Answer Following Biology Of Genetics Quiz

Reviewed by Editorial Team
The ProProfs editorial team is comprised of experienced subject matter experts. They've collectively created over 10,000 quizzes and lessons, serving over 100 million users. Our team includes in-house content moderators and subject matter experts, as well as a global network of rigorously trained contributors. All adhere to our comprehensive editorial guidelines, ensuring the delivery of high-quality content.
Learn about Our Editorial Process
| By Thames
T
Thames
Community Contributor
Quizzes Created: 6820 | Total Attempts: 9,511,149
| Questions: 30
Please wait...
Question 1 / 30
0 %
0/100
Score 0/100
1. DEFINITIONS: #1-10 and give an example1. DOMINANT.

Explanation

Dominant alleles are always fully expressed whenever they are present. In the case of freckles, even if an individual carries one dominant freckles allele and one recessive non-freckles allele, they will still have freckles because the dominant allele is fully expressed.

Submit
Please wait...
About This Quiz
Answer Following Biology Of Genetics Quiz - Quiz

Learn and try to answer Answer Following Biology of Genetics with our flashcards. Learn key terms, words, definitions, and much more with our flashcard quizzes. Attempt these simple... see morequizzes for Biology of Genetics with ease and grow. see less

2. 2. What is a genotype?

Explanation

A genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, encompassing the combination of alleles present in an individual. It does not refer to the physical characteristics, environmental factors, or gene locations.

Submit
3. What does it mean to be a heterozygote?

Explanation

A heterozygote refers to an individual who has two different alleles for one gene, usually represented as a capital letter and a lowercase letter (e.g. Bb). This allows for variations in genetic traits.

Submit
4. 4. HOMOZYGOUS.

Explanation

Homozygous refers to having two identical alleles for a specific trait. In genetics, an individual can be homozygous dominant (two dominant alleles) or homozygous recessive (two recessive alleles).

Submit
5. What does polygenic inheritance refer to?

Explanation

Polygenic inheritance refers to the situation where multiple genes contribute to the expression of a single trait, leading to a wide range of phenotypic possibilities.

Submit
6. What is pleiotropy?

Explanation

Pleiotropy refers to a single gene having multiple effects on the body, which can manifest in various ways. An example of pleiotropy is sickle-cell anemia, where one gene mutation leads to multiple symptoms and complications.

Submit
7. 7. What is a phenotype?

Explanation

A phenotype refers to observable characteristics such as blue eyes, height, or physical features, which are the result of an individual's genetic makeup and interactions with the environment.

Submit
8. What is a recessive allele?

Explanation

A recessive allele is one whose effects are only seen when an individual has two copies of that allele (homozygous recessive). In a heterozygote (one dominant and one recessive allele), the effects of the recessive allele are masked.

Submit
9. What is a sex-influenced trait?

Explanation

A sex-influenced trait is a trait in which the expression of certain genes on autosomal chromosomes is influenced by sex hormones, leading to different phenotypic outcomes in males and females. An example of a sex-influenced trait is male pattern baldness, which is influenced by sex hormones and is more commonly seen in males.

Submit
10. 10. What is an X-linked gene?

Explanation

X-linked genes are genes that are located on the X chromosome and have no corresponding gene on the Y chromosome. This leads to unique patterns of inheritance, especially in males who have only one X chromosome. Colorblindness is an example of a trait that is often associated with X-linked genes.

Submit
11. What is the term for two or more genes located on the same chromosome?

Explanation

Linked genes refer to genes that are located on the same chromosome and tend to be inherited together during meiosis. Unlinked genes, unassociated genes, and distant genes do not have the same close physical proximity on a chromosome as linked genes.

Submit
12. What is amniocentesis?

Explanation

Amniocentesis is a procedure performed during pregnancy to collect cells from the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus. It is typically done around 14-18 weeks gestation to examine the fetal cells for chromosomal abnormalities and determine the sex of the baby.

Submit
13. What are some risks associated with amniocentesis?

Explanation

Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used in prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infections. It does not determine the sex of the baby accurately. Developing a skin infection at the needle insertion site is not a common risk associated with amniocentesis. While amniocentesis is generally considered safe, there are risks involved, such as the needle puncturing the fetus or umbilical cord, and the possibility of miscarriage from removing amniotic fluid.

Submit
14. What is CVS?

Explanation

The correct answer explains what CVS is in the context of pregnancy and medical procedures. The incorrect answers provide other potential interpretations of CVS in different fields.

Submit
15. What are the advantages and disadvantages of CVS?

Explanation

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is a prenatal test that can be performed earlier in pregnancy than amniocentesis, but it is associated with a higher risk of miscarriage. The incorrect answers provide other aspects that are not necessarily true for CVS.

Submit
16. What is the segment of DNA called that you inherit from your mother?

Explanation

An allele is a variant form of a gene that is located at a specific position on a specific chromosome. Inheritance of alleles from parents determines an individual's traits.

Submit
17. 2. A heterozygous genotype would be ___________?

Explanation

A heterozygous genotype consists of two different alleles for a particular gene, one dominant and one recessive. In this case, the correct answer 'Bb' represents a heterozygous genotype with one dominant allele (B) and one recessive allele (b). The incorrect answers 'BBb', 'bbc', and 'bbd' do not represent a heterozygous genotype as they either have duplicate dominant alleles or different combinations that are not characteristic of heterozygosity.

Submit
18. 3. A phenotype would be __________.

Explanation

A phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or traits of an organism, such as its physical appearance. In this case, 'light blue' describes a specific phenotype that can be observed.

Submit
19. How can you determine the phenotype of someone's eye color?

Explanation

The correct way to determine the phenotype of someone's eye color is by visually looking at them.

Submit
20. In a cross between a homozygous recessive and a heterozygote, the offspring will be _________.

Explanation

When crossing a homozygous recessive with a heterozygous individual, the Punnett square shows that half of the offspring will be heterozygous and half will be homozygous recessive. This is due to the fact that one parent carries two copies of the recessive allele, while the other parent carries one copy of the recessive allele and one copy of the dominant allele.

Submit
21. 6. All chromosomes that are NOT X or Y are called?

Explanation

Chromosomes that are not X or Y are known as autosomal chromosomes, which contain genes responsible for most of an individual's inherited traits.

Submit
22. Tay-Sachs disease results when someone is homozygous recessive for the autosomal trait (tt). If two parents who do not have Tay-Sachs have a baby with Tay-Sachs, what are the genotypes of the parents?

Explanation

The parents must both be carriers of the Tay-Sachs allele (Tt) in order to have a child with Tay-Sachs disease.

Submit
23. Rh incompatibility arises when an Rh- mother has a second Rh+ baby. So, if a couple (mother Rh- and father Rh+) has a first child who is Rh+, what are the chances their second child will have problems?

Explanation

Rh incompatibility occurs when the mother is Rh- and the father is Rh+. In this case, if the father is heterozygous (possesses one Rh+ and one Rh- allele), there is a chance that the second child may also be Rh+. Therefore, problems are possible in this scenario.

Submit
24. In humans, the ability to roll the tongue is a dominant trait, while the inability to roll the tongue is a recessive trait. If two individuals heterozygous for this trait have a child, what is the chance that the child will be able to roll their tongue?

Explanation

When two individuals who are heterozygous for tongue rolling ability have a child, there is a 50% chance that the child will inherit one dominant allele for tongue rolling, resulting in them being able to roll their tongue.

Submit
25. What type of blood will the offspring of these parents have? Mother: AB Father: O

Explanation

The offspring will inherit one blood type allele from each parent, resulting in a type A or B blood type.

Submit
26. 11. Unattached earlobes are a dominant trait; attached earlobes are a recessive trait. Two parents both with unattached earlobes had a child with attached earlobes. What are the chances that their next child will have attached earlobes?

Explanation

When both parents have unattached earlobes and had a child with attached earlobes, it means they both carry the recessive allele. Therefore, there is a 25% chance that their next child will have attached earlobes.

Submit
27. 12. The AB blood type is an example of _________.

Explanation

Codominance is the expression of both alleles in a heterozygote, resulting in a unique phenotype that shows the traits of both alleles. In the case of the AB blood type, individuals have both A and B antigens on their red blood cells, demonstrating codominance.

Submit
28. While waiting in line for the school pictures, Alicia noticed that there was a great deal of variation in height among her classmates. From this observation, what do you know about the inheritance pattern of height?

Explanation

Height is a complex trait influenced by multiple genes, making it more likely to be polygenic rather than controlled by a single gene or hormone. Sex-linked inheritance and taking growth hormones do not necessarily relate to the variation in height among Alicia's classmates. Additionally, the statement that tallness is dominant to shortness oversimplifies the inheritance of height, which is typically influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors.

Submit
29. Which of the following is most likely to disrupt the normal linking pattern of genes?

Explanation

Crossing over is a process during meiosis where homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material, leading to new combinations of alleles. This can disrupt the normal linking pattern of genes by breaking apart linked genes and creating new linkages.

Submit
30. What is the inheritance pattern shown in the pedigree below?

Explanation

In the given pedigree, the inheritance pattern is indicated by the presence of affected individuals in every generation, which is a characteristic of autosomal dominant inheritance. Autosomal recessive inheritance would skip generations, sex-influenced inheritance would show different patterns in males and females, and sex-linked inheritance would show a clear pattern of transmission through only one sex.

Submit
View My Results

Quiz Review Timeline (Updated): Aug 4, 2025 +

Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

  • Current Version
  • Aug 04, 2025
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Aug 04, 2025
    Quiz Created by
    Thames
Cancel
  • All
    All (30)
  • Unanswered
    Unanswered ()
  • Answered
    Answered ()
DEFINITIONS: #1-10 and give an example1. DOMINANT.
2. What is a genotype?
What does it mean to be a heterozygote?
4. HOMOZYGOUS.
What does polygenic inheritance refer to?
What is pleiotropy?
7. What is a phenotype?
What is a recessive allele?
What is a sex-influenced trait?
10. What is an X-linked gene?
What is the term for two or more genes located on the same chromosome?
What is amniocentesis?
What are some risks associated with amniocentesis?
What is CVS?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of CVS?
What is the segment of DNA called that you inherit from your mother?
2. A heterozygous genotype would be ___________?
3. A phenotype would be __________.
How can you determine the phenotype of someone's eye color?
In a cross between a homozygous recessive and a heterozygote, the...
6. All chromosomes that are NOT X or Y are called?
Tay-Sachs disease results when someone is homozygous recessive for the...
Rh incompatibility arises when an Rh- mother has a second Rh+ baby....
In humans, the ability to roll the tongue is a dominant trait, while...
What type of blood will the offspring of these parents have? Mother:...
11. Unattached earlobes are a dominant trait; attached earlobes are a...
12. The AB blood type is an example of _________.
While waiting in line for the school pictures, Alicia noticed that...
Which of the following is most likely to disrupt the normal linking...
What is the inheritance pattern shown in the pedigree below?
Alert!

Advertisement