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Chapter 15
The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance
Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Why did the improvement of microscopy techniques in the late 1800s set the stage for the
emergence of modern genetics?
A) It revealed new and unanticipated features of Mendel's pea plant varieties.
B) It allowed the study of meiosis and mitosis, revealing parallels between behaviors of genes
and chromosomes.
C) It allowed scientists to see the DNA present within chromosomes.
D) It led to the discovery of mitochondria.
E) It showed genes functioning to direct the formation of enzymes.
Answer: B
Topic: Concept 15.1
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) When Thomas Hunt Morgan crossed his red-eyed F1 generation flies to each other, the F2
generation included both red- and white-eyed flies. Remarkably, all the white-eyed flies were
male. What was the explanation for this result?
A) The gene involved is on the X chromosome.
B) The gene involved is on the Y chromosome.
C) The gene involved is on an autosome.
D) Other male-specific factors influence eye color in flies.
E) Other female-specific factors influence eye color in flies.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.1
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) Morgan and his colleagues worked out a set of symbols to represent fly genotypes. Which of
the following are representative?
A) AaBb AaBb
B) 46, XY or 46, XX
C) vg+vgse+se vgvgsese
D) +2 +3
Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.1
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Sturtevant provided genetic evidence for the existence of four pairs of chromosomes in
Drosophila in which of these ways?
A) There are four major functional classes of genes in Drosophila.
B) Drosophila genes cluster into four distinct groups of linked genes.
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E) Z-W
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
9) What is the chromosomal system for sex determination in birds?
A) Haploid-diploid
B) X-0
C) X-X
D) X-Y
E) Z-W
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
10) What is the chromosomal system of sex determination in most species of ants and bees?
A) Haploid-diploid
B) X-0
C) X-X
D) X-Y
E) Z-W
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
11) SRY is best described in which of the following ways?
A) A gene region present on the Y chromosome that triggers male development
B) A gene present on the X chromosome that triggers female development
C) An autosomal gene that is required for the expression of genes on the Y chromosome
D) An autosomal gene that is required for the expression of genes on the X chromosome
E) Required for development, and males or females lacking the gene do not survive past early
childhood
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
12) In cats, black fur color is caused by an X-linked allele; the other allele at this locus causes
orange color. The heterozygote is tortoiseshell. What kinds of offspring would you expect from
the cross of a black female and an orange male?
A) Tortoiseshell females; tortoiseshell males
B) Black females; orange males
C) Orange females; orange males
D) Tortoiseshell females; black males
E) Orange females; black males
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Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Application/Analysis
13) Red-green color blindness is a sex-linked recessive trait in humans. Two people with normal
color vision have a color-blind son. What are the genotypes of the parents?
A) XcXc and XcY
B) XcXc and XCY
C) XCXC and XcY
D) XCXC and XCY
E) XCXc and XCY
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Application/Analysis
14) Cinnabar eyes is a sex-linked recessive characteristic in fruit flies. If a female having
cinnabar eyes is crossed with a wild-type male, what percentage of the F1 males will have
cinnabar eyes?
A) 0%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) 100%
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Application/Analysis
15) Calico cats are female because
A) a male inherits only one of the two X-linked genes controlling hair color.
B) the males die during embryonic development.
C) the Y chromosome has a gene blocking orange coloration.
D) only females can have Barr bodies.
E) multiple crossovers on the Y chromosome prevent orange pigment production.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Application/Analysis
16) In birds, sex is determined by a ZW chromosome scheme. Males are ZZ and females are
ZW. A recessive lethal allele that causes death of the embryo is sometimes present on the Z
chromosome in pigeons. What would be the sex ratio in the offspring of a cross between a male
that is heterozygous for the lethal allele and a normal female?
A) 2:1 male to female
B) 1:2 male to female
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20) A Barr body is normally found in the nucleus of which kind of human cell?
A) Unfertilized egg cells only
B) Sperm cells only
C) Somatic cells of a female only
D) Somatic cells of a male only
E) Both male and female somatic cells
Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
21) Sex determination in mammals is due to the SRY region of the Y chromosome. An
abnormality could allow which of the following to have a male phenotype?
A) Turner syndrome, 45, X
B) Translocation of SRY to an autosome of a 46, XX individual
C) A person with too many X chromosomes
D) A person with one normal and one shortened (deleted) X
E) Down syndrome, 46, XX
Answer: B
Topic: Concept 15.2
Skill: Application/Analysis
22) Which of the following statements is true?
A) The closer two genes are on a chromosome, the lower the probability that a crossover will
occur between them.
B) The observed frequency of recombination of two genes that are far apart from each other has
a maximum value of 100%.
C) All of the traits that Mendel studied seed color, pod shape, flower color, and others are due
to genes linked on the same chromosome.
D) Linked genes are found on different chromosomes.
E) Crossing over occurs during prophase II of meiosis.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
23) How would one explain a testcross involving F1 dihybrid flies in which more parental-type
offspring than recombinant-type offspring are produced?
A) The two genes are linked.
B) The two genes are linked but on different chromosomes.
C) Recombination did not occur in the cell during meiosis.
D) The testcross was improperly performed.
E) Both of the characters are controlled by more than one gene.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.3
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Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
24) New combinations of linked genes are due to which of the following?
A) Nondisjunction
B) Crossing over
C) Independent assortment
D) Mixing of sperm and egg
E) Deletions
Answer: B
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
25) What does a frequency of recombination of 50% indicate?
A) The two genes are likely to be located on different chromosomes.
B) All of the offspring have combinations of traits that match one of the two parents.
C) The genes are located on sex chromosomes.
D) Abnormal meiosis has occurred.
E) Independent assortment is hindered.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
26) A 0.1% frequency of recombination is observed
A) only in sex chromosomes.
B) only on genetic maps of viral chromosomes.
C) on unlinked chromosomes.
D) in any two genes on different chromosomes.
E) in genes located very close to one another on the same chromosome.
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Application/Analysis
27) The following is a map of four genes on a chromosome:
Figure 15.1
Between which two genes would you expect the highest frequency of recombination?
A) A and W
B) W and E
C) E and G
D) A and E
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E) A and G
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Application/Analysis
28) What is the reason that linked genes are inherited together?
A) They are located close together on the same chromosome.
B) The number of genes in a cell is greater than the number of chromosomes.
C) Chromosomes are unbreakable.
D) Alleles are paired together during meiosis.
E) Genes align that way during metaphase I of meiosis.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
29) What is the mechanism for the production of genetic recombinants?
A) X inactivation
B) Methylation of cytosine
C) Crossing over and independent assortment
D) Nondisjunction
E) Deletions and duplications during meiosis
Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Refer to Figure 15.2 to answer the following questions.
Figure 15.2
30) In a series of mapping experiments, the recombination frequencies for four different linked
genes of Drosophila were determined as shown in the figure. What is the order of these genes on
a chromosome map?
A) rb-cn-vg-b
B) vg-b-rb-cn
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C) cn-rb-b-vg
D) b-rb-cn-vg
E) vg-cn-b-rb
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Application/Analysis
31) Which of the following two genes are closest on a genetic map of Drosophila?
A) b and vg
B) vg and cn
C) rb and cn
D) cn and b
E) b and rb
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Application/Analysis
D, F, and J are three genes in Drosophila. The recombination frequencies for two of the three
genes are shown in Figure 15.3.
Figure 15.3
32) Genes D and F could be
A) located on different chromosomes.
B) located very near to each other on the same chromosome.
C) located far from each other on the same chromosome.
D) Both A and B
E) Both A and C
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Application/Analysis
33) The frequency of crossing over between any two linked genes will be which of the
following?
A) Higher if they are recessive
B) Dependent on how many alleles there are
C) Determined by their relative dominance
D) The same as if they were not linked
E) Proportional to the distance between them
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Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
34) Map units on a linkage map cannot be relied upon to calculate physical distances on a
chromosome for which of the following reasons?
A) The frequency of crossing over varies along the length of the chromosome.
B) The relationship between recombination frequency and map units is different in every
individual.
C) Physical distances between genes change during the course of the cell cycle.
D) The gene order on the chromosomes is slightly different in every individual.
E) Linkage map distances are identical between males and females.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
35) Which of the following is a map of a chromosome that includes the positions of genes
relative to visible chromosomal features, such as stained bands?
A) Linkage map
B) Physical map
C) Recombination map
D) Cytogenetic map
E) Banded map
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.3
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
36) If a human interphase nucleus contains three Barr bodies, it can be assumed that the person
A) has hemophilia.
B) is a male.
C) has four X chromosomes.
D) has Turner syndrome.
E) has Down syndrome.
Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
37) If nondisjunction occurs in meiosis II during gametogenesis, what will be the result at the
completion of meiosis?
A) All the gametes will be diploid.
B) Half of the gametes will be n + 1, and half will be n - 1.
C) 1/4 of the gametes will be n + 1, one will be n - 1, and two will be n.
D) There will be three extra gametes.
E) Two of the four gametes will be haploid, and two will be diploid.
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Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Application/Analysis
38) If a pair of homologous chromosomes fails to separate during anaphase of meiosis I, what
will be the chromosome number of the four resulting gametes with respect to the normal haploid
number (n)?
A) n + 1; n + 1; n - 1; n - 1
B) n + 1; n - 1; n; n
C) n + 1; n - 1; n - 1; n - 1
D) n + 1; n + 1; n; n
E) n - 1; n - 1; n; n
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Application/Analysis
39) A cell that has 2n + 1 chromosomes is
A) trisomic.
B) monosomic.
C) euploid.
D) polyploid.
E) triploid.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
40) One possible result of chromosomal breakage is for a fragment to join a nonhomologous
chromosome. What is this alteration called?
A) Deletion
B) Disjunction
C) Inversion
D) Translocation
E) Duplication
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
41) A nonreciprocal crossover causes which of the following products?
A) Deletion only
B) Duplication only
C) Nondisjunction
D) Deletion and duplication
E) Duplication and nondisjunction
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Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
42) In humans, male-pattern baldness is controlled by an autosomal gene that occurs in two
allelic forms. Allele Hn determines nonbaldness, and allele Hb determines pattern baldness. In
males, because of the presence of testosterone, allele Hb is dominant over Hn. If a man and
woman both with genotype HnHb have a son, what is the chance that he will eventually be bald?
A) 0%
B) 25%
C) 33%
D) 50%
E) 75%
Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Application/Analysis
43) Of the following human aneuploidies, which is the one that generally has the most severe
impact on the health of the individual?
A) 47, +21
B) 47, XXY
C) 47, XXX
D) 47, XYY
E) 45, X
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
44) A phenotypically normal prospective couple seeks genetic counseling because the man
knows that he has a translocation of a portion of his chromosome 4 that has been exchanged with
a portion of his chromosome 12. Although he is normal because his translocation is balanced, he
and his wife want to know the probability that his sperm will be abnormal. What is your
prognosis regarding his sperm?
A) 1/4 will be normal, 1/4 with the translocation, 1/2 with duplications and deletions.
B) All will carry the same translocation as the father.
C) None will carry the translocation since abnormal sperm will die.
D) His sperm will be sterile and the couple might consider adoption.
E) 1/2 will be normal and the rest with the father's translocation.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
45) Abnormal chromosomes are frequent in malignant tumors. Errors such as translocations may
place a gene in close proximity to different control regions. Which of the following might then
occur to make the cancer worse?
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A) An increase in non-disjunction
B) Expression of inappropriate gene products
C) A decrease in mitotic frequency
D) Death of the cancer cells in the tumor
E) Sensitivity of the immune system
Answer: B
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
46) Women with Turner syndrome have a genotype characterized as which of the following?
A) aabb
B) Mental retardation and short arms
C) A karyotype of 45, X
D) A karyotype of 47, XXX
E) A deletion of the Y chromosome
Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
47) The frequency of Down syndrome in the human population is most closely correlated with
which of the following?
A) Frequency of new meiosis
B) Average of the ages of mother and father
C) Age of the mother
D) Age of the father
E) Exposure of pregnant women to environmental pollutants
Answer: C
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
48) An inversion in a human chromosome often results in no demonstrable phenotypic effect in
the individual. What else may occur?
A) There may be deletions later in life.
B) Some abnormal gametes may be formed.
C) There is an increased frequency of mutation.
D) All inverted chromosomes are deleted.
E) The individual is more likely to get cancer.
Answer: B
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
49) What is the source of the extra chromosome 21 in an individual with Down syndrome?
A) Nondisjunction in the mother only
B) Nondisjunction in the father only
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Answer: E
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
54) In order for chromosomes to undergo inversion or translocation, which of the following is
required?
A) Point mutation
B) Immunological insufficiency
C) Advanced maternal age
D) Chromosome breakage and rejoining
E) Meiosis
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.4
Skill: Application/Analysis
55) Which of the following statements describes genomic imprinting?
A) It explains cases in which the gender of the parent from whom an allele is inherited affects the
expression of that allele.
B) It is greatest in females because of the larger maternal contribution of cytoplasm.
C) It may explain the transmission of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
D) It involves an irreversible alteration in the DNA sequence of imprinted genes.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.5
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Figure 15.4
56) The pedigree in Figure 15.4 shows the transmission of a trait in a particular family. Based on
this pattern of transmission, the trait is most likely
A) mitochondrial.
B) autosomal recessive.
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C) sex-linked dominant.
D) sex-linked recessive.
E) autosomal dominant.
Answer: A
Topic: Concept 15.5
Skill: Application/Analysis
57) A gene is considered to be non-Mendelian in its inheritance pattern if it seems to "violate"
Mendel's laws. Which of the following would then NOT be considered non-Mendelian?
A) A gene whose expression varies depending on the gender of the transmitting parent
B) A gene derived solely from maternal inheritance
C) A gene transmitted via the cytoplasm or cytoplasmic structures
D) A gene transmitted to males from the maternal line and from fathers to daughters
E) A gene transmitted by a virus to egg-producing cells
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.5
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
58) Genomic imprinting is generally due to the addition of methyl (CH3) groups to C
nucleotides in order to silence a given gene. If this depends on the sex of the parent who
transmits the gene, which of the following must be true?
A) Methylation of C is permanent in a gene.
B) Genes required for early development stages must not be imprinted.
C) Methylation of this kind must occur more in males than in females.
D) Methylation must be reversible in ovarian and testicular cells.
E) The imprints are transmitted only to gamete-producing cells.
Answer: D
Topic: Concept 15.5
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
59) Correns described that the inheritance of variegated color on the leaves of certain plants was
determined by the maternal parent only. What phenomenon does this describe?
A) Mitochondrial inheritance
B) Chloroplast inheritance
C) Genomic imprinting
D) Infectious inheritance
E) Sex-linkage
Answer: B
Topic: Concept 15.5
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
60) Mitochondrial DNA is primarily involved in coding for proteins needed for electron
transport. Therefore in which body systems would you expect most mitochondrial gene
mutations to be exhibited?
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they will have a color-blind daughter? What is the probability that their first son will be colorblind? (Note the different wording in the two questions.)
Answer: 14 for each daughter (12 chance that child will be female x 12 chance of a
homozygous recessive genotype); 12 for first son.
4) A wild-type fruit fly (heterozygous for gray body color and normal wings) is mated with a
black fly with vestigial wings. The offspring have the following phenotypic distribution: wild
type, 778; black-vestigial, 785; black-normal, 158; gray-vestigial, 162. What is the
recombination frequency between these genes for body color and wing size?
Answer: 17%
5) In another cross, a wild-type fruit fly (heterozygous for gray body color and red eyes) is mated
with a black fruit fly with purple eyes. The offspring are as follows: wild type, 721; black-purple,
751; gray-purple, 49; black-red, 45. What is the recombination frequency between these genes
for body color and eye color? Using information from problem 4, what fruit flies (genotypes and
phenotypes) would you mate to determine the sequence of the body-color, wing-size, and eyecolor genes on the chromosome?
Answer: 6%. Wild type (heterozygous for normal wings and red eyes) recessive homozygote
with vestigial wings and purple eyes
6) A fruit fly that is true-breeding for gray body, vestigial wings (b+ b+ vg vg) is mated with one
that is true-breeding for black body, normal wings (b b vg+ vg+).
A) Draw the chromosomes for each P generation fly, showing the position of each allele.
B) Draw the chromosomes and label the alleles for an F1 fly.
C) Suppose an F1 female is testcrossed. Draw the chromosomes of the resulting offspring in a
Punnett square like the one at the bottom of Fig. 15.10 in your textbook.
D) Knowing that the distance between these two genes is 17 map units, predict the phenotypic
ratios of these offspring.
Answer: A)
B)
C)
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offspring are: antennae-upturned snout, 47; antennae-downturned snout, 2; no antennaedownturned snout, 48; no antennae-upturned snout, 3. Calculate the recombination frequencies
for both experiments.
Answer: Between T and A, 12%; between A and S, 5%
12) Two genes of a flower, one controlling blue (B) versus white (b) petals and the other
controlling round (R) versus oval (r) stamens, are linked and are 10 map units apart. You cross a
homozygous blue-oval plant with a homozygous white-round plant. The resulting F1 progeny are
crossed with homozygous white-oval plants, and 1,000 F2 progeny are obtained. How many F2
plants of each of the four phenotypes do you expect?
Answer: 450 each of blue-oval and white-round (parentals) and 50 each of blue-round and
white-oval (recombinants)
13) You design Drosophila crosses to provide recombination data for gene a, which is located on
the chromosome shown in Figure 15.12 in the textbook. Gene a has recombination frequencies of
14% with the vestigial-wing locus and 26% with the brown-eye locus. Where is a located on the
chromosome?
Answer: About one-third of the distance from the vestigial-wing locus to the brown-eye locus
14) Bananas plants, which are triploid, are seedless and therefore sterile. Propose a possible
explanation.
Answer: Because bananas are triploid, homologous pairs cannot line up during meiosis.
Therefore, it is not possible to generate gametes that can fuse to produce a zygote with the
triploid number of chromosomes.
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