Simpsons Genetic Probability Worksheet
Simpsons Genetic Probability Worksheet
Simpsons Genetic Probability Worksheet
There are six Punnett square problems featured below. You will be graded on both filling in the Punnett square as well
as filling in the correct answer next to the multiple choice questions after each problem.
Milhouse is extremely worried that because his dad is bald he will also be bald. To relieve his fear, he has asked you to
use your Punnett square skills to determine what the probability of him being bald will be. Milhouse is aware that his
dad is heterozygous for baldness (Bb) while his mom does not carry the baldness gene and so she is homozygous for no
baldness (bb). Remember baldness is dominant (B) while no baldness is recessive (b).
Homer has decided he wants to go into the dog breeding business and wants to use Santa’s Little Helper. Santa’s Little
Helper is heterozygous light brown (BB’), a combination of dark brown (B) and white (B’). Homer wants to get puppies
that are dark brown, light brown and white and has two choices of dogs he can mate with Santa’s Little Helper:
Penelope, who is also light brown (BB’) or Samantha, who is white (B’B’). Create Punnett Squares for each dog to help
Homer figure out the answer.
Penelope Samantha
2. Which dog would be best to mate with Santa’s Little Helper to get the most different colored puppies?
Itchy and Scratchy created two brand new breeds of flowers: one lime green (GG) and one bright orange (OO). Green is
codominant with orange. Itchy and Scratchy know that because of codominance, if they cross these two plants, the
flowers should be both green and orange. If they cross these two plants, how many will be both green and orange if
they grow ten plants?
a. 0 b. 5 c. 7 d. 10
Mr. Burns is in desperate need of a blood transfusion but unfortunately has the rare blood type OO and needs a donor
that is also OO. He offers a reward to anyone who could help him (enter Homer). Homer knows unfortunately that his
blood type is heterozygous type A (AO) and that Marge is heterozygous type B (BO). What is the probability that one of
the Simpson’s children will have the blood type to match Mr. Burns?
__________ 4. What is the likelihood that one of the Simpson children has the OO blood type?
a. 0 % b. 25 % c. 50% d. 75%
Problem Five: Sex-linked Traits
Dr. Hibbert is treating a young Springfield couple who are having a child. The parents are worried that since the mom is
a carrier for the disorder of color blindness (XXc ), which is linked only to the female sex chromosome Xc , that the child
will have color blindness as well. The father does not have color blindness (XY) which is the dominant gene. What are
the odds that the child will NOT have color blindness?
_____________5. What are the odds that their child will not be color blind?
a. 0% b. 25 % c. 50% d. 75%
Chief Wiggum and his wife are talking about having another child, giving Ralph another brother or sister. What are the
chances that Ralph’s sibling will have blue hair like their parents as well as straight hair like Ralph? The following are the
genotypes of the parents B=Blue, b=black, C=Curly, c=straight.
_______________ 6. How many out of 16 will have blue hair and straight hair?
a. 3 b. 6 c. 9 d. 16
B b
Simpson’s Genetic Probability—Answer Key
Problem One: Typical Punnett Square, Milhouse
b Bb bb
1. What is the probability that Milhouse will be bald? Answer: C. 50 %
b Bb bb
a. 0% b. 25 c. 50% d. 75%
O GO GO
Problem Four: Multiple Alleles
A O
4. What is the likelihood that one of the Simpson children has a OO
blood type?
B a. 0% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75%
AB BO
O Answer: B. 25 % is the likelihood that one
AO OO
child will have type OO blood
X Xc