Understanding Polygenic Traits in Humans

What is polygenic inheritance?

• Inheritance controlled by a single gene

• Inheritance controlled by multiple genes

• Inheritance that follows Mendel's rules

• Inheritance that does not involve alleles

Which of the following traits is an example of polygenic inheritance?

• Eye color

• Blood type

• Cystic fibrosis

• Sickle cell anemia

How does polygenic inheritance affect the variation of a trait in a population?

• It increases variation

• It decreases variation

• It eliminates variation

• It has no effect on variation

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Which of the following best describes the distribution of a polygenic trait in a population?

• A straight line

• A bell-shaped curve

• A zigzag pattern

• A flat line

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If a person is dominant for all alleles controlling height, what is the likely outcome?

• The person will be very short

• The person will be of average height

• The person will be very tall

• The person will have no change in height

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Which of the following is NOT a polygenic trait?

• Skin color

• Hair color

• Height

• Blood type

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What does each dominant allele do in polygenic inheritance?

• It subtracts from the expression of the next dominant allele

• It adds to the expression of the next dominant allele

• It cancels out the expression of the next dominant allele

• It has no effect on the expression of the next dominant allele

Why can't Mendel's rules fully explain the inheritance of human height?

• Because height is controlled by a single gene

• Because height is a polygenic trait

• Because height does not follow any genetic rules

• Because height is not inherited

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What is the relationship between the number of genes controlling a trait and the variation of that trait?

• More genes lead to less variation

• More genes lead to more variation

• The number of genes has no effect on variation

• Fewer genes lead to more variation

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Which of the following statements is true about polygenic traits?

• They are controlled by a single gene

• They show a limited range of phenotypes

• They often result in a continuous range of phenotypes

• They follow Mendel's laws of inheritance