Early Life
In what country was Mendel born?
Czech Republic
When Gregor went away to school, he chose to feed his mind and go without what?
He went without food.
Gregor Mendel was the world first_____? [type of scientist]
Geneticist
Discuss times that Gregor Mendel failed and how that contributed to his work.
He failed the teacher's exam twice and instead dedicated his life to his experiments and the religious life as abbot.
What was Gregor’s father’s occupation?
His father was a farmer.
What job did Gregor take to stay in school?
A tutor
What was the hot scientific question of Gregors time?
How do mothers and fathers pass down traits to their children
Discuss examples of Mendel's dedication to his work. Reasonable answers accepted.
Mendel paid his own way through school, even going without eating, to save money for books. He also cultivated over 28,000 plants in the course of his experiments. He fertilized 287 plants by hand for his work.
When Gregor was 16 what happened to his father?
His father broke his back.
What is the name of the abbey that Gregor became a friar and location?
Abbey of St. Thomas, Czech Republic
What was Gregor’s goal in breeding thousands of offspring from a few pairings?
To create a universal law of all living things
Discuss the role of faith in Mendel's life.
Gregor Mendel joined the monastery and did his experiments while he was a friar. Later, he became the head abbot of his monastery.
What year was Gregor Mendel born? And when did he die?
1822-1884
What city and country was the abbey Mendel joined in?
Brno, Czech Republic
What specific traits in peas did Gregor choose to test in his experiment?
Yellow/green seeds, smooth/wrinkled
What did curiosity do for Mendel?
It guided him to plant and track hundreds and thousands of plants. It guided to keep studying even when he had no money and had to pay his own way. He was innovative in applying rigorous statistics to track his findings.
Gregor's home village was small. Name either how many houses, people, horses and cows there were. 1 correct answer counts for the whole.
71 houses,
479 people,
41 horses,
98 cows.
What University did Gregor attend?
The University of Vienna
Describe Gregor’s conclusion after 7 total plantings? Your answer must include the names of the traits that are "masked" and "displayed."
Two building blocks (genes) create one trait. A dominant trait will mask a recessive trait.
Describe Mendel's experiments in detail. How many plants were cultivated? Name at least 2 trait pairings that he tracked. Describe his overall results and theories.
-287 hand pollinated plants
-7 traits tracked
-Trait pairings: Smooth/Wrinkled, yellow pod/green pod, bumpy pod/smooth pod
-28,000 plants.
-painstakingly hand-pollination then natural pollination
-In the second generation, recessive traits reappear. He was able to label them recessive and dominant and identify "genes."