AP BIOLOGY Scoring Guide

Unit 5 Progress Check: FRQ

1. Read each question carefully. Write your response in the space provided for each part of each question. Answers
must be written out in paragraph form. Outlines, bulleted lists, or diagrams alone are not acceptable and will not
be scored.

The sex of an organism is typically determined genetically, but environmental factors can also play a role.
Scientists examined the roles of genes and environmental temperature in the sex determination of a lizard species.
Individuals with a pair of chromosomes are always female ( ), while individuals with a pair of
chromosomes can be either male ( ) or female ( ). Scientists mated or females with
males and incubated the eggs produced in 20 clutches at temperatures ranging from to . When the
young hatched, the scientists determined their sexes (Table 1). Among the eggs that did not hatch, the mortality of
embryonic lizards was approximately the same for both males and females.

Table 1. Fraction of female progeny produced as a function of egg incubation temperature

Egg Incubation Crosses: Fraction Crosses: Fraction of

Temperature ( ) of Female Progeny Female Progeny
23 0
24 0
26 0
28 0
30
32
33
34
35
36

(a) If a particular gene is located on the chromosome of this lizard species, describe why a lizard with a
genotype has a greater probability of expressing the recessive phenotype for the trait than a lizard with the
genotype does.

(b) Using the template, construct an appropriately labeled graph, including error bars, to represent the data in
Table 1. Based on the data, compare the crosses and the crosses to determine
whether there is a significant difference between the two crosses in the fraction of female progeny produced at
, , and .

AP Biology Page 1 of 6
 Scoring Guide

Unit 5 Progress Check: FRQ

(c) For each cross, describe whether genetics or temperature determines the sex of progeny produced from eggs
incubated at . For each cross, describe whether genetics or temperature determines the sex of progeny
produced from eggs incubated at .

(d) Predict the effect of increasing global temperatures on the continued presence of the chromosome in this
species of lizard. Scientists claim that, in this species, the chromosome is unimportant in sex determination.
Instead, proteins that are encoded by a gene or genes on the chromosome, and that are maximally expressed
only at certain temperatures, are responsible for determining whether embryos will develop as females or males.
Use the data to support this claim.

Part A

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that the lizard with the genotype has only one copy of the gene, while the lizard with the
genotype has two copies, one of which might be the dominant allele.

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 Scoring Guide

Unit 5 Progress Check: FRQ

Part B (i)

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1 2 3

The sketched bars or curve meet(s) all of the criteria below.

Correct axis labeling

Correct scale and unit
Correctly plotted line graph

Part B (ii)

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that there is no overlap of error bars between the two different crosses at or , so there
is a significant difference in the fraction of female offspring produced between the different crosses at these temperatures.
The data are identical for the two crosses at , so there is no significant difference at this temperature.

Part C (i)

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that for both crosses the temperature determines that approximately all embryos will develop as
females if eggs are incubated at .

Part C (ii)

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

AP Biology Page 3 of 6
 Scoring Guide

Unit 5 Progress Check: FRQ

The response indicates that for the cross, genetics determines that about one-half of the embryos will
develop as females if eggs are incubated at . This contrasts with the cross, in which the temperature
determines the sex because none of the embryos will develop as females if eggs are incubated at this low temperature.

Part D (i)

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that the chromosome may disappear from populations of the lizard, especially those in warmer
habitats.

Part D (ii)

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that embryos can develop as females without the chromosome and that embryos can only
develop as males in the presence of two chromosomes and only at certain temperatures. Since one chromosome is
insufficient for male development, it is likely that a sufficient amount of the chromosome–encoded protein is produced
only from two copies of the gene(s) on this chromosome and at lower temperatures.

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 Scoring Guide

Unit 5 Progress Check: FRQ

2. Read each question carefully. Write your response in the space provided for each part of each question. Answers
must be written out in paragraph form. Outlines, bulleted lists, or diagrams alone are not acceptable and will not
be scored.

Primary spermatocytes are diploid ( ) cells with all of the organelles typically found in eukaryotic animal cells.
A representation of spermatogenesis from a primary spermatocyte with six chromosomes is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. A representation of spermatogenesis

(a) Describe the process in meiosis that ensures that both maternal and paternal chromosomes are passed on to
each spermatozoon.

(b) Explain why the genetic content of individual chromosomes in a spermatozoon most likely differs from the
genetic content of individual chromosomes in a primary spermatocyte.

(c) In some instances, meiosis of a primary spermatocyte with six chromosomes results in two spermatozoa that
contain four chromosomes and two spermatozoa that contain two chromosomes. Predict the most likely cause.

(d) A student claims that if the animal producing the spermatozoa has a mutation in a mitochondrial gene, the
probability that any offspring will inherit the mutation is zero. Provide evidence to support this claim.

AP Biology Page 5 of 6
 Scoring Guide

Unit 5 Progress Check: FRQ

Part A

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that the homologous pairs of chromosomes randomly segregate during meiosis .

Part B

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that crossing over/recombination occurs between chromatids of homologous chromosomes during
prophase of meiosis .

Part C

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that the most likely cause is the nondisjunction (no separation) of one pair of homologous
chromosomes during meiosis .

Part D

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1

The response indicates that spermatozoa contain no mitochondria and that all mitochondria in an organism are derived
from the ovum.

Page 6 of 6 AP Biology