed to me in a national level competition.I'm obligated to ask this question of Global Sequence Alignment in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct CHOICE is (d) FIRST ROW and first COLUMN are set to zero |
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13. |
Zhu (1998) have devised a computer program called the Bayes block aligner which in effect slides ____ sequences along each other to find the ______ ungapped regions or blocks.(a) two, least scoring(b) two, highest scoring(c) multiple, highest scoring(d) multiple, least scoringI have been asked this question in an online quiz.This key question is from Bayesian Statistics topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct option is (b) two, HIGHEST scoring |
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14. |
When random or unrelated sequences are compared using a global alignment method, they can have ____________ reflecting the tendency of the global algorithm to match as many characters as possible.(a) very low scores(b) very high scores(c) moderate scores(d) low scoresI got this question during an interview.The origin of the question is Assessing the Significance of Sequence Alignments topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The CORRECT choice is (b) very HIGH scores |
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15. |
Gaps are added to the alignment because it ______(a) increases the matching of identical amino acids at subsequent portions in the alignment(b) increases the matching of or dissimilar amino acids at subsequent portions in the alignment(c) reduces the overall score(d) enhances the area of the sequencesThe question was asked in exam.I would like to ask this question from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct CHOICE is (a) INCREASES the matching of identical amino acids at subsequent portions in the ALIGNMENT |
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16. |
Which of the following is true for EMBOSS Dottup?(a) Allows you to specify threshold(b) Doesn’t allow you to specify threshold(c) Doesn’t allow you to specify window size(d) If all cells in the window are identity, it colors in some specific cells in the windowThis question was addressed to me by my college director while I was bunking the class.My query is from Dot Matrix Sequence Comparison in section Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct CHOICE is (B) Doesn’t allow you to specify threshold |
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17. |
Who were the inventors of this method?(a) Smith-Waterman(b) Margaret Preston(c) Gibbs and McIntyre(d) Needleman-WunschThis question was posed to me during an internship interview.Query is from Dot Matrix Sequence Comparison in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct answer is (c) Gibbs and McIntyre |
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18. |
Which of the following does not describe BLOSUM matrices?(a) It stands for BLOcks SUbstitution Matrix(b) It was developed by Henikoff and Henikoff(c) The year it was developed was 1992(d) These matrices are logarithmic identity valuesThis question was addressed to me in homework.This question is from Local Sequence Alignment topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct option is (d) These MATRICES are LOGARITHMIC identity values |
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19. |
A length and distance that gives the highest overall probability may then be determined. Such alignments are initially found using ________(a) a particular scoring matrix only(b) an alignment algorithm only(c) an alignment algorithm and a particular scoring matrix(d) dot methodThe question was asked during an interview for a job.I want to ask this question from Bayesian Statistics in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The CORRECT answer is (c) an alignment algorithm and a particular scoring matrix |
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20. |
In case of the varying alignment, penalizing gaps heavily might occur. Then the best scoring local alignment between the sequences will be one that optimizes the score between matches and mismatches, without any gaps.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was asked during an internship interview.My enquiry is from Use of Scoring Matrices and Gap Penalties in Sequence Alignments in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right choice is (a) True |
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21. |
Which of the following is not a description of dynamic programming algorithm?(a) A method of sequence alignment(b) A method that can take gaps into account(c) A method that requires a manageable number of comparisons(d) This method doesn’t provide an optimal (highest scoring) alignmentI got this question in semester exam.Question is from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right choice is (d) This METHOD doesn’t provide an optimal (highest scoring) alignment |
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22. |
Use of the dynamic programming method requires a scoring system for the comparison of symbol pairs, and a scheme for GAP penalties.(a) True(b) FalseI had been asked this question in homework.The origin of the question is Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct answer is (a) True |
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23. |
The softwares for dot plot analysis perform several tasks. Which one of them is not performed by them?(a) Gap open penalty(b) Gap extend penalty(c) Expectation threshold(d) Change or mutate residuesI have been asked this question during an interview.My doubt is from Dot Matrix Sequence Comparison in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right answer is (d) Change or MUTATE residues |
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24. |
Which of the following is untrue regarding BLAST and FASTA?(a) FASTA is faster than BLAST(b) FASTA is the most accurate(c) BLAST has limited choices of databases(d) FASTA is more sensitive for DNA-DNA comparisonsI had been asked this question in unit test.My query is from Local Sequence Alignment in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct answer is (a) FASTA is faster than BLAST |
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25. |
Dot plot of repeating elements would be small crosses on plot.(a) True(b) FalseI have been asked this question during an internship interview.I need to ask this question from Dot Matrix Sequence Comparison topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct CHOICE is (b) False |
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26. |
By whom and when were the Bayesian methods applied first?(a) Smith-Waterman, 1981(b) Agarwal and States, 1996(c) Smith-Waterman, 1996(d) Agarwal and States, 1981This question was posed to me in final exam.This interesting question is from Bayesian Statistics topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right choice is (b) Agarwal and States, 1996 |
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27. |
On analysis of the alignment scores of random sequences will reveal that the scores follow a different distribution than the normal distribution called the _________(a) Gumbel equal value distribution(b) Gumbel extreme value distribution(c) Gumbel end value distribution(d) Gumbel distributionThis question was addressed to me in an online interview.Origin of the question is Assessing the Significance of Sequence Alignments in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct choice is (b) Gumbel extreme value DISTRIBUTION |
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28. |
_______ is an interactive program for generating sequence logos.(a) EMBOSS(b) WebLogo(c) LOGOLY(d) BLASTI got this question in an online quiz.My question comes from Motif Discovery in Unaligned Sequences in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct CHOICE is (B) WebLogo |
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29. |
The overall height of a logo position reflects how conserved the position is, and the _____ of each letter in a position reflects the _______ of the residue in the alignment.(a) height, relative frequency(b) width, relative frequency(c) height, amplitude(d) width, amplitudeI have been asked this question in a national level competition.The query is from Motif Discovery in Unaligned Sequences topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The CORRECT option is (a) height, RELATIVE frequency |
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30. |
Which of the following statements about InterPro is incorrect regarding its features?(a) Protein relatedness is defined by the P-values from the BLAST alignments(b) The most closely related sequences are grouped into the lowest level clusters(c) More distant protein groups are merged into higher levels of clusters(d) The outcome of this cluster merging is a tree-like structure of functional categoriesThis question was posed to me in unit test.The above asked question is from Protein Family Databases in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct CHOICE is (a) Protein relatedness is DEFINED by the P-values from the BLAST alignments |
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31. |
Which of the following feature of Bayesian methods is the disadvantage of it?(a) A length and distance that gives the highest overall probability may be determined(b) They are used to calculate evolutionary distance(c) Computationally Bayesian methods are better(d) A specific mutational model is requiredThis question was posed to me during an internship interview.This question is from Bayesian Statistics in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct choice is (d) A specific MUTATIONAL MODEL is required |
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32. |
In the GCG and FASTA program suites, the scoring matrix itself is formatted in a way that includes default ______(a) gap additions(b) alignment scores(c) score penalties(d) gap penaltiesThis question was posed to me during an online exam.My doubt stems from Use of Scoring Matrices and Gap Penalties in Sequence Alignments in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct ANSWER is (d) gap penalties |
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33. |
A gap opening penalty for any gap (g) and a gap extension penalty for each element in the gap (r) are most often used, to give a total gap score wx, according to the equation ______(a) wx – rx = -g(b) wx = g – rx(c) wx = g + rx(d) wx + g + rx = 0I had been asked this question by my school teacher while I was bunking the class.Question is taken from Use of Scoring Matrices and Gap Penalties in Sequence Alignments in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right answer is (c) wx = g + RX |
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34. |
Dayhoff PAM matrices, are based on an evolutionary model of protein change, whereas, BLOSUM matrices, are designed to identify members of the same family.(a) True(b) FalseI had been asked this question during an online exam.My question is from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct choice is (a) True |
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35. |
Which of the following is wrong in case of substitution matrices?(a) They determine likelihood of homology between two sequences(b) They use system where substitutions that are more likely should get a higher score(c) They use system where substitutions that are less likely should get a lower score(d) BLOSUM-X type uses logarithmic identity to find similarityThe question was asked by my college professor while I was bunking the class.I need to ask this question from Global Sequence Alignment topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct CHOICE is (d) BLOSUM-X type uses logarithmic identity to find similarity |
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36. |
Which of the following statements about SUPERFAMILY database is incorrect regarding its features?(a) Sequences can be submitted raw or FASTA format(b) Sequences must be submitted in FASTA format only(c) It searches the database using a superfamily, family, or species name plus a sequence, SCOP, PDB or HMM ID’s(d) It has generated GO annotations for evolutionarily closed domains and distant domainsThis question was posed to me during an interview.The doubt is from Protein Family Databases in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» CORRECT OPTION is (b) Sequences must be submitted in FASTA format only Best EXPLANATION: SUPERFAMILY is a DATABASE of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP super families. Sequences can be amino acids, a fixed frame NUCLEOTIDE sequence, or all frames of a submitted nucleotide sequence. Up to 1000 sequences can be run at a time. |
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37. |
Point out the wrong or irrelevant mathematical method in motif analysis.(a) Enumeration(b) Probabilistic Optimization(c) Deterministic Optimization(d) Literature miningI have been asked this question in a national level competition.I'd like to ask this question from Motif and Domain Databases Using Statistical Models topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right choice is (d) Literature mining |
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38. |
Which of the following is false in case of the database Pfam and its algorithm?(a) Each motif or domain is represented by an HMM profile generated from the seed alignment of a number of conserved homologous proteins(b) Since the probability scoring mechanism is more complex in HMM than in a profile-based approach the use of HMM yields further increases in sensitivity of the database matches(c) Pfam-B only contains sequence families not covered in Pfam(d) The functional annotation of motifs in Pfam-A is often related to that in UNIPROTThe question was asked by my college professor while I was bunking the class.The doubt is from Motif and Domain Databases Using Statistical Models in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» CORRECT option is (d) The functional annotation of motifs in Pfam-A is often related to that in UNIPROT Explanation: Pfam is a DATABASE with protein domain alignments DERIVED from sequences in SWISSPROT and TrEMBL. The Pfam database is composed of two parts, Pfam-A and Pfam-B. Pfam-A involves manual alignments and Pfam-B, automatic alignment in a way similar to ProDom. The functional annotation of motifs in Pfam-A is often related to that in PROSITE. Because of the automatic nature, Pfam-B has a MUCH larger coverage but is also more ERROR prone because some HMMs are generated from unrelated sequences. |
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39. |
When did Smith–Waterman first describe the algorithm for local alignment?(a) 1950(b) 1970(c) 1981(d) 1925This question was addressed to me by my school principal while I was bunking the class.The query is from Local Sequence Alignment topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct option is (C) 1981 |
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40. |
Which of the following does not describe global alignment algorithm?(a) It attempts to align every residue in every sequence(b) It is most useful when the aligning sequences are similar and of roughly the same size(c) It is useful when the aligning sequences are dissimilar(d) It can use Needleman-Wunsch algorithmThe question was asked in an internship interview.This interesting question is from Global Sequence Alignment in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct ANSWER is (c) It is useful when the ALIGNING sequences are dissimilar |
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41. |
Which of the following is untrue in case of the database BLOCKS?(a) The alignments are automatically generated using the same data sets used for deriving the BLOSUM matrices(b) The derived ungapped alignments are called ‘blocks’, which are usually longer than motifs, are subsequently converted to PSSMs(c) A weighting scheme and pseudo counts are subsequently applied to the PSSMs to account for underrepresented and unobserved residues in alignments(d) The functional annotation of blocks is not consistent with that for the motifsThe question was posed to me in an interview for job.The query is from Motif and Domain Databases Using Statistical Models in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right choice is (d) The functional annotation of blocks is not consistent with that for the MOTIFS |
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42. |
Which of the following statements about COG is incorrect regarding its features?(a) Currently, there are 4,873 clusters in the COG databases derived from unicellular organisms(b) It is constructed by comparing protein sequences encoded in forty-three completely sequenced genomes, which are mainly from prokaryotes, representing thirty major phylogenetic lineages(c) The interface for sequence searching in the COG database is the COGnitor program, which is based on gapped BLAST(d) It is a protein family database based on structural classificationThe question was asked in unit test.The question is from Protein Family Databases in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The correct option is (d) It is a PROTEIN family database based on structural CLASSIFICATION |
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43. |
Which of the following is not a member database of InterPro?(a) SCOP(b) HAMAP(c) PANTHER(d) PfamThe question was asked in an online quiz.This is a very interesting question from Protein Family Databases topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct option is (a) SCOP |
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44. |
Which of the following is true regarding the assumptions in the method of constructing the Dayhoff scoring matrix?(a) it is assumed that each amino acid position is equally mutable(b) it is assumed that each amino acid position is not equally mutable(c) it is assumed that each amino acid position is not mutable at all(d) sites do not vary in their degree of mutabilityThe question was asked in quiz.Question is from Use of Scoring Matrices and Gap Penalties in Sequence Alignments topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct choice is (a) it is assumed that each amino acid position is equally mutable |
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45. |
Pfam is available at four locations around the world. Which of the following is not one of them?(a) UK(b) Sweden(c) US(d) JapanThis question was posed to me in an online interview.My question comes from Protein Family Databases topic in division Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct option is (d) Japan |
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46. |
The matrices PAM250 and BLOSUM62 contain _______(a) positive and negative values(b) positive values only(c) negative values only(d) neither positive nor negative values, just the percentageI had been asked this question during an interview for a job.My doubt stems from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in section Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right choice is (a) positive and negative values |
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47. |
After the derivation, the outputs of the dynamic programming are the ratios are called even scores.(a) True(b) FalseThis question was posed to me during a job interview.I want to ask this question from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The CORRECT choice is (b) False |
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48. |
When was this method, first described?(a) 1959(b) 1966(c) 1970(d) 1982The question was asked in exam.I'd like to ask this question from Dot Matrix Sequence Comparison topic in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Correct answer is (c) 1970 |
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49. |
Conserved positions have _____ residues and bigger symbols.(a) fewer(b) more(c) maximum(d) minimumThe question was posed to me in a job interview.Query is from Motif Discovery in Unaligned Sequences in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» Right option is (a) fewer |
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50. |
MEME stands for _____________(a) Multiple Expectation Maximization for Motif Elicitation(b) Multiple Expectation Maximization for Motif Extraction(c) Mega Expectation Maximization for Motif Elicitation(d) Micro Expectation Maximization for Motif ExtractionI had been asked this question during a job interview.Question is taken from Motif Discovery in Unaligned Sequences topic in portion Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics |
Answer» The CORRECT option is (a) MULTIPLE Expectation Maximization for Motif ELICITATION |
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