Understanding Heredity and Genetics

What is heredity?

• The process of natural selection

• The passing of traits from parents to their offspring through genes

• The mutation of genes

• The variation in traits among individuals

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What is a gene?

• A molecule that carries genetic instructions

• A unit of heredity that determines some characteristic of the offspring

• A thread-like structure made of DNA

• A characteristic or feature of an organism

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How many pairs of chromosomes do humans typically have?

• 22

• 23

• 24

• 25

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What is DNA?

• A type of protein

• A molecule that carries the genetic instructions for life

• A form of a gene

• A diagram used to predict genetic outcomes

What is a trait?

• A unit of heredity

• A characteristic or feature of an organism

• A type of mutation

• A process of natural selection

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What is an allele?

• A molecule that carries genetic instructions

• A different form of a gene for a particular trait

• A thread-like structure made of DNA

• A process of inheritance

What is a phenotype?

• The genetic constitution of an individual

• The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism

• A change in the DNA sequence

• A diagram used to predict genetic outcomes

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What is a genotype?

• The observable characteristics of an organism

• The genetic constitution of an individual

• A process of natural selection

• A type of mutation

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What is a dominant allele?

• An allele that only expresses its trait when two copies are present

• An allele that expresses its trait even in the presence of a recessive allele

• A change in the DNA sequence

• A process of inheritance

What is a recessive allele?

• An allele that expresses its trait even in the presence of a dominant allele

• An allele that only expresses its trait when two copies are present

• A molecule that carries genetic instructions

• A characteristic or feature of an organism