Question

Which of the following is NOT correct about FASTA?

• A. It was in fact the first database similarity search tool developed, preceding the development of BLAST
• B. FASTA uses a ‘hashing’ strategy to find matches for a short stretch of identical residues with a length of k
• C. The string of residues is known as blocks
• D. It stands for FAST ALL

Hint:

FASTA is an early tool used for sequence alignment and similarity search. It uses "k-tuples" rather than blocks to identify short matching sequences in biological data.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Let's analyze each option:
(1) It was in fact the first database similarity search tool developed, preceding the development of BLAST: This is true. FASTA was an early database similarity search tool that preceded BLAST.
(2) FASTA uses a ‘hashing’ strategy to find matches for a short stretch of identical residues with a length of k: This is true. FASTA uses a hashing strategy to identify short matching sequences.
(3) The string of residues is known as blocks: This is untrue. The correct term used in FASTA is "k-tuples," not blocks. Hence, this is the incorrect statement and the correct answer.
(4) It stands for FAST ALL: This is true. FASTA stands for "Fast All," referring to the speed of the algorithm.
Conclusion: The correct answer is Option 3: The string of residues is known as blocks, as it is untrue. The correct term is "k-tuples."