Inheritance

Which is most likely the reason parents and their children have similar physical traits?

• They live in the same home.

• They have similar genetic structures.

• They are born in similar environments.

• They have similar blood types.

A litter of kittens have traits that are similar to both the mother cat and the father cat. Which best explains this situation?

• The kittens are provided the same kind of milk from their mother as they grow.

• The kittens inherit some of their traits from their mother and some from their father

• The kittens are kept at the same temperatures by their mother when they are first born.

• The kittens are taught by their parents to have similar traits.

Which best explains why children resemble their parents?

• They eat the same foods.

• They have similar DNA.

• They speak the same language.

• They have the same interests.

Why do dogs have most of the characteristics of their parents?

• They inherit them from their parents.

• They live in the same habitats as their parents.

• They learn them by observing their parents.

• They eat the same foods as their parents.

Sam’s pet dog had puppies. Three of the puppies were black and two were white. The father dog was black. The mother dog was white. Sam and his friends wondered why the dogs were different colors. Their ideas are below. Which friend do you most agree with?

• John: Puppies inherit more traits from their fathers than their mothers

• Alice: The puppies got half their traits from their father and half from their mother.

• June: Male traits are stronger than female traits.

• Sam: Black puppies have more traits than white puppies.

Which characteristic is the best example of an inherited trait?

• short hair

• eye color

• pierced ears

• long fingernails