WorksheetsG10 IGCSE Inheritance, Variation & Selection Quiz
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
The diagram shows the inheritance of sex in humans.
What is the chance of the couple’s next child being male?
25%
50%
75%
100%
Which type of cell is produced by meiosis?
fertilised egg cell
leaf cell
red blood cell
sperm cell
What will cause the rate of mutation to increase?
increase in exposure to ionising radiation
increase in genetic variation in a population
increase in phenotypic variation in a population
increase in the rate of reproduction
A feature of some plants that live in dry places is that the leaves are reduced to spines.
What is an advantage of the leaves being reduced to spines?
decrease in photosynthesis
decrease in transpiration
increase in photosynthesis
increase in transpiration
What is the transmission of genetic information from generation to generation known as?
cell division
inheritance
meiosis
mitosis
The diagram shows the chromosomes in one human cell.
What can be concluded from the chromosomes in this cell?
The cell is from a man.
The cell is from a woman.
There are only 23 chromosomes per body cell.
There are only 46 pairs of chromosomes per sex cell.
The allele for detached earlobes is dominant to the allele for attached earlobes.
Two parents are heterozygous for detached earlobes.
What is the probability of their first child having attached earlobes?
0%
25%
50%
75%
Farmers have bred Holstein-Friesian cattle to produce more milk than older breeds of cattle.
Which process was used to produce these cattle?
adaptation
genetic engineering
natural selection
selective breeding
Scientists have produced yellow rice called Golden Rice. Golden Rice has been produced by the insertion of genes into rice plants.
What is involved in the production of Golden Rice?
genetic engineering
mutation
natural selection
selective breeding
The diagram shows the formation of new diploid cells.
What do arrows X and Y represent?
X = duplication of chromosomes; Y = meiosis
X = duplication of chromosomes; Y = mitosis
X = meiosis; Y = duplication of chromosomes
X = mitosis; Y = duplication of chromosomes
A man marries a woman who has a different blood group from him. They have two children. The children have different blood groups from each other and different blood groups from their parents.
What are the genotypes of the parent’s blood groups?
IAIA and IAIB
IAIA and IoIo
IAIB and IBIB
IAIB and IoIo
Sickle-cell anaemia is a genetic disease that is caused by the allele HbS. HbA is the normal allele.
A woman does not have the symptoms of the disease but her brother does show symptoms.
If her mother and father do not have symptoms, which statement is correct?
The woman has the genotype HbSHbS.
The woman’s brother has the genotype HbAHbA.
The woman’s father and mother both have the genotype HbAHbS.
The woman’s father and mother both have the genotype HbSHbS.
Over the last 30 years some antibiotics have become less effective in treating bacterial infection.
What is the reason for this?
artificial selection
asexual reproduction
more effective new antibiotics
natural selection
What is an example of genetic engineering?
using enzymes to make washing powders
using pectinase to make fruit juice
producing plants that have been given genes for resistance to insect pests
using yeast to make bread
The diagram shows a cell of an organism. The nucleus contains 12 chromosomes.
After it divides by mitosis, how many chromosomes would be present in one of the daughter cells?
6
12
18
24
Pure-breeding black-feathered chickens are mated with pure-breeding white-feathered chickens.
All of the individuals in the offspring in the F1 generation have both black and white feathers.
What will be the ratio of offspring phenotypes when two of the F1 generation chickens are crossed?
1 black : 1 white
1 black : 2 black and white : 1 white
3 white : 1 black
3 black : 1 white
The diagram shows the bases on part of a chromosome, P, responsible for the production of normal haemoglobin. The same part of another chromosome, Q, is responsible for the production of sickle-cell haemoglobin.
What has caused the difference between the two chromosomes?
discontinuous variation
gene mutation
phenotypic variation
selective breeding
The diagram shows reproduction in a potato plant. Potato X was planted into the ground and a plant grew from it. The plant then produced potato Y.
Which statement is correct?
X and Y are genetically different.
Y was produced by asexual reproduction.
Y was produced by sexual reproduction.
Y was produced by the fusion of gametes.
The graph shows the masses of two different types of tomato.
What can be concluded from the graph?
Genes do not affect the mass of tomatoes.
Type 1 tomatoes show continuous variation.
Type 2 tomatoes are sometimes smaller than type 1 tomatoes.
Type 2 tomatoes show discontinuous variation.
What do genes code for?
fats
proteins
starch
sugars
What are the uses of meiosis and mitosis?
A
B
C
D
An alligator has 32 chromosomes in each of the cells of its nose.
How many chromosomes will an alligator zygote contain?
16
32
46
64
What are stem cells?
specialised cells that divide by meiosis to produce daughter cells
specialised cells that divide by mitosis to produce daughter cells
unspecialised cells that divide by meiosis to produce daughter cells
unspecialised cells that divide by mitosis to produce daughter cells
The list shows the diploid number of chromosomes of four organisms.
fruit fly 8
human 46
potato 48
garden pea 14
What is the correct chromosome number of a male sex cell in each of these organisms?
fruit fly = 4; human = 23; potato = 24; garden pea = 7
fruit fly = 4; human = 46; potato = 12; garden pea = 7
fruit fly = 8; human = 46; potato = 48; garden pea = 14
fruit fly = 16; human = 92; potato = 96; garden pea = 28
The number of bacteria resistant to antibiotics is increasing.
What has contributed to this situation?
choosing the antibiotic carefully to match the strain of bacterium
not completing the course of prescribed antibiotics
tracing, testing and treating people who have been in contact with the infected person
using antibiotics only when essential
Dianthus flowers can be one of three different colours: red, pink or white. A red flower is always homozygous and a white flower is always homozygous. Pink flowers are heterozygous.
If a red and a white flower are crossed, what percentage of the offspring will be pink?
0%
25%
75%
100%
Which row correctly shows whether the nuclei of the cells are diploid or haploid?
A
B
C
D
Colour blindness is a condition that occurs more frequently in men than in women.
Which statement about this condition is correct?
It affects the cornea.
It can pass from father to son.
It is a sex-linked characteristic.
The gene is on the Y chromosome.
The diagram shows the phenotypes for blood groups in a family.
Which statement about the genotypes of the parents is correct?
Both parents have alleles for blood group A and B.
Both parents have the allele for blood group O.
Only the father has the allele for blood group O.
Only the mother has the allele for blood group O.
Cells are formed by the division of existing cells. Four different cells are shown.
Which cell is produced by meiosis?
Albinism is an inherited condition in which pigment does not develop in the skin, hair and eyes.
The allele for albinism is recessive.
What are the chances of albino parents having an albino child?
0%
25%
75%
100%
The term used to describe the number of chromosomes in an egg or sperm cell is .........
diploid
gamete
haploid
zygote
What are the possible blood groups of the offspring of parents who have blood group A and B?
AB only
A and B
A, B and AB
A, B, AB and O
The diagram shows a family tree and the inheritance of the ability to taste a certain substance. The allele for the ability to taste this substance is dominant.
Which statement about the genotypes of the sisters Mary and Jeanne is correct?
Mary is heterozygous and Jeanne is homozygous.
Mary is homozygous and Jeanne is heterozygous.
They are both heterozygous.
They are both homozygous.
Haemophilia is a sex-linked recessive condition. A haemophiliac man has one son who has inherited haemophilia and two more sons who have not. The man’s wife is pregnant again.
If this baby is a girl, what is the chance that she will have haemophilia?
0%
25%
50%
75%
Antibiotics often do not work as effectively against bacterial infections as they used to.
What change has taken place in the bacteria, and what type of selection has brought this about?
change in the bacteria = have become immune to the antibiotic;
type of selection = artificial
change in the bacteria = have become immune to the antibiotic;
type of selection = natural
change in the bacteria = have become resistant to the antibiotic;
type of selection = artificial
change in the bacteria = have become resistant to the antibiotic;
type of selection = natural
Which definition of continuous variation is correct?
variation that results in a limited number of phenotypes between two extremes
variation that results in a limited number of phenotypes with no intermediates
variation that results in a range of phenotypes between two extremes
variation that results in a range of phenotypes with no intermediates
When is evolution by natural selection most likely to occur?
when there is a stable population of predators
when there is a stable environment
when there is less variation in the population
when there is more variation in the population
What are all reasons why bacteria are useful in genetic engineering?
They are very small. They do not need large containers. They have no mitochondria.
They reproduce asexually. They can double their numbers in twenty minutes in good conditions. They have cell walls.
They have the same genetic code as other organisms. They have plasmids. There is a lack of ethical concern about their use.
Their DNA is not in a nucleus. They have a cell membrane. They have a large surface area to volume ratio.
Which human characteristic is an example of discontinuous variation?
height
skin colour
tongue rolling
weight
An adaptive feature of an organism is defined as one that helps the organism to .....
change.
disperse to new habitats.
grow
survive and reproduce.
Corn is a crop plant. Glow-worms are organisms which give off light. Which process could use these two species to make corn plants which glow?
breeding the organisms together
causing mutations in the organisms
selective breeding
transferring genes from one species to another species
One strand of a DNA molecule contains the base sequence AGT. What is the base sequence on the other strand of the DNA molecule?
AGT
GAT
TAC
TCA
Which feature of sexual reproduction helps a species to evolve?
Fewer offspring are produced than in asexual reproduction.
Offspring are the result of the fusion of the nuclei of dissimilar gametes.
Offspring always inherit advantageous characteristics.
Offspring produced will always be in a suitable environment
The diagram shows a family tree and the inheritance of the ability to taste a certain substance. The allele for the ability to taste this substance is dominant.
Which statement about the genotypes of the sisters Mary and Jeanne is correct?
Mary is heterozygous and Jeanne is homozygous.
Mary is homozygous and Jeanne is heterozygous.
They are both heterozygous.
They are both homozygous.
What is not a feature of natural selection?
competition for resources
production of many offspring
selection by humans
variation within the population
A gene for insulin is taken from a human cell and placed in a bacterium. The bacterium can then make human insulin. What is this process called?
artificial selection
genetic engineering
heterozygous inheritance
natural selection
What is a mutation?
a random change in a gene or chromosome
a condition caused by a dominant allele
a process used in genetic engineering
a type of continuous variation
In pea plants the allele for tall, T, is dominant to the allele for dwarf, t. Which cross would produce plants in the proportion of 1 tall: 1 dwarf?
TT × Tt
Tt × Tt
Tt × tt
tt × tt
When human DNA is inserted into the plasmid DNA of bacteria, which enzyme is used to cut the DNA?
DNA ligase
lipase
protease
restriction enzyme
