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JEE Advanced levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 3 of 3bm159

Two -base-pair DNA duplexes are compared. Duplex P has G-C pairs and duplex Q has G-C pairs (A-T = 2 and G-C = 3 hydrogen bonds). Which statement is correct?

  1. AQ has 53 hydrogen bonds against 47 for P, so Q melts at the higher temperature
  2. BP has 53 hydrogen bonds against 47 for Q, so P melts at the higher temperature
  3. CBoth have 50 hydrogen bonds, so they melt at the same temperature
  4. DQ has 53 hydrogen bonds against 47 for P, but P melts at the higher temperature

Answer: A

P has 7 G-C and 13 A-T pairs: . Q has 13 G-C and 7 A-T pairs: . More hydrogen bonds raise the melting temperature, so Q melts higher.
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