CHAPTER 9: HEREDITY AND EVOLUTION

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS
1. If a trait X exists in 10% of a population of an asexually reproducing species
and trait Y exists in 60% of the same population, which trait would have
come earlier?
A.  As the species is asexually reproducing, only minor differences will be
generated due to minute inaccuracies during DNA copying. Thus, trait Y would
have arisen earlier than trait X because trait Y is in 60% of the population and
trait X is in 10% of the population.
2. How does the creation of variation in species enhance survival?
A. Sometimes for a species, the environmental conditions change so drastically
that their survival becomes very difficult. For example, if the temperature of
water increases suddenly, most of the bacteria living in that water would die.
Only few variants which are resistant to heat would be able to survive. If these
variants were not there, then the entire species of bacteria would be
destroyed. Thus these variations help in survival of the species. However, not
all variations are useful. Therefore, these variations are not necessarily
beneficial for the individual organisms.
3. How do Mendel’s experiments show that traits may be dominant or
recessive?
A. i. In one of his experiments, Mendel took pea plants with single contrasting
characteristics — pure tall plant and pure dwarf plants.
ii. On cross pollinating these plants, he got all tall plants in F1 generation. This
indicates that tallness is the dominant trait.
iii. Then he self-pollinated the plants of F1 generation. He observed that in
second generation (F2) 75% of the plants were tall and 25% of the plants were
dwarf in the ratio of 3: 1. This indicates that the trait which remains hidden in
F1 generation is the recessive trait.
iv. Then he concluded that, ‘T’ (tall) trait is dominant while ‘t’ trait for
shortness is recessive.
v. By this we can say that traits may be dominant or recessive.
4. How do Mendel’s experiments show that traits are inherited independently?
A. i. In one of his experiments, Mendel took pea plants with two different
contrasting characteristics — tall pea plant with round seeds and dwarf pea
plants with wrinkled seeds.
ii. On cross pollinating these plants, he got all tall plants with round seeds in F1
generation. This indicates that tallness and round seeds are dominant traits.
iii. Then he self-pollinated the plants of F1 generation. In second generation
(F2), He observed some tall plants with round seeds and some dwarf plants
with wrinkled seeds which are of parental traits.
iv. He also observed some new combinations like tall plants with wrinkled
seeds and some dwarf plants with round seeds.
v. The genotypic ratio is 9:3:3:1
9 = Tall Round
3 = Tall Wrinkled
3 = Dwarf Round
1 = Dwarf Wrinkled

Thus it may be concluded that tall and short traits and round and wrinkled
traits have been inherited independently.
 Parents Tall and Round seeds Dwarf and wrinkled seeds
Genotype TTRR ttrr
Gametes TR tr
Cross Pollination
TtRr ( All tall and round seeds in F1)

On self-pollinating the plants of F1 generation

♀ TR Tr tR tr
♂

TR TTRR TTRr TtRR TtRr

(Tall Round) (Tall Round) (Tall Round) (Tall Round)
Tr TTRr TTrr TtRr Ttrr
(Tall Round) (Tall wrinkled) (Tall Round) (Tall wrinkled)
tR TtRR TtRr ttRR ttRr
(Tall Round) (Tall Round) (Dwarf Round) (Dwarf Round)
tr TtRr Ttrr ttRr ttrr
(Tall Round) (Tall wrinkled) (Dwarf Round) (Dwarf wrinkled)

5. A man with blood group A marries a woman with blood O and their daughter
has blood group O. Is this information enough to tell you which of the traits
— blood group A or O is dominant? Why or why not?
A. No, This information is not sufficient to determine which of the traits − blood
group A or O − is dominant. This is because we do not know about the blood
group of all the progeny.
 The ABO blood grouping system was discovered by Carl Landsteiner in
the year 1901
 The ABO blood grouping system was controlled by a single gene called
ABO gene. This gene contains three types of alleles I, iA and iB. Here i
stands for isoagglutinogen, another term for antigen.
 The antigens are present on the cell membranes of RBC’s
  The blood group A contains only A antigen and blood group B contains
only B antigen. AB blood group has both A and B antigens and O blood
group has neither A antigen nor B antigen.
 Individuals with iAi have A blood group, individuals with iBi will have B
blood group. As both iA and iB are dominant alleles over allele i , only
person having ii will be O blood group
 Here fathers blood group is A. Hence it can be either homozygous(AA) or
heterozygous(AO)
 The mothers blood group is O and it is only possible if it is heterozygous
 For the daughter to have blood group O the father must be
heterozygous(AO) and mother must be OO.
6. How is the sex of the child determined in human beings?
Or
In humans the statistical probability of getting either a male or female child is
50%. Give reason and explain with the help of a diagram.
Or
With the help of a neat diagram explain how father is responsible for the sex
of the child.
A. Sex of a child is dependent on the type of the male gamete that fuses with the
female gamete. Human beings possesses 23 pairs of chromosomes. Out of
these 22 pairs are known as autosomes, while the remaining one pair
comprises sex chromosomes(XX in females and XY in males). At the time of
fertilisation fusion of sperm cell and egg cell takes place to form a zygote. If the
sperm cell containing X chromosome fuses with the egg cell containing X
chromosome, the resulting child will be a girl. If the sperm cell containing Y
chromosome fuses with the egg cell containing X chromosome, the resulting
child will be a boy. Since the sex of the child is determined by what she or he
inherit from the father, therefore the probability of getting either male or
female child is 50%
7. What are the different ways in which individuals with a particular trait may
increase in a population?
A. Natural selection, genetic drift(isolation) and natural selection.
8. Why are traits acquired during the lifetime of an individual not inherited?
A. The traits which are acquired by an organism during its life time are known as
acquired traits. These traits are not inherited they do not cause any change in
DNA of the organism.
9. Why are the small numbers of surviving tigers a cause of worry from the
point of view of genetics?
A. (i) If any natural calamity occurs, all the tigers will be killed and they become
extinct. This results in loss of some genes for ever.
(ii) Small number will lead to little variations. This leads to less survival chances
to the species.
(iii) Less number of species means lesser extent of diversity and lesser number
of traits which reduces the chances of adaptability with respect to the change
in the environment.
10.What factors could lead to the rise of a new species?
A. Genetic variations, natural selection and reproductive isolation during the life
time of an individual could lead to the rise of a new species.
11.Will geographical isolation be a major factor in the speciation of a self-
pollinating plant species? Why or why not? 
A. Geographical isolation can prevent the transfer of pollen grains among
different plants. However, since the plants are self- pollinating, which means
the pollen grains are transferred from the anther of one flower to the stigma
of same flower of the plant, geographical isolation cannot prevent speciation in
this case.
12.Give an example of characteristics being used to determine how close two
species am in evolutionary terms? 
A. Homologous organs, analogous organs and vestigial organs help to identify
evolutionary relationships amongst the species.
13.Will geographical isolation be a major factor in the speciation of an organism
that reproduces asexually? Why or why not?
A. Geographical isolation prevents gene flow between populations of a species.
Whereas asexual reproduction generally involves only one parent. In an
asexually reproducing organism, variations can occur only when due to
 inaccurate DNA copying. Therefore, geographical isolation cannot prevent the
formation of new species in an asexually reproducing organism.
14.Can the wing of butterfly and the wing of a bat be considered homologous
organs? Why or why not?
A. No, wing of a bat and wing of a bird cannot be considered as homologous
organs because they have different basic structure.
15.What are fossils? What do they tell us about the process of evolution?
A. Fossils are the remains of organisms that once existed on earth. They
represent the ancestors of plants and animals that are alive today. They
provide evidences of evolution by revealing the characters of the past
organism and the changes that have occurred in these organisms to give rise to
present organisms.
16. Why are human beings who look so different from each other in terms of
size, colour and looks said to belong to the same species?
A. Our different physical appearances are a result of our bodies adapting to
different habitats, however, we all have the same number of chromosomes
and we can breed among ourselves. Thus, we belong to the same species.
17.From an evolutionary point of view which of the following have the best
body design?
bacteria, spider, fish, monkey and dog.
A. All of them have bodies evolved to suit their habitats, thus we cannot pick one
of them and say that this one has the best body design.
18.A study found that children with light-coloured eyes are likely to have parents
with light-coloured eyes. On this basis, can we say anything about whether
the light eye colour trait is dominant or recessive? Why or why not?
A. This information is not sufficient. Unless we know the genotype of these
variants of the trait , it is not possible to say which is dominant or recessive.
For considering a trait as dominant or recessive, we need data of at least three
generations. This data is about only two generations.
19.How are the areas of study – evolution and classification- interlinked?
A. Evolution and classification are interlinked with each other. Classification is the
most important term to explain evolution. Classification is based on the
similarities and differences between two species or among two organisms.
More closer the characteristics are, the more closer is the evolution and more
chances are to remain in the same group of classification. We can appreciate
that classification of species is in fact a reflection of their evolutionary
relationship.
20.Explain the terms analogous organs and homologous organs with examples.
A.
HOMOLOGOUS ORGANS ANALOGOUS ORGANS
1. They have similar structural 1. They have different structural
design but different in their design but same in their
function function
2. They develop in related 2.They develop in un related
organisms organisms
3. Forelimb of a frog and man 3. Example- Wings of birds and
seem to be built from the same bats look similar. But in bird’s
basic design of bones but they wings are covered by feathers all
perform different functions. along the arm but the wings of
bats are skin folds stretched
between elongated fingers. Both
of them help in flying.
21. Outline a project which aims to find the dominant coat colour in dogs
A. Coat colour in dogs is governed by a variety of genes. At least 11 genes have been
identified that influence the colour of coat in a dog. A dominant gene is a gene
that is expressed in both homozygous as well as heterozygous conditions, whereas
recessive gene is only expressed in homozygous condition.
Let us consider, one parent is homozygous black (BB) and another parent is
homozygous brown (bb). Cross between the two parent produces the offspring
with the genetic make-up: Bb. Now we don't know whether Black is dominant or
brown is dominant. By observing the off-springs produced, we can say which one
is a dominant trait. If the F1 generation comprises of all black we can say black is
dominant and if it is brown then we can say brown is dominant.
22. Explain the importance of fossils in deciding evolutionary relationships
Fossils provide us evidence about many things like:
1) The organisms that lived long ago in the past.
2) Connecting links between two groups. for example, the feather in some
dinosaurs means that birds are very closely related to reptiles.
3)The development of any particular species by evaluation.
4) The time period of the organisms.
5) Simple to complex body design journey.
23. What evidences do we have for the origin of life from inanimate matter?
A. The experiment conducted by two eminent biochemists Stanley L. miller and
Harold C. Urey in 1953, proved an evidence to the fact that life on the earth
has originated from inanimate matter. In this experiment, they created an
artificial atmosphere containing ammonia, methane and hydrogen sulphide. There
was no oxygen in this atmosphere taken under consideration. Presumably, during
the earth was formed, this type of atmosphere existed. The apparatus with the
mentioned gases was maintained at high temperature and electrical sparks were
introduced to the apparatus and it played the role of the lightning in the early
atmosphere. The whole set up was placed above a water bath. After a week of
running this experiment, it was seen that the gases participated in chemical
reactions resulting in the formation simple organic molecules like amino acids
which were found in the water bath, thus suggesting the origin of life from
inanimate matter.
24. Explain how sexual reproduction gives rise to more viable variations than
asexual reproduction. How does this affect the evolution of these organisms
that reproduce sexually?

A. Sexual reproduction results from the fusion of gametes produced by male and
female. Sexual reproduction causes more viable variations because:
→ There might be an error in the copying of DNA, though the event is rare.
→ Segregation of chromosome of maternal and paternal origin at the time of
gamete formation is random.
→ There is an exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes
during formation of gametes.
In case of asexual reproduction, variation is significantly less since only a single
parent is involved. Very small changes occur due to inaccuracies during DNA
copying that pass on to the progeny. Thus, off springs of asexual reproduction are
more or less genetically similar to their parents. So, it can be concluded that
evolution in sexually reproducing organisms proceeds at a faster pace than in
asexually reproducing organisms.
25. How is the equal genetic contribution of male and female parents ensured in
the progeny?
A. In human beings, equal genetic contribution of male and female parents is
ensured in the progeny through inheritance of equal number of chromosomes
from both parents. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes All human
chromosomes are not paired. Out of these 23 pairs, the first 22 pairs are
known as autosomes and the remaining one pair is known as sex
chromosomes represented as X and Y. Females have a perfect pair of two X sex
chromosomes and males have a mismatched pair of one X and one Y sex
 chromosome.
During the course of reproduction, as fertilization process takes place, the
male gamete (haploid) fuses with the female gamete (haploid) resulting in
formation of the diploid zygote. The zygote in the progeny receives an equal
contribution of genetic material from the parents. Out of 23 pairs of
chromosomes in progeny, male parent contributes 22 autosomes and one X or
Y chromosome and female parent contributes 22 autosomes and one X
chromosome.
26. Only variations that confer an advantage to an individual organism will
survive in a population. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
A. Yes, I agree that only variations that confer an advantage to an individual
organism will survive in a population. All variations does not necessarily
provide an equal chance of survival of an organism in the environment.
Survival chances highly depend on the nature of variations. For example –
variation leading to the increase of heat resistant bacteria is beneficial to the
bacteria for its survival when it finds itself in a condition where suddenly there
is an increase in the temperature of its habitat above the optimum
temperature required for survival.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
27.What is a haploid cell?
A. Cell that has only one complete set of chromosomes is called haploid cell.
28.What is a diploid cell?
A. The cell that has two sets of chromosomes, one of paternal origin and one of
maternal origin is called a diploid cell.
29.What is DNA? Where is it found in a cell?
A. DNA (Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid) is the carrier of hereditary information from
parents to the next generation. It is found in the chromosomes in the nucleus
of a cell.
30.How many pairs of chromosomes are present in human beings?
A. 23 pairs
31.What is heredity?
A. The transmission of characters from one generation to next generation is
called heredity.
32.Name the information source for making proteins in cells
A. Cellular DNA
33. Give the respective scientific terms used for studying
i. The mechanism by which variations are created and inherited
 ii. The development of new type of organisms from existing ones
A. i. Genetics
ii. Evolution
34.No two individuals are absolutely alike in a population. Why?
A. Because of variations that occur during DNA copying.
35.How many pairs of chromosomes are present in human beings?
A. 23 Pairs
36.What is a gene?
A. Gene is the functional segment of DNA that carries hereditary information
from parents to the next generation.
37.What is DNA copying? State its importance.
A. The process of formation of new strands of DNA from old ones during cell
division is called DNA copying.
Importance of DNA copying
i. DNA replication needs to occur so that during cell division, new cells will
have a copy organism’s DNA.
ii. DNA is necessary to make all the RNA and proteins needed for cells to
carry out necessary reactions and cellular processes in order to survive.
38. What is genetics? Who is regarded as ‘father of genetics’?
A. Genetics is the branch of science that deals with the study of heredity and
variations.
Gregor Johann Mendel is regarded as father of genetics.
39. Different species use different strategies to determine the sex of the new born
individual. It can be environmental cues or genetically determined. Explain the
statement by giving example for each strategy.
A. Environmental Cue:
In some animals, the incubation temperature at which the eggs are hatched
determines whether the developing baby is male or female. For example in
turtles, high incubation temperature leads to development of female off
springs and in lizards high incubation temperature leads to development of
male off springs.
Genetical Cue:
A child who inherits an X chromosome from his father will be a girl and one
who inherits Y chromosome from father will be a boy.
40. Why did Mendel choose garden pea plant for his experiments?
A. Mendel choose garden pea plant for his experiments because of the following
reasons.
a. Garden pea plant is small and easy to grow
 b. Garden pea plant has short life cycle. It makes possible to study several
generations within a short period.
c. It has several well defined, easily detectable contrasting characters
d. A large number of true breeding varieties of pea plants are available
e. It has bisexual flowers. Both self-pollination and cross - pollination can
be made possible.
41. What is variation? What are the two main causes of variations
A. It is defined as the differences in the traits among the individual of same
species. The two main causes of variations are heredity and environment.
42.List the differences between dominant and recessive traits.
DOMINANT TRAIT RECESSIVE TRAIT
1. The trait which gets expressed 1. The trait which remains hidden
in the presence of a its in the presence of a its
contrasting character is called contrasting character is called
dominant trait. recessive trait.
2. It appears in more number 3. It appears in less number.

43.List the differences between acquired traits and inherited traits.

ACQUIRED TRAITS INHERITED TRAITS

1. The traits which are acquired 1. The traits which are
during the life time are called transmitted from parents to
acquired traits. off spring are called acquired
traits.
2. Acquired traits are not passed 2. Inherited traits are passed
from one generation to another from one generation to
generation. another generation.
3. These traits do not bring changes 3. These traits bring changes in
in the DNA of germ cells. the DNA of germ cells.
4. e.g.: loss of weight due to 4.e.g: Colour of hair, eye etc.
starvation

44. What are chromosomes?

A. Chromosomes are long thread like structures which are present in the nucleus
of the cell. They contain the hereditary information of the individual.
45.The chromosomes number of sexually reproducing parents and their off
springs is the same- justify this statement.
A. Sexual reproduction involves two parents. Male and female. Male individual
has 46 chromosomes and female individual also have 46 chromosomes. But
the gametes produced by male and female will always be haploid. i.e. they
have half the number of chromosomes. i.e. sperms will have 23 chromosomes
and egg will have 23 chromosomes. During fertilisation the fusion of male and
female gametes leads to an off spring with 46 chromosomes.
Thus The chromosomes number of sexually reproducing parents and their off
springs is the same
46.What is speciation? What are the factors that lead to speciation?
A. The process of formation of new species from the existing ones is called
speciation.
Factors that lead to speciation are
a. Geographical isolation: Caused by various types of barriers such as
mountain ranges, rivers and seas. Leads to reproductive isolation due to
which there is no flow of genes between separated groups of population.
b. Genetic drift: genetic drift is the flow of genes from one population to
another randomly. Over generation it will cause different changes in
different population which lead to speciation.
c. Natural selection: Process of selection of characteristics which contributes
to the fitness of survival of organisms. Genetic variation within a population
of organisms may cause some individuals to survive and reproduce more
successfully than other.
d. Reproductive isolation: when same members of a particular species are
unable to mate with other members of the same species due to
environmental barriers or due to geographical barriers, it is known as
reproductive isolation.
47.What are fossils? State two methods to determine the age of fossils.
A. Fossils are the remains or impressions of past organisms that are found in the
rocks.
i. Relative Method: If we dig in to the earth and start finding fossils, it can be
assumed that the fossils closer to the surface are more recent to those
found in deeper layers are more ancient.
ii. Radio-carbon dating method: By detecting the ratios of different isotopes
of carbon in fossils.
48. Why do all gametes formed in human female have only one X chromosome?
A. Human females have two sex chromosomes namely X and X. During meiosis at
the time of gamete formation only one X chromosome enters each gamete.
Hence all gametes possess only X chromosome.
49.Write the contribution of Charles Darwin in the field of evolution
A. Charles Darwin proposed the “Theory of Natural Selection” of evolution and
explained it in his book “origin of species”
50.A Mendelian experiment consisting of breeding tall pea plants bearing violet
flowers with short pea plants bearing white flowers. What will be result of F1
generation?
A. All the plants of F1 generation will be violet flowered .
51. How are the traits or characters controlled?
A. Traits or characters are controlled by the DNA present in the genes.
52. When a tall pea plant is crossed with a dwarf pea plant, why are the plants
always tall in F1 generation?
A. Because the tallness trait is dominant over the shortness trait.
53. All variations in a species do not have equal chances of survival. Why?
A. All variations in a species do not have equal chances of survival because some
variations may occur due to environmental changes which do not change the
DNA.
54. Asexual reproduction produces off springs which are exact copies of their
parents. But sometimes minor variations are also seen in the progeny. Why?
A. The minor variations are due to inaccurate DNA copying.
 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. Exchange of genetic material takes place in ( )

a. Vegetative reproduction
b. Asexual reproduction
c. Sexual reproduction
d. Spore formation
2. Two pink coloured flowers on crossing resulted in 1 red, 2 pink and 1 white
flower progeny. The nature of the cross will be ( )
a. Double fertilisation
b. Self-pollination
c. Cross - pollination
d. No fertilisation
3. A cross between a tall plant(TT) and short pea plant(tt) resulted in the
progeny that were all tall plants because (
)
a. Tallness is the dominant trait
b. Shortness is the dominant trait
c. Tallness is the recessive trait
d. Height of the plant is not governed by gene ‘T’ or ‘t’
4. Which of the statement is incorrect ( )
a. For every hormone there is a gene
b. For every protein there is a gene
c. For production f every enzyme there is a gene
d. For every molecule of fat there is a gene
5. If a round, green seeded pea plant (RRyy) is crossed with wrinkled, yellow
seeded pea plant(rrYY), the seeds produced in F1 generation are ( )
a. Round and yellow
 b. Round and green
c. Wrinkled and green
d. Wrinkled and yellow
6. In human males all the chromosomes are paired perfectly except one. These
unpaired chromosomes are ( )
i. Large chromosome
ii. Small chromosome
iii. X- chromosome
iv. Y – chromosome
a. i and ii b. iii only c. iii and iv d. ii and iv
7. The maleness of a child is determined by ( )
a. The X chromosome of the zygote
b. The Y chromosome of the zygote
c. The cytoplasm of the germ cell which determines the sex
d. Sex is determined by chance
8. A zygote which has an X- chromosome inherited from father will develop in
to
a. Boy
b. b. Girl
c. c. X chromosome does not determine the sex of a child
d. Either boy or Girl
9. Select the incorrect statement ( )
a. Frequency of certain genes in population change over several
generations resulting in evolution
b. Reduction in weight of the organism due to starvation is genetically
controlled
c. Low weight parents can have heavy weight progeny
d. Traits which are not inherited over generations do not cause evolution.
10. A trait in an organism is influenced by ( )
a. Paternal DNA only
b. Maternal DNA only
c. Both maternal and paternal DNA
d. Neither by paternal nor by maternal DNA
11. Which of the following the characters can be acquired but not inherited( )
a. Colour of eye
b. Colour of skin
c. Size of the body
 d. Nature of hair
12. In peas, a pure tall plant (TT) is crossed with a short pea plant(tt). The ration
of pure pea plants to short plants in F2 generation is ( )
a. 1:3 b. 3:1 c. 1:1 d. 2:1
13. The number of pairs of sex chromosomes in the zygote of humans is ( )
a. One b. Two c. Three d. Four
14. A Mendelian experiment consisting of breeding tall pea plants bearing violet
flowers with short pea plants bearing white flowers. The progeny all bore
violet flowers, but almost half of them were short. This suggests that the
genetic makeup of the tall parent can be depicted as ( )
a. TTWW b. TTww c. TtWW d. TtWw
15.New species may be formed if ( )
i. DNA undergoes significant changes in germ cells
ii. Chromosome number changes in genetic material
iii. There is no change in the genetic material
iv. Mating does not take place
a. i and ii b. i and iii c. ii, iii and iv d. i, ii and iii
16. Two pea plants one with round seeds (RRyy) and another with wrinkled
yellow(rrYY) seeds produce F1 progeny that have round yellow (RrYy) seeds.
When F1 plants are selfed, the F2 progeny will have new combinations of
characters. Choose the new combination from the following ( )
i. Round yellow
ii. Round green
iii. Wrinkled yellow
iv. Wrinkled green
a. i and ii b. i and iv c. ii and iii d. i and iii
17. The two versions of a trait (character) which are brought in by the male and
female gametes are situated on ( )
a. Copies of the same chromosome
b. Two different chromosomes
c. Sex chromosomes
d. Any chromosome
18. Select the group which shares the maximum number of common characters
a. Two individuals of a species
b. Two species of a genus
c. Two genera of a family
d. Two genera of two families
19. Which of the following is totally impossible outcome of Mendel’s
experiment?
a. 3 tall 1 short
b. 24 tall 8 short
c. 8 tall 0 short
d. 4 tall 1 medium height
20. Which section of DNA provides information for protein? ( )
a. Nucleus b. Trait c. Chromosome d. Gene
21. What is the probability that the progeny will be a boy? ( )
a. 45% b. 50% c. 55% d. Cannot say
22. Who have a perfect pair of chromosomes? ( )
a. Boys b. Girls c. Both d. None
23. Which of the following can be a characteristic ( )
a. Plants can photosynthesise
b. Humans have two eyes
c. Mango trees are multicellular
d. All of these
24. If a normal cell of human body contains 46 pairs of chromosomes then the
numbers of chromosomes in a sex cell of a human being is most likely to be
a. 60 b. 23 c. 22 d. 40
25. The process where characteristics are transmitted from parent to off springs
is called ( )
a. Variation b. Heredity c. Evolution d. Genetics
26. The phenomenon where individuals of a species exhibit differences in
characteristics are called ( )
a. Variation b. Heredity c. Evolution d. Genetics
27. _______ is the observable set of characteristics of an organism ( )
a. Genotype b. Phenotype c. DNA d. All of these
28. When a new plant is formed as a result of cross-pollination from different
varieties of a plant, the newly formed plant is called ( )
a. Dominant plant b. Recessive plant c. Hybrid plant d. Mutant plant
29. The rule of _____determines the process by which traits and characteristics
are reliably inherited ( )
a. Heredity b. Reproduction c. Generation d. Evolution
30. DNA is the information source for making ___in cells ( )
a. Fats b. Vitamins c. Proteins d. Carbohydrates
31. Each cell has two copies of each chromosome ________ ( )
 a. One each from male and female parents
b. From male parent
c. From female parent
d. From male or female
32.  In few reptiles, the ___ at which fertilized eggs are kept determines the sex
of offspring ( )
a. Temperature b. Pressure c. Place d. All of these
33. A character which is expressed in hybrid is always a ( )
a. Dominant b. Recessive c. Co- dominant d. Can’t say
34. Process of selecting individuals with desired characters by man is called
a. Hybridization
b. Reproduction
c. Artificial selection
d. d. Natural selection
35. A man with blood group A marries a woman having blood group O. What
will be the blood group of the child? ( )
a. Only O b. Only A c. AB d. Equal chance of getting O or A
36. The human species has genetic roots in ( )
a. Australia b. Africa c. America d. Indonesia
37. The human species has genetic roots in ( )
a. Male gamete b. Female gamete c. Both a & b d. None
38. A cross between two individuals results in a ratio of 9 : 3 : 3 :1 for four
possible phenotypes of progeny. This is an example of a ( )
a. Monohybrid cross b. Dihybrid cross c. Test cross d. F1 generation
39. Gene pair that controls a character is called ( )
a. Allele b. trait c. Genome d. Gene pool
40. A trait is a character. Mendel choose contrasting character present in which
plant ( )
a. Rice b. Wheat c. Pea d. Maize
41. Variation in off spring is high in which case ( )
a. Bacteria diving asexually
b. A self-pollinated plant
c. A cross pollinated plant
d. A replicating virus
42. Mendel used the term __________ to show the law of dominance in peas,
which we now call genes ( )
a. Seed b. Factor c. Element d. Thing
43. A phenotype is a ( )
a. Trait b. Gene c. Chromosome d. None
44. 3:1 ratio in F2 generation in law of dominance is ( )
a. Phenotypic ratio b. Genotypic ratio c. Both a & b d. None
45. Which of the following can be inherited from parents to offspring ( )
a. Swimming technique b. Big nose c. Sculpted body d. None
46. In turtle high incubation temperature leads to _____ offspring ( )
a. Male b. Female c. Male or Female d. None
47. In lizards high incubation temperature leads to _____ offspring ( )
a. Male b. Female c. Male or Female d. None
48. Allele that cannot be expressed in presence of another is called ( )
a. Co-dominant b. Dominant c. Recessive d. Complementary
49. Allele that can be expressed in presence of another is called ( )
a. Co-dominant b. Dominant c. Recessive d. Complementary
50. An organism with two unlike genes for a trait is called ( )
a. Homozygous b. Heterozygous c. Wild variety d. Dominant variety
51. An organism with two similar genes for a trait is called ( )
a. Homozygous b. Heterozygous c. Wild variety d. Dominant variety
52. Mendel conducted his famous breeding experiment on ( )
a. Drosophila b. Pisum sativum c. Escherichia coli d. All of these
53. Which of the following is a recessive trait in garden pea plants ( )
a. Tall stem b. Wrinkled seeds c. Green coloured pod d. Round seeds
54. Mendel studied seven contrasting characters for his breeding experiments
with Pisum sativum. Which of the following characters did he not use? (
)
a. Pod colour b. Pod shape c. Leaf shape d. Plant height