Biology Worksheet

Genetics (Grade 12)

1. A cross between a white flower and a red flower produces offspring

with red flower.

a. Identify the dominant and the recessive alleles. Justify your answer.

b. Represent the corresponding genes by symbols.

c. Identify the genotypes of parents and the offspring.

d. A second cross between two flowers from F1 produces the

following flowers:

- 5 white flowers

- 15 red flowers

i. Calculate the ratio of the obtained results.

ii. Carry out a factorial analysis to verify the obtained results.

2. In the human species, the characteristic rightist or leftist is transmitted

according to the laws of Mendel. A rightist couple has a leftist boy.

a. Indicate the dominant characteristic. Justify the answer.

b. Write down the genotypes of the parents and the boy.

c. What are the probable phenotypic proportion and genotypic one of

the remaining children of the same couple?

3. A ripe ear of corn contains 225 black grains and 75 yellow grains.

a. Calculate the ratio of the obtained grains. Carry out a factorial

analysis to verify the obtained result.
 b. Can you predict the result of a cross between the yellow grains?
Justify the answer.

4. In tomatoes, the characteristic climbing stem dominates the

characteristic dwarf stem.

a. What are the possible genotypes of a plant that has a climbing

stem?

b. Carry out a factorial analysis to find the genotypic and phenotypic

ratio of the offspring.

5. Among human beings, the ear lobe may be free or attached. A free ear
lobe couple gave birth to a child with an attached ear lobe.

a. Explain the birth of a child with an attached ear lobe.

b. Write the genotype of the parents.

c. A man with an attached lobe ear marries a woman with a free ear
lobe. Carry out, for the different cases, the factorial analysis needed
to determine the phenotypes and genotypes of their children.

6. A brown-eyed couple has sons and daughters, some of them have

brown eyes, while the rest have blue eyes.

a. What can we conclude?

b. Carry out a factorial analysis that allows specifying the genotypes

of the given sons and daughters.

c. One of the brown-eyed sons married a blue-eyed girl. What

would be the genotypes and phenotypes of their children?

7. We realize a cross between two parents of pure race peas: peas having
smooth grains and peas having wrinkled grains. This cross gives in F1
generation, 100% peas with smooth grains. The self-fertilization of the
peas with smooth grains of the F1 (F1 x F1) gives in F2 generation 3/4
smooth grains and 1/4 wrinkled grains.
a. Schematize the above mentioned cross.
 b. Indicate the genotypes of the individuals of the F1 and those of
the F2. Justify your answer.

8. In a cage (A), we place a couple of mice: a female with black coat and
a male with white coat.

In another cage (B), we place another couple which have the same
phenotypes: black female and white male. After several litters, we
obtain in the first cage 35 black mice while in the second 12 black
mice and 10 white mice.
a. Specify the dominant and the recessive alleles. Justify your
answer.
b. Calculate the ratos of the descendants obtained in cage (B).
c. Explain the results obtained in (A) and in (B) by indicating the
genotypes of the parents in each case.
d. Make a factorial analysis to verify the experimental results of
cage (B).

9. In the human species, the myopic eye dominates the normal one. A
myopic woman married a man with normal vision.

- Carry out, in different cases, factorial analyses that allow us

specify the theoretical percentage of every phenotype of the
descendants of this couple.

10. The cross between two lines of peas, the first has long stem, and the
other has short stem gave an F1 composed of plants that all have long
stems.
a. What conclusion can you draw from this cross?
b. Self-pollination of the individuals of the F1 gave the following
results:
long-stemmed plants 150 -
short-stemmed plants 49 -
i. Calculate the percentage of the obtained phenotypes.
ii. Carry out a factorial analysis to verify this result.
11. A cross between lupins with bitter grains and lupins with sweet grains
produces lupins with bitter grains.
a. Designate by symbols the corresponding alleles.
b. Identify the genotypes of the parents and the offspring.
The self-fertilization of the plants of F1 generation gives in F2 generation the
following results; 75% of plants having bitter grains; 25% of plant having
sweet grains.
- Make a factorial analysis to verify the results obtained in F2.

12. Two true-breeding lines of drosophilae that differ in two hereditary

traits are crossed. One of them is gray with rough bristles; the other is
black with smooth bristles. The first generation F1 contains only gray
drosophilae with smooth bristles.

a. Determine the dominant and recessive traits.

b. Specify the genotypes of the parents and F1 individuals.

c. Make a factorial analysis to identify the genotypic and phenotypic

rations of the cross between a drosophilae that is gray with rough
bristles and a drosophilae from F1.

13. We crossed two races of corn that vary by the color of their grains,
yellow or blue; we obtained corn with purple grains.

a. Are the parents pure races or hybrids? Justify the answer.

b. What can we say about the genes that determine the color of the
grain in corn? Designate the corresponding genes by symbols.

c. Give the genotypes of the grains that were crossed together.

d. What genotypic and phenotypic ratios expected from the cross

between purple grains?

14. Squash produces fruits whose color varies between yellow, green,
white and striped (yellow and green). These colors are determined by
three alleles transmitted hereditarily according to the monohybrid
pattern. The yellow allele Y is codominant to the green allele G. Y and
G both of them are dominant over the allele w, which is thus recessive.
 a. What are the probable genotypes of green squash, yellow squash,
white squash and striped one?

b. A squash plant that gives striped fruits was crossed with another
one that gives yellow fruits. Carry out, in the different cases, the
necessary analysis to indicate the theoretical proportion of the
phenotypes and that of genotypes of their descendants.

15. A cross between pure races of poultry of the same species, a male of
black feather and a female of white feather, give, in F1 generation,
descendants having all black and white feathers.

a. What is the type of this heredity? Justify your answer.

b. Designate by symbols the corresponding alleles.

c. Indicate the genotypes of the parents and that of F1.

d. We cross two hybrids of F1. Make the necessary factorial analysis

to find the phenotypic and the genotypic ratios of the descendants.

16. In minks, fur color is determined by a gene located on an autosome.

We cross a mink having white fur of pure race with another mink
having black fur of pure race. All minks obtained in the first generation
F1 have black and white striped fur.
a. Is this case of dominance or codominance? Justify the answer.
b. Designate by symbols the corresponding alleles.
c. Write the genotypes of parents and that of F1.
The cross of F1 minks among themselves gives in F2 generation:
- 50% minks of white and black striped fur.
- 25% minks of white fur.
- 25% minks of black fur.
Carry out a factorial analysis to verify the obtained results.

17. The cross between two oval radishes gave the following result: round
radish, long radish and oval ones.

a. What conclusion can you draw concerning the heredity of the form
of radish?
 b. Designate the corresponding genes by symbols.

c. What type of cross has given the three phenotypes of radish?

Justify the answer.

d. Carry out a factorial analysis to verify the obtained result.

18. The table below shows the blood groups of four babies and their
parents.

Baby Blood group Number of Blood group

Couple Female
Male

X O 1 A B

Y B 2 O O

Z AB 3 AB O

V A 4 B O

Match every baby with his parents. Justify the answer.

19. The gene that controls blood clotting is located on the sex chromosome
X.

The presence of an allele (N) leads to normal blood clotting if it is

alone in a man, or associated with another allele (N) or an allele (n) in
a woman.

The allele (n) causes the absence of normal clotting if it is alone in a

man, or associated with another allele (n) in a woman. The absence of
blood clotting is a sickness known as hemophilia.

The alleles of this gene (N) and (n) have the same location on
chromosome X.
 a. In reference to the text, write the different possible combinations of
these alleles in a man and a woman, knowing that the sex
chromosomes in a woman are XX and in a man are XY.

A normal heterozygote woman for this gene is married to a normal man.

b. Is this couple in risk of having a hemophiliac child? Justify the

answer by making the necessary factorial analysis.

20. In male birds, the sex chromosomes are similar and are represented by
ZZ, whereas in females, the sex chromosomes are different and are
represented by ZW. Based on the acquired knowledge regarding the
human species, complete the following table.

Female

Male

21. Phenylketonuria is a genetic disease that is expressed as serious mental

troubles if the child is not taken care of. In the French population, one
person out of 60 that appear normal carries the abnormal allele
responsible for the disease. The gene is carried on chromosome 12.

a. Is the allele responsible for the disease dominant or recessive?

Justify the answer.
 b. Designate the normal allele and the abnormal one by symbols.

c. Represent the chromosomes 12 of three different persons and

indicate the alleles carried by the chromosomes in the following
cases:

- An apparently normal man, but he carries the abnormal allele.

- A normal woman that doesn't carry the abnormal allele.

- A sick child.

d. Can a sick child have parents that have the same alleles as those in
question (c)? Justify the answer.

22. Mucoviscidosis is a frequent genetic disease that affects one child out
of 2500. It is a dramatic disease accompanied with digestive and
respiratory troubles, and affects both boys and girls. The gene
responsible for this disease is carried by the homologous chromosomes
of pair 7. The abnormal form which launches this disease is recessive,
n. A child is affected by mucoviscidosis if he has both copies n.
Persons carrying one normal allele N are not affected.

a. Justify the following statement: “Mucoviscidosis is a genetic

disease”.

b. Draw a diagram that shows the transmission of the gene

responsible for the disease from parents to children, knowing that
each of the parents carries an allele n.

c. Find the risk of a child being affected by the disease.

d. Determine the proportion of children carrying the allele n.

23. Albinism is a genetic anomaly characterized by the absence of
pigmentation in the skin and hair. The attacked persons have white
skin and hair and troubles in vision as well. This anomaly depends on a
gene that has two alleles, allele A and allele a. The persons affected by
albinism have two alleles a. The persons non-affected have two alleles
A or allele A and allele a. The figure shows the genealogical tree of a
family where the case of albinism appears.

1 2 Non-attacked woman

Woman attacked by albinism

Non-attacked man
3 4

5 6 7
Man attacked by albinism

8 9 10
a. Using the instructions provided by the text, determine the
alleles present in persons 4, 7 and 9.

b. Indicate the alleles present in persons 1, 2 and 3. Justify the

answer.

c. What are the possible allelic combinations of persons 5 and 6.

24. Colorblindness is a hereditary abnormality characterized by the
inability to distinguish certain colors. The color vision is determined
by a gene located on chromosome X and not on Y. This gene has two
alleles: allele (N) which determines the normal vision of colors and
allele (n) responsible for colorblindness. (N) is dominant over (n).
concerning this abnormality J. Scott wrote the following:

“I can’t distinguish any green in the world. Pink and pale blue colors are identical to
me and I can’t differentiate between them. Red or dark green look similar and
perfectly match. I can clearly distinguish the yellow color whether light, dark or
medium and all the nuances of blue except the blue of the sky.

This is an abnormality that runs in my family. My father has exactly the same
problem. My mother and one of my sisters can perfectly distinguish the colors. My
other sister Cecilia and I share the same abnormality. This sister has two boys, both
with this abnormality, and a normal girl. I have a son and a daughter that can
distinguish the colors as their mother. My maternal uncle had the same abnormality
as I do while my mother as I mentioned before perfectly distinguished colors.”

The pedigree below locates J. Scott compare to the rest of his family.

Scott’s Scott’s
father mother
I

II Scott Cecilia

III

a. Draw this pedigree.

 Using the paragraph; color in black, the squares representing men
and the circles representing women, with this abnormality.

b. Is colorblindness a hereditary trait? Justify the answer.

c. Represent the two sex chromosomes and indicate the alleles carried
by each one of them for the following persons:

- J. Scott

- A man with a normal vision

- Cecilia

- A woman with a normal vision.

25. Hemophilia is a hereditary disease characterized by the absence blood

coagulation. The marriage of a hemophilic man (A) to a normal
woman (B) gives birth to 3 children: a hemophilic boy, a normal boy
and a normal girl. The marriage of their normal daughter (C) to a
normal man (D) gives birth to 4 children: a hemophilic son, two
normal daughters and 1 normal son.

a. Establish the genealogical tree (pedigree) of the family using the

captions given below.

normal man normal female

couple
 Caption

affected man affected female

Generations: roman number

descendants

The man possesses two different sex chromosomes XY and the

woman possesses two sex chromosomes XX.

Knowing that the gene that determines the coagulation of blood is

carried by the chromosome X and possesses two alleles, the
dominant allele (H) determining the normal coagulation of blood
and the recessive allele (h) determining the disease:

b. Indicate the genotype of each of the individuals A and B. Justify

the answer.

c. Specify the genotypes of the individuals II5, II6, III7 and III9.
26. The Duchene muscular dystrophy is a disease characterized by the
progressive degeneration of the muscles and by severe paralysis. This
genetic disease afflicts essentially the boys (at birth, one boy XY out of
5000). The gene responsible is situated on the short arm of the sex
chromosome X; there is not any allele of this gene on the chromosome
Y. The abnormal version of this gene, symbolized by the allele m, is
recessive and is not revealed in the phenotype of a woman XX that has
two versions of the allele. On the other hand, the normal allele is
dominant and is symbolized by M.

The following pedigree corresponds to a family where certain

members are affected.

1
I 2

II 1 2 5

3 4

1 3 4 5 6

III

IV 1

2 3 4
 affected boy healthy boy healthy girl

a. Determine the mode of transmission. Justify your answer.

b. Designate by letters the corresponding alleles.

c. Determine the genotypes of individual I-1, I-2, II-3 and II-6.

d. Make a factorial analysis to verify the results obtained in the

descendants of couple III-4 and III-5.

27. After analyzing the pedigree of a family having cystic fibrosis, find the
possible genotypes of fetus III2.

1 2
I

1 2
II 3

1
III 2

28. Joe is color-blind. His mother and father both have normal vision, but
his mother’s father (Joe’s maternal grandfather) is color-blind. All
Joe’s other grandparents have normal color vision. Joe has three sisters
 – Patty, Betsy, and Lora, all with normal color vision. Joe’s oldest
sister, Patty, is married to a man with normal color vision; they have
two children, a 9-year-old color-blind boy and a 4-year-old girl with
normal color vision.

a. Using correct symbols and labels, draw a pedigree of Joe’s family.

b. What is the most likely mode of inheritance for color-blindness is

Joe’s family?

c. If Joe marries a woman who has no family history of color-

blindness, what is the probability that their first child will be a
color-blind boy?

d. If Joe marries a woman who is carrier of the color-blind allele,

what is the probability that their first child will be a color-blind
boy?

e. If Patty and her husband have another child, what is the probability
that it will be a color-blind boy?

29. A man with specific unusual genetic trait marries an unaffected woman
and they have four children. The pedigree of this family is shown
below, but the presence or absence of the trait in the children is not
indicated.

For each type of inheritance, indicate how many children of each sex
are expected to express the trait by filling in the appropriate circles and
squares.

a. Autosomal recessive trait.

b. Autosomal dominant trait.

c. X-linked recessive trait.

 d. X-linked dominant trait.

e. Y-linked trait.

30. The following pedigree represents a family, certain members of which

are affected by diabetes, a disease characterized by an elevation of the
rate of sugar in the blood.

Diabetes is due to a gene located on an autosome and has two alleles.

I 1 2

II 3 4

1 2

1 5
III

2 3 4

Normal man Normal woman

Diabetic man Diabetic woman

a. Determine the dominant allele and the recessive one.

b. Designate by symbols the corresponding alleles.

c. Indicate the genotypes of individuals I 1, I 2, II 3 and II 4. Justify

the answer.

d. Make a factorial analysis to verify the phenotypes revealed in the

descendants of couple II 3 and II 4.

Individual II 2 marries an affected woman and is worried about

having a diabetic child like the mother.
 e. What can we say to this individual?

31. Use the following pedigree to answer the questions:

e. Determine the mode of transmission. Justify your answer.

f. Designate by letters the corresponding alleles.

g. Determine the genotypes of individual I-1, I-2, II-7 and II-8.

h. Make a factorial analysis to verify the results obtained in the

descendants of couple II-1 and II-2.