Vocab
What is a dominant allele?
A) An allele that shows up even when paired with a different allele
B) An allele that only appears in offspring
C) An allele that is always recessive
D) An allele that disappears over time
A) An allele that shows up even when paired with a different allele
Mendel observed that all organisms pass something to their offspring. Based on this observation, which statement best explains why this pattern is important for understanding life on Earth?
A) It proves that all organisms are identical to their parents
B) It shows that traits can be transferred between generations, allowing species to maintain and vary their characteristics
C) It demonstrates that offspring are always stronger than their parents
B) It shows that traits can be transferred between generations, allowing species to maintain and vary their characteristics
A plant receives a dominant allele for tall height from one parent and a recessive allele for short height from the other parent. Which statement best explains why the plant will be tall?
A) Recessive alleles are always destroyed by dominant alleles
B) Tall and short alleles blend together
C) The plant only uses the allele from one parent
D) Dominant alleles mask the effect of recessive alleles
D) Dominant alleles mask the effect of recessive alleles
Why can't we predict with 100% certainty which traits a specific offspring will inherit, even though we know the probability?
A) Probability only works for plants, not animals
B) Probability predicts the likelihood of outcomes, not guarantees for individual cases
C) Parents don't actually pass on their genes
D) Punnett squares are always wrong
B) Probability predicts the likelihood of outcomes, not guarantees for individual cases
A purebred organism has a genotype of:
A) Aa
B) AB
C) Bb
D) AA or aa
D) AA or aa
Which best describes a recessive allele?
A) It always controls the trait
B) It only shows up when paired with an identical allele
C) It is stronger than dominant alleles
D) It cannot be passed to offspring
B) It only shows up when paired with an identical allele
Mendel was the first to apply a specific scientific approach to studying heredity. What advantage did Mendel's method give him compared to scientists before him who also studied inheritance?
A) He used a systematic, mathematical approach to analyze and record his results
B) He kept better written records than anyone else
C) He used more organisms in his experiments
A) He used a systematic, mathematical approach to analyze and record his results
A purebred pea plant produces only tall offspring when crossed with any other tall plant. What can you conclude about this plant's alleles?
A) It has one dominant and one recessive allele
B) It has two different alleles for height
C) It has two identical dominant alleles
D) Its alleles will change in the next generation
C) It has two identical dominant alleles
A Punnett square shows a 75% chance of brown eyes. If a couple has 4 children, how many will definitely have brown eyes?
A) Exactly 3 children
B) All 4 children
C) We cannot guarantee any specific number; 75% is a probability, not a certainty
D) None of them
C) We cannot guarantee any specific number; 75% is a probability, not a certainty
Which genotype represents a hybrid?
A) BB
B) cc
C) Dd
D) ee
C) Dd
In genetics, what does probability help us determine?
A) The exact color of an organism
B) Which parent is stronger
C) How likely certain traits will appear in offspring
D) The age of an organism
C) How likely certain traits will appear in offspring
When Mendel crossed plants with different traits, he discovered something unexpected about the offspring. Why would Mendel's conclusion that "only one form appears" in the first generation of offspring be considered surprising or significant?
A) Because it showed that traits from both parents always blend together equally
B) Because it revealed that one trait can be hidden while another appears, suggesting traits don't simply mix
C) Because it proved that offspring are always weaker than their parents
B) Because it revealed that one trait can be hidden while another appears, suggesting traits don't simply mix
If an organism is a hybrid for a trait, what does this tell you about its two alleles?
A) The alleles are different from each other
B) Both alleles are dominant
C) Both alleles are recessive
D) The alleles came from only one parent
A) The alleles are different from each other
Why do geneticists use Punnett squares instead of just guessing about inherited traits?
A) To organize genetic information and calculate accurate probabilities
B) Because guessing is never allowed in science
C) Punnett squares are easier than learning about genes
D) They don't really help; scientists just use them for fun
A) To organize genetic information and calculate accurate probabilities
If a plant has yellow flowers (a phenotype), what can we conclude? Y is dominant, y is recessive.
A) Its genotype must be YY
B) It cannot produce offspring
C) It must be purebred
D) Its genotype could be YY or Yy
D) Its genotype could be YY or Yy
What is a genotype?
A) How an organism looks or acts
B) The combination of alleles an organism has
C) The number of chromosomes in a cell
D) The dominant trait only
B) The combination of alleles an organism has
Mendel is called the "Father of Genetics" because of his groundbreaking work. What does this title suggest about the importance of his experiments?
A) He was the oldest scientist who studied heredity
B) He was the first to have children who became scientists
C) He established the fundamental principles and methods that became the foundation for the entire science of genetics
D) He proved that all living things are related to each other
C) He established the fundamental principles and methods that became the foundation for the entire science of genetics
A child has curly hair, but both parents have straight hair. How is this possible?
A) The child's trait came from a grandparent's recessive alleles
B) The child created a new allele that parents don't have
C) One parent must actually have curly hair
D) Traits in offspring only come from parents' visible traits
A) The child's trait came from a grandparent's recessive alleles
If probability predicts a 50% chance of a trait appearing, what does this mean?
A) The trait will appear in exactly half the offspring
B) One parent definitely has the trait and one doesn't
C) The trait will skip every other child
D) Out of a large number of offspring, approximately half are likely to show the trait
D) Out of a large number of offspring, approximately half are likely to show the trait
Another name for a purebred organism is:
A) Homozygous
B) Heterozygous
C) Dominant
D) Recessive
A) Homozygous
How does phenotype differ from genotype?
A) Phenotype is genetic; genotype is not
B) Genotype is what you see; phenotype is the alleles
C) Phenotype is what you observe; genotype is the allele combination
D) They are exactly the same thing
C) Phenotype is what you observe; genotype is the allele combination
In Mendel's experiments, the parent plants and their offspring are organized into different generations. Why would understanding these generational differences be essential for tracking how traits are inherited?
A) To determine which generation is more intelligent
B) To show that traits always become stronger in each new generation
C) To prove that each generation is better adapted than the previous one
D) To identify patterns in how traits appear, disappear, and reappear across multiple generations
D) To identify patterns in how traits appear, disappear, and reappear across multiple generations
Two hybrid organisms (Aa) are crossed. Which outcome best explains why some offspring show the recessive trait even though both parents show the dominant trait?
A) The parents' dominant alleles weakened over time
B) Each parent passed a recessive allele to some offspring
C) Recessive traits skip generations randomly
D) The offspring inherited different genes than their parents
B) Each parent passed a recessive allele to some offspring
How does understanding probability help us predict human traits across many generations?
A) It allows us to guarantee what every person will look like
B) It helps us understand patterns and make reasonable predictions about trait distribution in populations
C) It proves that all children look exactly like their parents
D) It has no real-world application
B) It helps us understand patterns and make reasonable predictions about trait distribution in populations
A hybrid organism is also called:
A) Homozygous
B) Purebred
C) Heterozygous
D) Recessive
C) Heterozygous