Topic 2 - Worksheet

1. The diagram represents part of a molecule of DNA.

a. Name the parts labelled A, B, C, D and E. (5 marks)

b. Use the diagram to explain the base-pairing rule. (2 marks)

2. What is:
i. A gene
ii. An allele (2, 2 marks)
b. Describe the structure of a chromosome. (2 marks)

c. How are chromosomes in a woman’s skin cell similar to and different from those in a
man’s skin cell? (4 marks)
 3. The graph shows the numbers and relative frequency of births of Down’s syndrome
babies in women aged between 20 and 50.

a. What is Down’s syndrome? (1 mark)

b. How do the numbers of Down’s syndrome births change with age of the mother?
(2 marks)

c. Suggest why the trend shown by the frequency of Down’s syndrome births is different
from that shown by the actual numbers. (2 marks)

4. In cattle, a pair of allele’s controls coat colour. The allele for black coat colour is
dominant over the allele for red coat colour. The genetic diagram represents a cross
between a pure-breeding black bull and a pure-breeding red cow. B = dominant allele
for black coat colour; b = recessive allele for red coat colour.
a. i. What term describes the genotypes of the pure-breeding parents? (1 mark)

ii. Explain the terms dominant and recessive. (2 marks)

b. i. What are the genotypes of the sex cells of each parent? (1 mark)

ii. What is the genotype of the offspring? (2 marks)

c. Cows with the same genotype as the offspring were bred with bulls with the same
genotype.

i. What genetic term describes this genotype? (1 mark)

ii. Draw a diagram to work out the ratios of the genotype of the offspring. (2 marks)

iii. Draw a diagram to work out the ratios of the phenotype of the offspring. (2 marks)

5. Variation in organisms can be caused by the environment as well as by the genes they
inherit. For each of the following examples, state whether the variation described is
likely to be genetic, environment or both. (1 mark each)

a. Humans have brown, blue or green eyes.

b. Half the human population is male, half is female.

c. Cuttings of hydrangea plants grown in soils with different pH values develop flowers with
slightly different colours.

d. Some pea plants are tall; others are dwarf. However, the tall plants are not exactly the
same height and neither are all the dwarf plants the same height.

e. People in some families are more at risk than people in other families. However, not
every member of the high-risk families have a heart attack and some members of the low
risk families do.
 6. In nasturtiums, a single pair of allele’s controls flower colour.

The allele for red flower colour is dominant over the allele for yellow flower colour. The
diagram represents the results of a cross between a pure-breeding red-flowered nasturtium
and a pure-breeding yellow-flowered nasturtium. R = dominant allele for red flower colour;
r = recessive allele for yellow flower colour.

a. Copy and complete the genetic diagram. (3 marks)

b. What are the colours of the flowers A, B, C and D? (2 marks)

7. In guinea pigs, the allele for short hair is dominant to that for long hair.

a. Two short haired guinea pigs were breed and their offspring included long-haired guinea
pigs. Explain these results. (2 marks)

b. How could you find out if a short-haired guinea pig was homozygous or heterozygous for
hair length? (2 marks)
 8. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition. The diagram shows the incidence of cystic
fibrosis in a family over 4 generations:

a. What evidence in the pedigree suggests that cystic fibrosis is determined by a recessive
allele? (2 marks)

b. What are the genotypes of individuals 3, 4 and 11? (3 marks)

c. Draw genetic diagrams to work out the probability that the next child born to individuals
10 (homozygous dominant) and 11 will:

i. Be male.

ii. Suffer from cystic fibrosis. (2 marks)

9. Cells can divide by mitosis or by meiosis.

a. Give one similarity and two differences between the two processes. (3 marks)

b. Do cancer cells divide by mitosis or meiosis? Explain your answer. (2 marks)

c. Why is meiosis sometimes called reduction division? (2 marks)

 10. Some cells divide by mitosis, others divide by meiosis. For each of the following
examples, say whether mitosis or meiosis is involved. In each case, give a reason for
your answers.

a. Cells in the testes dividing to form sperm.

b. Cells in the lining of the small intestine dividing to replace cells that have been lost.

c. Cells in the bone marrow dividing to form red blood cells and white blood cells.

d. Cells in an anther of a flower dividing to form pollen grains.

e. A zygote dividing to form an embryo. (2 marks each)

11. Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD) is an autosomal dominant disorder, represented by D

that is characterised by slow progressive clumsiness in the arms and legs. The following
diagram shows the pattern of inheritance of this disease in a particular family.

a. Write the genotype of:

i. Peter - ____________________
ii. Anton - ____________________
iii. Mario - ____________________ (3 marks)

b. Christine, the only female in the diagram affected by MJD and her husband Nicholas are
expecting their first child. Nicholas is also affected by MJD. The genetic counsellor
informed the couple that there is only 25% chance of having a child not affected with the
disorder. Work out a genetic diagram to confirm the counsellor’s prediction. (4 marks)
c. Mario and his wife Tania are expecting their third child. Their first children, Sam and Jack,
are both affected by the disorder. The genetic counsellor informed the couple that due to
Tania’s genotype, all their future children will be affected with the disorder. Work out a
genetic diagram to confirm the counsellor’s prediction. (4 marks)

12. Galactosaemia is an inherited condition. It is caused by a mutation to a gene on

chromosome 9. This gene codes for an enzyme that removes the sugar galactose from
the body. The normal allele, G, can produce the enzyme and is dominant to the recessive
allele, g. The pedigree shows the inheritance of galactosaemia in a family.

a. How many individuals in the family pedigree have an X and a Y chromosome in each
of their body cells? (1 mark)
b. How many individuals in the family pedigree are homozygous recessive? (1 mark)
c. Give the genotype of individual 1. (1 mark)
d. Individuals 8 and 9 are going to have another child. Give the probability of this child
having galactosaemia. (2 marks)
e. What is meant by the term mutation? (2 marks)
f. The mutation for galactosaemia is harmful but some mutations can be beneficial.
Describe one example of a beneficial mutation. (1 mark)

13. Mice can have black hair or brown hair in their fur. The allele for black hair (B) is
dominant to the allele for brown hair (b). A homozygous black haired mouse mated
with a homozygous brown haired mouse to produce the first generation of offspring.
The cross is shown in the diagram.
 a. Complete the diagram by writing the genotype of each parent and the offspring in the
boxes. (2 marks)
b. The first generation mice mated with each other and produced a second generation.
Complete the Punnett square to show the gametes involved and the genotypes of the
possible second generation mice. (2 marks)

b. The passage describes part of the process of reproduction in mice. Complete the
passage by writing a suitable word in each blank space. (6)

The male mouse produces gametes called ..............................................that swim to the

female gamete. Each gamete has the haploid number of chromosomes, which is 20 in mice.
The gametes join in a process called ......................................... . The single cell produced is
called a .......................................... and contains the ............................................ number of
chromosomes. This cell divides by .................................................. into an embryo. Each cell
in the embryo contains ............................................ chromosomes.

14. In a survey, people of different ages were asked if they thought that animal cloning is a
good idea or a bad idea.The table shows the results of the survey.
 a. Plot a bar graph to show the data in the table. (6 marks)
b. Describe the relationship between age and what people think about animal cloning.
(1 mark)
c. In the 45 to 54 age group, 18 people think that cloning is a good idea. Calculate the
total number of people surveyed in this age group. Show your working. (2 marks)

15. Genetically modified (GM) crops have been developed over the last 30 years.

A. Explain what is meant by the term genetically modified. (2 marks)

b. Farmers have been growing GM soybean and corn for a number of years. The table shows
data for soybean and corn grown in the USA from 1996 to 2014. Plot a line graph of the data
on the grid. Use a ruler to join the points with straight lines. (6
marks)

c. Describe the changes in the use of GM soybean and corn from 1996 to 2014. (2 marks)

d. Herbicides are chemicals that kill plants. Crops can be genetically modified to be herbicide
resistant. Suggest why farmers may want to grow crops that are herbicide resistant. (2
marks)

16. Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder of the grey matter of the brain. Rett
syndrome is a sex-linked dominant condition (represented by R) and the disease-
causing gene is located on the X chromosome.

a. The grey matter in the brain includes regions involved in muscle control and sensory
perceptions such as seeing and hearing.
i. Name the part of the brain responsible for co-ordination of movement.
ii. Name the endocrine gland present within the brain.
iii. Describe ONE structural feature that protects the brain. (1 mark
each)
 b. The following diagram shows the pattern of inheritance of the Rett syndrome in a
family.

Draw a genetic diagram to explain why all four children (Silvio, Miriam, Helga and Sheryl) are
not affected by the Rett Syndrome. In your answer indicate clearly the genotype of the son
(Silvio) and the genotype of the daughters (Miriam, Helga and Sheryl). (6 marks)

c. Explain why the sons of a father affected with Rett syndrome will not be affected by
the disorder. (1 mark)

17. X-linked ichthyosis (XLI) is a skin condition caused by the hereditary deficiency of a
particular enzyme. The syndrome is a recessive X-linked condition. The letter H
represents the normal allele while h represents the XLI allele. The following diagram
shows the inheritance of the condition in a particular family tree.

a. Name:
i. the outermost layer of skin
ii. ONE type of receptor present in skin. (1, 1 mark)
b. Write the genotypes of:
i. Clare: ________________ ii. Steve: _________________ (1, 1 mark)
c. Ruth and Vince were informed by the genetic counsellor that their children will
never be affected by the condition. Write the genotype of Ruth. (1
mark)
 d. Noel and Emily are expecting their first child. The genetic counsellor informed the
couple that they can have an affected son but not an affected daughter. In the space
below draw a genetic diagram to determine the percentage chance of having an
affected son. (4 marks)

18. Hypophosphatemia is a form of rickets caused by an X-linked dominant allele (H). The
action of this allele stops the effect of vitamin D on the body, resulting in bow shaped
legs.
The phenotypic ratio of a cross between an affected mother and an unaffected father is
the following:

25% unaffected son

25% unaffected daughter

25% affected son

25% affected daughter

a. Using a genetic diagram in the space below, show how the results of this
cross is obtained. (4 marks)
b. Explain why when an affected male is crossed with an unaffected female all
the sons born to this couple are unaffected. (2)

19. a. Haemophilia is due to a sex-linked gene. It is recessive and found on the X

chromosome. A woman who is a carrier for haemophilia marries a normal man. What
will be the possible phenotypes of their children? (use the letter “H”)

b. A phenotypically normal man, who has a haemophiliac brother, marries a normal

woman, who is not a carrier. What is the probability that any of their children will be
haemophiliac?

20. Colour-blindness is a X-linked, recessive trait. If a normal-sighted woman, whose father

was colour-blind, marries a colour-blind man, what is the probability that they will have
a son who is colour-blind? (use the letter “B”)

21. Coat colour in cats is a co-dominant trait and is also located on the X chromosome. Cats
can be black, ginger or calico. A calico cat has black and ginger splotches. In order to be
calico, the cat must have an allele for the black colour and an allele for the ginger colour.
(use the letter “G” for ginger and “B” for black).
 a. Work out a cross between a female calico cat crossed with a male black cat. What
are the phenotypes of the offspring?
b. Explain why there are no male calico cats.
c. Also located on the X chromosome of a cat is a gene that codes for deafness. This
gene is recessive. A female cat that is heterozygous for deafness is crossed with a male
cat that is not deaf. What are the genotypes and phenotypes of the offspring? (use the
letter “D” for hearing)

22. A man files his wife for divorce on the grounds of infidelity. Both man and wife have
normal eyes, but there is a baby daughter who has coloboma iridis (a fissure in the iris of
the eye). This characteristic is known to be inherited as a sex-linked, recessive trait. If
you were the man’s lawyer, could you use this fact as evidence? If so, how would you
explain the case to the jury?

23. Insulin was the first hormone to be synthesized using genetic engineering.

i. Define the term genetic engineering. (2 marks)

ii. Genetic engineering uses recombinant DNA. What is recombinant DNA? (2 marks)

iii. Explain the function of plasmids in genetic engineering. (2 marks)