Understanding Heredity and Genetics

What is heredity?

• The study of plants

• Passing genetic material from parent to offspring

• Building new structures

• None of the above.

Answer explanation

Heredity refers to the process of passing genetic material from parent to offspring, which determines traits and characteristics in living organisms. This makes the second choice the correct answer.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

Genetics is the study of how certain ______ are passed from parent to offspring.

• foods

• traits

• habits

• languages

Answer explanation

Genetics focuses on how certain traits, such as eye color or height, are inherited from parents to their children. The other options, like foods or habits, do not pertain to genetic inheritance.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

What is a trait?

• A) A type of food

• B) A distinguishing quality or characteristic

• C) A type of plant

• D) A language.

Answer explanation

A trait is defined as a distinguishing quality or characteristic of a person, animal, or thing. Therefore, the correct answer is B, as it accurately describes what a trait is.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

A trait is passed from the parent, only one copy of a trait is passed by each parent. True or False?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

True. Each parent contributes one copy of a trait, resulting in offspring inheriting one allele from each parent. This is a fundamental principle of inheritance in genetics.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

The combination of traits from each parent controls your ______.

• height

• traits

• language

• diet

Answer explanation

The combination of traits from each parent determines your traits, including physical characteristics and predispositions. Therefore, the correct answer is 'traits'.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

What is phenotype?

• The way a trait is shown/seen

• A type of gene

• A language

• A type of food

Answer explanation

Phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or traits of an organism, such as appearance or behavior. Therefore, the correct choice is 'The way a trait is shown/seen', as it accurately describes what phenotype means.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

Genotype is the way two traits, one from each parent, pair up to cause a trait. True or False?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

True. Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, specifically how two alleles, one inherited from each parent, combine to determine a specific trait.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-1

What is the basic unit of genetics?

• Cell

• Gene

• Protein

• Carbohydrate

Answer explanation

The basic unit of genetics is the gene, which is a segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building proteins and determining traits. Cells and proteins are important, but genes are the fundamental units of heredity.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

How many genes are there approximately?

• 10,000

• 20,000

• 30,000

• 40,000

Answer explanation

The human genome contains approximately 20,000 genes. This number is widely accepted in the scientific community, making it the correct choice among the options provided.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-1

Each gene comes one from each parent for a trait. True or False?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

True. Each gene for a trait is inherited from one parent and one from the other, resulting in two alleles for each trait.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2