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Biology Mendelian Inheritance Patterns Flashcards

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  1. In a testcross, an organism showing the dominant phenotype is crossed with a homozygous recessive individual. If the offspring ratio is 1:1 (dominant:recessive), what is the genotype of the dominant-phenotype parent?

    Answer: Heterozygous (Aa)

    A 1:1 ratio in a testcross reveals that the unknown parent is heterozygous, contributing either A or a to offspring equally.

  2. Which statement correctly distinguishes Mendel's law of independent assortment from his law of segregation?

    Answer: Independent assortment applies to genes on different chromosomes, while segregation applies to alleles of a single gene

    Segregation addresses separation of alleles at one locus; independent assortment addresses how genes at different loci (on different chromosomes) distribute independently.

  3. A woman is a carrier for an X-linked recessive condition. Her partner is unaffected. What is the probability that their daughter will be affected?

    Answer: 0%

    The father contributes a normal X to all daughters, so daughters will be either carriers or unaffected — none will be homozygous recessive.

  4. In ABO blood typing, both I^A and I^B alleles are expressed in the I^A I^B individual (blood type AB). This exemplifies:

    Answer: Codominance

    Codominance occurs when both alleles are fully and simultaneously expressed in heterozygotes, as seen in AB blood type.

  5. Two parents are each heterozygous for a condition caused by an autosomal dominant allele (Aa × Aa). What percentage of their offspring are expected to be unaffected?

    Answer: 25%

    From Aa × Aa, offspring ratios are 1 AA : 2 Aa : 1 aa, so only aa (25%) are unaffected.

  6. Mendel chose pea plants for his experiments partly because they have:

    Answer: Distinct, easily scored traits with clear dominant-recessive relationships

    Pea plants offered discrete, contrasting traits (e.g., round vs. wrinkled seeds), short generation time, and easy controlled pollination.

  7. Which of the following ratios is characteristic of a monohybrid cross between two heterozygous parents (Aa × Aa) for a trait with complete dominance?

    Answer: 3:1

    A monohybrid cross Aa × Aa produces 3 dominant phenotype : 1 recessive phenotype (even though the genotype ratio is 1 AA : 2 Aa : 1 aa).