Question

In the bootstrap method, the data are resampled by _____ choosing _____ columns from the aligned sequences to produce, in effect, a new sequence alignment of the _____

(a) randomly, horizontal, same length

(b) specifically, vertical, different lengths

(c) randomly, vertical, same length

(d) randomly, vertical, different lengths

This question was posed to me in an interview for job.

This is a very interesting question from Reliability of Phylogenetic Predictions topic in division Phylogenetic Tree Construction Methods and Programs of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Right choice is (c) randomly, vertical, same length

The best I can explain: Each column of data may be used more than once and some columns may not be used at all in the new alignment. Trees are then predicted from many of these alignments of resampled sequences (Felsenstein 1988).