Your mother has albinism, which is a recessive trait. Your father has cystic fibrosis, which is also a recessive trait. You discover that your new father-in-law has albinism and cystic fibrosis. If neither you nor your spouse has either albinism or cystic fibrosis, what are the odds that your first child will have both albinism and cystic fibrosis?
A) 1/16
B) 1/8
C) 1/4
D) 1/2
E) 0

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since albinism and cystic fibrosis are both recessive traits, you and your spouse must be carriers of both traits (heterozygous) because each of your parents has one of these conditions. The probability of your child inheriting one recessive allele for albinism from both parents is 1/4, and the same goes for cystic fibrosis. Multiplying these probabilities (1/4 for albinism * 1/4 for cystic fibrosis) gives 1/16, indicating the chance of your child having both conditions.

Your Mother Has Albinism, Which Is a Recessive Trait