1. deoxyribose
2. phosphate group
3. nitrogen base
4. hydrogen bonds
5. base pair
6. sugar-phosphate backbone
7. adenine (A), thymine (T)
8. complementary base pairing
9. nucleotides
10. DNA replication
11. double helix
12. The two ladder-forming outer rails of the 'ladder' are made of alternating sugar and phosphate groups. The 'rungs' are made of pairs of nitrogen bases. Each rung is identical to the one before it. As each broken rung is repaired, a new strand forms that is identical to the original strand. This process is called semiconservative replication. The 'zipper' is really the process of replication. The two ladder-forming outer rails of the 'ladder' snap apart. This is caused by an enzyme that pulls apart the strands, unzipping it.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of dna structure worksheet.