Deck 14: Mendel and the Gene Idea

Question 1

Which of the following statements correctly describes how Mendel accounted for the observation that traits had disappeared in the F₁ generation and then reappeared in the F₂ generation?

A) New mutations were frequently generated in the F₂ progeny, causing traits that had been lost in the F₁ to reappear in the F₂.
B) The mechanism controlling the appearance of traits was different between the F₁ and the F₂ plants.
C) Traits can be dominant or recessive, and the recessive traits were "hidden" by the dominant ones in the F₁.
D) Members of the F₁ generation had only one allele for each trait, but members of the F₂ had two alleles for each trait.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Use the figure and the following description to answer the question.
In a particular plant, leaf color is controlled by gene locus D. Plants with at least one allele D have dark green leaves, and plants with the homozygous recessive dd genotype have light green leaves. A true-breeding, dark-leaved plant is crossed with a light-leaved one, and the F₁ offspring is allowed to self-pollinate. The predicted outcome of the F₂ is diagrammed in the Punnett square shown in the figure, where 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the genotypes corresponding to each box within the square.

Which of the boxes marked 1-4 correspond to plants that will be true-breeding?

A) 1 and 4 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1, 2, 3, and 4
D) 1 only

Answer 2

A

Question 3

How many unique gametes could be produced through independent assortment by an individual with the genotype AaBbCCDdEE?

A) 4
B) 8
C) 16
D) 64

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Use the figure and the following description to answer the question.
In a particular plant, leaf color is controlled by gene locus D. Plants with at least one allele D have dark green leaves, and plants with the homozygous recessive dd genotype have light green leaves. A true-breeding, dark-leaved plant is crossed with a light-leaved one, and the F₁ offspring is allowed to self-pollinate. The predicted outcome of the F₂ is diagrammed in the Punnett square shown in the figure, where 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the genotypes corresponding to each box within the square.

Which of the boxes marked 1-4 correspond to plants with dark leaves?

A) 1 only
B) 2 and 3
C) 4 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Question 5

Which of the following statements correctly explains the fact that all seven of the pea plant traits studied by Mendel obeyed the principle of independent assortment?

A) None of the traits obeyed the law of segregation.
B) The diploid number of chromosomes in the pea plants was seven.
C) All of the genes controlling the traits were located on the same chromosome.
D) All of the genes controlling the traits behaved as if they were on different chromosomes.

Question 6

Skin color in a certain species of fish is inherited by a single gene with four different alleles. How many different types of gametes would be possible in this organism?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 8
D) 16

Question 7

What was the most significant conclusion that Gregor Mendel drew from his experiments with pea plants?

A) There is considerable genetic variation in garden peas.
B) Traits are inherited in discrete units and are not the result of "blending."
C) Recessive genes occur more frequently in the F₁ generation than do dominant ones.
D) Genes are composed of DNA.

Question 8

The individual with genotype AaBbCCDdEE can make many kinds of gametes. Which of the following correctly describes why this situation is possible?

A) recurrent mutations form new alleles
B) crossing over during prophase I leads to genetic variety
C) different possible assortment of chromosomes into gametes occurs
D) there is a tendency for dominant alleles to segregate together

Question 9

Which of the following statements about independent assortment or segregation is correct?

A) The law of independent assortment describes the behavior of two or more genes relative to one another.
B) The law of segregation describes the behavior of two or more genes relative to one another.
C) The law of independent assortment is accounted for by observations of prophase I of meiosis.
D) The law of segregation is accounted for by anaphase of mitosis.

Question 10

Use the figure and the following description to answer the question.
In a particular plant, leaf color is controlled by gene locus D. Plants with at least one allele D have dark green leaves, and plants with the homozygous recessive dd genotype have light green leaves. A true-breeding, dark-leaved plant is crossed with a light-leaved one, and the F₁ offspring is allowed to self-pollinate. The predicted outcome of the F₂ is diagrammed in the Punnett square shown in the figure, where 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the genotypes corresponding to each box within the square.

Which of the boxes marked 1-4 correspond to plants with a heterozygous genotype?

A) 1
B) 1, 2, and 3
C) 2 and 3
D) 2, 3, and 4

Question 11

Why did all of the F₁ offspring of Mendel's classic pea cross always look like one of the two parental varieties?

A) No genes interacted to produce the parental phenotype.
B) Each allele affected phenotypic expression.
C) The traits blended together during fertilization.
D) One allele was dominant.

Question 12

Mendel crossed yellow-seeded and green-seeded pea plants and then allowed the offspring to self-pollinate to produce an F₂ generation. The results were as follows: 6,022 yellow and 2,001 green (8,023 total). Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship of the allele for green seeds to the allele for yellow seeds?

A) The green allele is dominant to the yellow allele.
B) The two alleles exhibit incomplete dominance.
C) The green allele is recessive to the yellow allele.
D) The two alleles are codominant.

Question 13

Mendel's law of independent assortment has its basis in which of the following events of meiosis I?

A) synapsis of homologous chromosomes
B) crossing over of homologous pairs of chromosomes
C) alignment of pairs of homologous chromosomes along the middle of the cell
D) the division of cells at telophase

Question 14

Albinism is a recessive trait. A man and woman both show normal pigmentation, but both have one parent who has albinism (without melanin pigmentation). What is the probability that their first child will have albinism?

A) 0
B) 1/2
C) 1/4
D) 1

Question 15

A sexually reproducing animal has two unlinked genes, one for head shape (H) and one for tail length (T). Its genotype is HhTt. Which of the following genotypes is possible in a gamete from this organism?

A) Hh
B) HhTt
C) T
D) HT

Question 16

Albinism is a recessive trait. A man and woman who both have normal pigmentation have one child out of three who has albinism (without melanin pigmentation). What are the genotypes of this child's parents?

A) One parent must be homozygous for the recessive allele; the other parent can be homozygous dominant, homozygous recessive, or heterozygous.
B) One parent must be heterozygous; the other parent can be homozygous dominant, homozygous recessive, or heterozygous.
C) Both parents must be heterozygous.
D) One parent must be homozygous dominant; the other parent must be heterozygous.

Question 17

Mendel's observation of the segregation of alleles in gamete formation has its basis in which of the following phases of cell division?

A) prophase I of meiosis
B) anaphase II of meiosis
C) metaphase II of meiosis
D) anaphase I of meiosis

Question 18

Mendel continued some of his experiments into the F₂ or F₃ generation in order to ________.

A) obtain a larger number of offspring on which to base statistics
B) observe whether or not a recessive trait would reappear
C) observe whether or not the dominant trait would reappear
D) distinguish which alleles were segregating

Question 19

A black guinea pig crossed with a guinea pig with albinism produced 12 black offspring. When the albino was crossed with a second black animal, six blacks and six albinos were obtained. What is the best explanation for this genetic situation?

A) Albinism is a recessive trait; black is a dominant trait.
B) Albinism is a dominant trait; black is incompletely dominant.
C) Albinism and black are codominant.
D) Albinism is a recessive trait; black is codominant.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is correct in describing the terms monohybrid cross and dihybrid cross?

A) A monohybrid cross involves a single parent, whereas a dihybrid cross involves two parents.
B) A dihybrid cross involves organisms that are heterozygous for two characters that are being studied, and a monohybrid cross involves organisms that are heterozygous for only one character being studied.
C) A monohybrid cross is performed for one generation, whereas a dihybrid cross is performed for two generations.
D) A monohybrid cross results in a 9:3:3:1 ratio, whereas a dihybrid cross gives a 3:1 ratio.

Question 21

A man has extra digits (six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot). His wife and their daughter have the normal number of digits (five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot.) Having extra digits is a dominant trait. The couple's second child has extra digits. What is the probability that their next (third) child will have extra digits?

A) 1/2
B) 1/16
C) 1/8
D) 3/4

Question 22

Radish flowers may be red, purple, or white. A cross between a red-flowered plant and a white-flowered plant yields all-purple offspring. The part of the radish we eat may be oval or long, with long being the dominant trait. If true-breeding red long radishes are crossed with true-breeding white oval radishes, the F₁ will be expected to exhibit which of the following phenotypes?

A) red and long
B) white and long
C) purple and long
D) purple and oval

Question 23

Which of the following phenotypes is an example of polygenic inheritance?

A) pink flowers in snapdragons
B) the ABO blood group in humans
C) white and purple flower color in peas
D) skin pigmentation in humans

Question 24

What is the probability of producing the genotype AABBCC in a cross of individuals who both possess this genotype: AaBbCc?

A) 1/4
B) 1/8
C) 1/16
D) 1/64

Question 25

Which of the following inheritance patterns describes the ability of a single allele to have multiple phenotypic effects?

A) incomplete dominance
B) multiple alleles
C) pleiotropy
D) epistasis

Question 26

Phenylketonuria is an inherited disease caused by a recessive autosomal allele. If a woman and her husband are both carriers, what is the probability that their first child will be a phenotypically normal girl?

A) 1/4
B) 1/16
C) 3/16
D) 3/8

Question 27

In cattle, roan coat color (mixed red and white hairs) occurs in the heterozygous (CᴿCᵂ) offspring of red (CᴿCᴿ) and white (CᵂCᵂ) homozygotes. Which of the following crosses would produce offspring in the ratio of 1 red:2 roan:1 white?

A) red × white
B) roan × roan
C) white × roan
D) red × roan

Question 28

Hydrangea plants of the same genotype are planted in a large flower garden. Some of the plants produce blue flowers and others pink flowers. This can be best explained by which of the following?

A) the knowledge that multiple alleles are involved
B) the allele for blue hydrangea is completely dominant over the allele for pink hydrangea
C) the alleles are codominant
D) environmental factors such as soil pH affect the phenotype

Question 29

Assuming independent assortment for all gene pairs, what is the probability that a cross between the following parents, AABbCc × AaBbCc, will produce an AaBbCc offspring?

A) 1/2
B) 1/16
C) 1/8
D) 3/4

Question 30

In pea plants, the tall phenotype is dominant to the dwarf phenotype. If a heterozygous pea plant is crossed with a homozygous tall pea plant, what is the probability that the offspring will be dwarf in size?

A) 1
B) 1/2
C) 1/4
D) 0

Question 31

Two true-breeding stocks of pea plants are crossed. One parent has red, axial flowers, and the other has white, terminal flowers; all F₁ individuals have red, axial flowers. The genes for flower color and location assort independently. Among the F₂ offspring, what is the probability of producing plants with white axial flowers?

A) 9/16
B) 1/16
C) 3/16
D) 1/4

Question 32

Gray seed color in peas is dominant to white. Assume that Mendel conducted a series of experiments where plants with gray seeds were crossed among themselves, and the following progeny were produced: 302 gray and 98 white. What is the most probable genotype of each parent?

A) GG × gg
B) Gg × Gg
C) GG × Gg
D) gg × Gg

Question 33

Suppose two individuals with the genotype AaBbCc are mated. Assuming that the genes are not linked, what fraction of the offspring are expected to be homozygous recessive for the three traits?

A) 1/4
B) 1/8
C) 1/16
D) 1/64

Question 34

When Mendel crossed yellow-seeded and green-seeded pea plants, all the offspring were yellow-seeded. When he took these F₁ yellow-seeded plants and crossed them to green-seeded plants, what genotypic ratio was expected?

A) 1:2:1
B) 3:1
C) 1:1
D) 1:1:1:1

Question 35

Which of the following calculations require the use of the addition rule of probability?

A) Calculate the probability of black offspring from the cross AaBb × AaBb, where B is the symbol for black.
B) Calculate the probability of children with both cystic fibrosis and polydactyly when parents are each heterozygous for both genes.
C) Calculate the probability of each of four children having cystic fibrosis if the parents are both heterozygous.
D) Calculate the probability of a child having either sickle-cell anemia or cystic fibrosis if parents are each heterozygous for both.

Question 36

Given the following genotypes for two parents, AABBCc × AabbCc, assume that all traits exhibit simple dominance and independent assortment. What proportion of the progeny of this cross will be expected to phenotypically resemble the first parent with the genotype AABBCc?

A) 1/4
B) 3/4
C) 3/8
D) 1

Question 37

Black fur in mice (B) is dominant to brown fur (b). Short tails (T) are dominant to long tails (t). What fraction of the progeny of crosses BbTt × BBtt will be expected to have black fur and long tails?

A) 1/16
B) 3/8
C) 1/2
D) 9/16

Question 38

Which of the following statements best describes the addition rule of probability?

A) the probability that two or more independent events will occur simultaneously
B) the probability that either one of two independent events will occur
C) the probability of producing two or more heterozygous offspring
D) the likelihood that a trait is due to two or more meiotic events

Question 39

Radish flowers may be red, purple, or white. A cross between a red-flowered plant and a white-flowered plant yields all-purple offspring. The flower color trait in radishes is an example of which of the following inheritance patterns?

A) a multiple allelic system
B) sex linkage
C) codominance
D) incomplete dominance

Question 40

Which of the following scenarios describes an example of epistasis?

A) Recessive genotypes for each of two genes (aabb) results in an albino corn snake.
B) In rabbits and many other mammals, one genotype (ee) prevents any fur color from developing.
C) In Drosophila (fruit flies), white eyes can be due to an X-linked gene or to a combination of other genes.
D) In cacti, there are several genes for the type of spines.

Question 41

The following question refers to the pedigree chart in the figure for a family, some of whose members exhibit the dominant trait, W. Affected individuals are indicated by a dark square or circle.

What is the probability that individual III-1 is Ww?

A) 3/4
B) 1/4
C) 2/4
D) 1

Question 42

The following question refers to the pedigree chart in the figure for a family, some of whose members exhibit the dominant trait, W. Affected individuals are indicated by a dark square or circle.

What is the likelihood that the offspring of IV-3 and IV-4 will have the trait?

A) 0%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 100%

Question 43

The following question refers to the pedigree chart in the figure for a family, some of whose members exhibit the dominant trait, W. Affected individuals are indicated by a dark square or circle.

What is the genotype of individual II-5?

A) WW
B) Ww
C) ww
D) ww or Ww

Question 44

In some parts of Africa, the frequency of heterozygosity for the sickle-cell anemia allele is unusually high, presumably because this reduces the frequency of malaria. Such a relationship is related to which of the following?

A) Mendel's law of independent assortment
B) Mendel's law of segregation
C) Darwin's explanation of natural selection
D) the malarial parasite changing the allele

Question 45

Feather color in budgies is determined by two different genes: Y for pigment on the outside of the feather, and B for pigment on the inside of the feather. YYBB, YyBB, or YYBb is green; yyBB or yyBb is blue; YYbb or Yybb is yellow; and yybb is white. A blue budgie is crossed with a white budgie. Which of the following results in the offspring is most possible?

A) green offspring only
B) white offspring only
C) blue offspring only
D) blue and white offspring

Question 46

The figure shows the pedigree for a family. Dark-shaded symbols represent individuals with one of the two major types of colon cancer. Numbers under the symbols are the individual's age at the time of diagnosis. Males are represented by squares, females by circles.

From this pedigree, this trait seems to be inherited ________.

A) from mothers
B) as an autosomal recessive
C) as a result of epistasis
D) as an autosomal dominant

Question 47

Gene S controls the sharpness of spines in a type of cactus. Cacti with the dominant allele, S, have sharp spines, whereas homozygous recessive ss cacti have dull spines. At the same time, a second gene, N, determines whether or not cactuses have spines. Homozygous recessive nn cactuses have no spines at all. A cross between a true-breeding sharp-spined cactus and a spineless cactus would produce ________.

A) all sharp-spined progeny
B) 50% sharp-spined, 50% dull-spined progeny
C) 25% sharp-spined, 50% dull-spined, 25% spineless progeny
D) It is impossible to determine the phenotypes of the progeny.

Question 48

Skin color in a certain species of fish is inherited via a single gene with four different alleles. One fish of this type has alleles 1 and 3 (S₁S₃), and its mate has alleles 2 and 4 (S₂S₄). If each allele confers a unit of color darkness such that S₁ has one unit, S₂ has two units, and so on, then what proportion of their offspring would be expected to have five units of color?

A) 1/4
B) 1/8
C) 1/2
D) 0

Question 49

A gene for the MN blood group has codominant alleles M and N. If both children in a family are of blood type M, which of the following situations is possible?

A) Each parent is either M or MN.
B) Each parent must be type M.
C) Both children are heterozygous for this gene.
D) Neither parent can have the N allele.

Question 50

Gene S controls the sharpness of spines in a type of cactus. Cacti with the dominant allele, S, have sharp spines, whereas homozygous recessive ss cacti have dull spines. At the same time, a second gene, N, determines whether or not cacti have spines. Homozygous recessive nn cacti have no spines at all. The relationship between genes S and N is an example of which of the following inheritance patterns?

A) incomplete dominance
B) epistasis
C) pleiotropy
D) codominance

Question 51

In humans, ABO blood types refer to glycoproteins in the membranes of red blood cells. There are three alleles for this autosomal gene: Iᴬ, Iᴮ, and i. The Iᴬ allele codes for the A glycoprotein, The Iᴮ allele codes for the B glycoprotein, and the i allele doesn't code for any membrane glycoprotein. Iᴬ and Iᴮ are codominant, and i is recessive to both Iᴬ and Iᴮ. People with type A blood have the genotypes IᴬIᴬ or Iᴬi, people with type B blood are IᴮIᴮ or Iᴮi, people with type AB blood are IᴬIᴮ, and people with type O blood are ii. If a woman with type AB blood marries a man with type O blood, which of the following blood types could their children possibly have?

A) A and B
B) AB and O
C) A, B, and O
D) A, B, AB, and O

Question 52

Gene S controls the sharpness of spines in a type of cactus. Cacti with the dominant allele, S, have sharp spines, whereas homozygous recessive ss cacti have dull spines. At the same time, a second gene, N, determines whether or not cacti have spines. Homozygous recessive nn cacti have no spines at all. If cacti heterozygous for both traits, SsNn, were allowed to self-pollinate, the offspring would segregate into which of the following phenotype ratios?

A) 3 sharp-spined:1 spineless
B) 1 sharp-spined:2 dull-spined:1 spineless
C) 1 sharp-spined:1 dull-spined:1 spineless
D) 9 sharp-spined:3 dull-spined:4 spineless

Question 53

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a recessive human disorder in which an individual cannot appropriately metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. This amino acid is not naturally produced by humans. Which of the following treatments would be most effective for people with PKU?

A) Feed them the substrate that can be metabolized into phenylalanine.
B) Regulate the diet of the affected persons to severely limit the uptake of phenylalanine.
C) Feed the patients the missing enzymes in a regular cycle, such as twice per week.
D) Feed the patients an excess of the missing product.

Question 54

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria is an exceedingly rare human genetic disorder in which there is very early senility and death, usually from coronary artery disease, at an average age of 13 years. Patients, who look very old even as children, do not live to reproduce. Which of the following statements represents the most likely assumption regarding this disorder?

A) The disease is autosomal dominant.
B) The disorder will increase in frequency in successive generations within a family.
C) The disorder may be due to mutation in a single protein-coding gene.
D) Each patient will have had at least one affected grandparent or parent.

Question 55

An obstetrician knows that one of her patients is a pregnant woman whose fetus is at risk for a serious disorder that is detectable biochemically in fetal cells. The obstetrician would most reasonably offer which of the following procedures to her patient?

A) karyotyping of the woman's somatic cells
B) X-ray
C) amniocentesis or CVS
D) blood transfusion

Question 56

In rabbits, the homozygous genotype LᶜLᶜ has normal legs, LᶜLᶜ results in deformed legs, and LᶜLᶜ results in very short legs. The genotype FᴮFᴮ produces black fur, FᴮFᵇ brown fur, and FᵇFᵇ white fur. If a cross is made between brown rabbits with deformed legs and white rabbits with deformed legs, what percentage of the offspring would be expected to have deformed legs and white fur?

A) 25%
B) 33%
C) 100%
D) 50%

Question 57

One of two major forms of a human condition called neurofibromatosis (NF1) is inherited as a dominant gene, although it may range from mildly to very severely expressed. Which of the following is the best explanation for why a young, affected child is the first in her family to be diagnosed?

A) The mother carries the gene but does not express it.
B) One of the parents has a mild expression of the gene.
C) The condition skipped a generation in the family.
D) The child has one more chromosome than either of the parents.

Question 58

Feather color in budgies is determined by two different genes, Y for pigment on the outside of the feather, and B for pigment on the inside of the feather. YYBB, YyBB, or YYBb is green; yyBB or yyBb is blue; YYbb or Yybb is yellow; and yybb is white. Two blue budgies were crossed. Over the years, they produced 22 offspring, five of which were white. What are the most likely genotypes for the two blue budgies?

A) yyBB and yyBB
B) yyBB and yyBb
C) yyBb and yyBb
D) yyBb and yybb

Question 59

In human blood types, Rh positive is a trait that shows simple dominance over Rh negative. A woman who has blood type A positive has a daughter who is type O positive and a son who is type B negative. Which of the following phenotypes is possible for the father?

A) A negative
B) O negative
C) B positive
D) AB negative

Question 60

Marfan syndrome in humans is caused by an abnormality of the connective tissue protein fibrillin. Patients are usually very tall and thin, with long spindly fingers, curvature of the spine, sometimes weakened arterial walls, and sometimes eye problems, such as lens dislocation. Which of the following would you conclude about Marfan syndrome from this information?

A) It is recessive.
B) It is dominant.
C) It is pleiotropic.
D) It is epistatic.

Question 61

Which of the following statements is a correct explanation for the observation that all offspring exhibit a phenotype for a particular trait that appears to be a blend of the two parental varieties?

A) Neither of the parental genes is dominant over the other.
B) The genes for the trait are dominant in both of the parents.
C) The genes are linked and do not separate during meiosis.
D) The genes for the trait are recessive in both of the parents.

Question 62

The pattern of inheritance can be predicted from data if one is given the parent or offspring genotypes or phenotypes. Two organisms, with genotypes BbDD and BBDd, are mated. Assuming independent assortment of the B/b and D/d genes, determine the genotypic ratios in offspring that would occur.

A) 1/2 BBDD, 1/2 bbdd
B) 1/4 BBDD, 1/4 BbDD, 1/4 BBDd, 1/4 BbDd
C) 9/16 BBDD, 3/16 BbDD, 3/16 BBDd, 1/16 bbdd
D) 1/4 BBDD, 1/2 BbDd, 1/4 bbdd