TOPIC 4: GENETIC INHERITANCE

STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
1. The shapes and colours in carrots are determined by two pairs of different alleles. Both pairs of alleles did not show dominancy. Each
genotype produces different phenotypes. Colours of carrots are red (CRCR), purple (CRCW) or white (CWCW). The shapes are long
(SLSL), oval (SLSN) or round (SNSN).
(a) What type of inheritance is shown by the shape and colours of the carrots?
[1 mark]
(b) The long, red carrot is crossed with the round, white carrot. With a genetic diagram, show the parent genotypes, gametes and F 1
generation. [3 marks]
(c) If the F1 generation is self-crossed, what are the frequencies for the following phenotypes? [4 marks]
Phenotypes Frequency
Red, oval
Purple, long
White, long
White, round
(d) If the purple, oval carrot has the highest demand in the market, give TWO possible crosses that can be done to meet the demand.
[2 marks]

2. FIGURE 2 shows a family tree for the inheritance of ABO blood groups involving multiple alleles. Blood groups for some
individuals are labeled.

FIGURE 2
(a) What is meant by multiple alleles? [2 marks]
(b) List all possible combinations of alleles for the ABO blood groups. [2 marks]
(c) List all genotypes of individuals with B blood group. [1 mark]
(d) What is the blood group of individual I-2? [1 mark]
(e) Give the genotype of individual II-5? [1 mark]
(f) Using a Punnett square, give the probability of the offspring of individuals II-4 and II-5 having blood group O. [3 marks]

3. A fruit fly with wild phenotype but unknown genotype was crossed with a fruit fly with vestigial wings and grey body, which were
homozygous recessive for both characteristics. The results were as follow:
Normal wings (N), black body (E) 45
Normal wings (N), grey body (e) 48
Vestigial wings (n), black body (E) 43
Vestigial wings (n), grey body (e) 51
(a) State the Mendel’s Law above. [1 mark]
(b) Give the definition of the Mendel’s Law in (a). [1 mark]
(c) Suggest the genotypes of parental that produce the result as above. Use the following symbols: [2 marks]
(d) Draw a genetic diagram to show the cross until F1 generation. [4 marks]
(e) State the genotypes together with their ratio for F1 generation. [2 marks]

1
4. In peas, the allele for round seeds (A) is dominant to that for wrinkled seeds (a), the allele for yellow seeds (B) is dominant to that
for green seeds (b). These loci are unlinked. The cross below is between two homozygous plants.
P generation: Round, green X Wrinkled, yellow

F1

F2
FIGURE 3
a) What are the genotypes of the P generation? [2 marks]
b) Define the law of independent assortment? [2 marks]
c) What are the expected genotypes and phenotypes of the F1 hybrids produced by the above cross? [2 marks]
d) What are the gametes that can be produced by F1 individuals? [2 marks]
e) State the expected proportion of F2 phenotypes given below. [2 marks]
(i) Round, yellow seeds
(ii) Wrinkled, yellow seeds

5. In rats, short fur is controlled by dominant allele (A) while long fur is controlled by recessive allele (a). Black fur is controlled by
allele (B) and brown fur by allele (b). The two genes concerned are located on different chromosomes. A cross is made between a
female rat and male rat.
(a) The possible gametes produced by the female rat above are aB and ab.
(i) State its genotype. [1 mark]
(ii) State its phenotype. [1 mark]
(b) The possible gametes produced by the male rat above are AB, Ab, aB and ab. State its genotype. [1 mark]
(i) What is the percentage of the progenies from the cross above that have brown fur? Use a genetic diagram to explain your
answer. [4 marks]
(ii) On the genetic diagram, CIRCLE the genotype of progeny showing long and brown fur. [1 mark]
(iii) What is the percentage of the progenies with short and black fur? [1mark]
(iv) How do you determine the genotype of one of the progenies with short and black fur? [1 mark]

6. Fruit flies (Drosophila sp.) may have various body colors and wing shapes. Grey (G) and normal (N) are dominant over black (g)
and vestigial (n) respectively. A cross was done between a homozygous grey, Normal trait and a homozygous black, vestigial trait.
The F1 generation produced was then crossed with a homozygous black, vestigial trait. TABLE 1 shows the progenies produced in
F2 generation.
PHENOTYPES NUMBER OF PROGENIES
Grey, normal 38
Black, vestigial 34
Grey, vestigial 5
Black, normal 3
TABLE 1
a) What type of inheritance is shown in TABLE 1? [1 mark]
b) State the expected phenotypic ratio of the F2 generation according to the Mendelian Law. [1 mark]
c) Give TWO reasons why the observed ratio shown in TABLE 1 does not fit the expected ratio. [2 marks]
d) Draw a genetic diagram to show the result obtained in TABLE 1. [4 marks]
e) Calculate the distance between the genes controlling the body color and wing shape. [2 marks]

7. (a) In a particular plant, leaf colour is controlled by gene D where allele D controlled green leaves and allele d controlled yellow
leaves. A true-breeding green-leaved plant is crossed with a yellow-leaved plant, and the F1 progenies are allowed to self-
pollinate. The predicted outcome of these crosses is shown in the Punnett square below (FIGURE 4). M, N, O and P represent
the genotypes corresponding to each box within the square.

2
 FIGURE 4
Which of the labeled boxes M, N, O and P correspond to: [3 marks]
(i) Plants with green leaves.
(ii) Plants with heterozygous genotype.
(iii) Plants which are true-breeding?

(b) In one experiment, a purple flower and long pollen grain plant was crossed with a homozygous red flower and round pollen grain
plant. The number of progenies of F1 generation is shown in TABLE 2.
Phenotype Number of plants
Purple flower, long pollen 46
Red flower, long pollen 39
Purple flower, round pollen 38
Red flower, round pollen 43
TABLE 2
Using P to represent allele for purple flower colour and L to represent allele for long pollen grain, determine the genotype of
the following individuals:
(i) Purple lower and long pollen grain. [1 mark]
(ii) Homozygous for red flower and round pollen grain. [1 mark]
(iii) Are the genes for flower colour and pollen grain shape sex-linked? Why? [2 marks]
(iv) Name the type of cross that will give the above ratio. [1 mark]

8. In Drosophila, dominant G allele produces wild Drosophila which is grey body. The recessive g allele produces yellow body.
(a) If the gene for body colour is not sex-linked, consider a cross between a homozygous grey bodied male with a yellow bodied
female.
(i) Determine the genotype for male and female Drosophila. [2 marks]
(ii) Draw a genetic diagram for the above crossing. [3 marks]

(b) If the gene for body colour is sex-linked, consider a cross between a grey bodied male with a yellow bodied female.
(i) Draw the genetic diagram for the above crossing. [3 marks]
(ii) What percentage of the F1 progeny is expected to be homozygous? [1 mark]
(iii) Among the male progenies, what percentage is expected to be yellow bodied? [1 mark]

9. (a) A man who is heterozygous for brown eyes marries a woman who is homozygous for blue eyes and they have four children (F 1).
Half of the children are brown eyed and another half are blue eyed.
(i) Identify the genotype of the parent. [2 marks]
(ii) If a brown eyed man in F1 marries a woman and produces F2 offspring the phenotype ratio 3:1, identify the genotype of the
woman. [1 mark]
(iii) Draw a genetic diagram to show this marriage until F2 generation. [3 marks]

(b) A woman with group A blood marries man with group B blood. Their child has group O blood.
(i) What is meant by multiple alleles? [1 mark]
(ii) State the genotypes for woman, man and child. [3 marks]

10. In maize, the gene for coloured seed (C), and smooth seed (F), are dominant over the genes for colourless seed and wrinkled seed.
Pure breeding strains of the dominant and recessive varieties were crossed. A test cross of the F 1 generation produced the following
results:
Coloured, smooth seed 380
Colourless, wrinkled seed 396
Coloured, wrinkled seed 14
Colourless, smooth seed 10

3
 a) (i) Does the above cross follow the Mendelian ratio? [1 mark]
(ii) Explain how the situation in (a)(i) occurs. [2 marks]
b) Draw the genetic diagram for the test cross of F1 generation. [4 marks]
c) Calculate the distance between the two genes. Show your calculation. [3 marks]

11. (a) In Pisum sativum, the genes for the purple colour flower (R) and round seeds (Q) are dominant over the genes for white colour
flower (r) and wrinkled seeds (q). Heterozygous were test crossed and the result are shown in TABLE 1.
Phenotype Total number of
plant produced
Purple flower, round seeds 56
Purple flower, wrinkled seeds 11
White flower, wrinkled seeds 63
White flower, round seeds 14
TABLE 1
(i) Draw the test cross. [3 marks]
(ii) Calculate the distance between flower colour and seed shape genes. [2 marks]

12. Peas that produced yellow and round seeds were crossed with peas that produced green and wrinkled seeds. F 1 progeny were all
yellow and round. F1 progeny were self-fertilized to produce F2 progeny. Genes that control seed color were indicated as G
(yellow); g (green), and genes that control seed texture were indicated as R (round); r (wrinkled).
(a) (i) State the type of Mendelian inheritance described above. [1 mark]
(ii) Give your reason to the answer in 2(a)(i). [1 mark]
(b) What are the genotypes of both parental strains? [2 marks]
(c) Determines the gametes produced from the crossing in 2(b). [1 mark]
(d) Write all the genotypes and phenotypes of the F 1 generation. [2 marks]
(e) What are the four phenotypes and its phenotypic ratio if the two seed traits (color and texture) were inherited independently in
F2 generation. [2 marks]
(f) What are the dominant alleles involved in 2(e)? [1 mark]

13. (a) In garden pea plant, purple flower (P) and inflated pod shape (F) is dominant over white flower (p) and
constricted pod shape (f).
(i) Use a Punnet square to show the test cross of a heterozygous garden pea plant. [3 marks]
(ii) What is the genotypic ratio of the F1 generation? [1 mark]
(iii) What are the phenotypes of the F1 generation? [1 mark]
(iv) Which Mendel’s law explains the combination of alleles in the above cross? [1 mark]

(b) When a true-breed sweet pea plant with purple flower (P) and long pollen (L) is crossed with true-breed sweet
pea plant with white flower (p) and round pollen (l), all the progeny has purple flower and long pollen. A
dihybrid test cross will produce the following number of progenies:
Phenotype Number of progenies
Purple, long 129
Purple, round 50
White, long 43
White, round 132
TABLE 4
(i) State the dominant traits of the sweet pea plant. [1 mark]
(ii) What type of inheritance shown at TABLE 4? State your reason. [2 marks]
(iii) Use a Punnett square to show the dihybrid test cross. [3 marks]
(iv) Calculate the map distance between genes P and L. [3 marks]

4
14. (a) The phenotypes of tomatoes are controlled by two genes, A (fruit shape) and B (skin type). Round fruit is dominant to long
fruit and smooth skin is dominant to hairy skin.
(i) State the phenotypes of tomatoes with genotypes Aabb and aaBB. [2 marks]
(ii) Tomatoes with genotype AaBb were crossed with tomatoes with genotype aabb. Use Punnett square to show this
cross and the ratio of offspring phenotypes. [4 marks]
(b) Haemophilia A is an inherited X-linked recessive disorder that prevents blood clotting.
(i) Define X-linked recessive inheritance. [2 marks]
(ii) Mary, a haemophilia carrier, marries John, who has a normal X chromosome. Using suitable symbols, draw a Punnett square
to show the possible genotypes and phenotypes of their offspring including the ratio of haemophilic offspring.
[5 marks]
(c) Heterozygous fruit flies with a black body and purple eyes were mated with homozygous flies that have a grey body and red
eyes. They produced 1000 offspring: 880 of the two parental types (black body, purple eyes and grey body, red eyes) and 120 of the two
recombinant types (grey body, purple eyes and black body, red eyes).
(i) Calculate the percentage of recombinant types of offspring. [1 mark]
(ii) Determine map units between the body and eye colour loci. [1 mark]

ESSAY

1. (a) Explain polygenic inheritance. [8 marks]

2. (a) Ismail has brown hair and blue eyes. He is married to a woman with black hair and brown eyes, heterozygous for both genes.
Explain how their children would have black hair and blue eyes. (The trait of brown eyes and black hair is dominant over blue
eyes and brown hair). [10 marks]
(b) A man with AB blood group marries a woman with B blood group. The couple has three boys and one girl with different types
of blood group. With the aid of genetic diagram, describe the crossing. [10 marks]