BIOD 210 Module 1-7 Exam Genetics –
Complete Question & Answer Bank
(2026/2027 Update) | Portage Learning |
100% Verified Pass Guide
Question 1
What is genetics?
A) The study of evolution and natural selection
B) The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
C) The study of cell division and metabolism
D) The study of protein synthesis and function
Answer: B) The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
Rationale: Genetics focuses on understanding how genes contribute to the passing of traits
from parents to offspring. It encompasses both heredity (the transmission) and variation (the
differences).
Question 2
What is the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance?
A) Chromosomes are contained within genes that encode for all genetic traits
B) Chromosomes inherited from a father will always be dominant over those from the mother
C) The proteins within chromosomes are the main drivers of genetic inheritance
D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are carried on chromosomes
Answer: D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are carried on chromosomes
Rationale: Proposed by Sutton and Boveri in the 1910s, this theory linked Mendel's abstract
"factors" to physical structures—chromosomes. It established that chromosomes segregate and
assort independently during meiosis, explaining how genes are transmitted from parents to
offspring.
Question 3
,How does the theory of Epigenesis differ from Preformation?
A) Preformation states development builds structures stepwise; epigenesis states a preformed
human just grows
B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human exists in the gamete and only grows; epigenesis
says structures arise gradually from an initially simple embryo
C) Both theories state that environment alone shapes the embryo
D) They are the same concept with different names
Answer: B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human exists in the gamete and only grows;
epigenesis says structures arise gradually from an initially simple embryo
Rationale: Preformationists imagined a homunculus inside the gamete that simply enlarged.
Epigenesis correctly states that tissues and organs form progressively through cell division and
differentiation, matching modern developmental biology.
Question 4
What type of plants did Gregor Mendel use in his famous experiments?
A) Corn plants
B) Pea plants
C) Tomato plants
D) Wheat plants
Answer: B) Pea plants
Rationale: Mendel chose garden peas because they have easily observable traits, short
generation times, and can self-pollinate or be cross-pollinated. This allowed him to derive the
basic laws of inheritance, such as segregation and independent assortment.
Question 5
A DNA nucleotide consists of which three components?
A) Phosphate group, ribose sugar, nitrogenous base
B) Phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, nitrogenous base
C) Sulfate group, deoxyribose sugar, amino acid
D) Phosphate group, glucose, nitrogenous base
Answer: B) Phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, nitrogenous base
,Rationale: A DNA nucleotide consists of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose (pentose) sugar, and
one of four nitrogenous bases (A, T, C, G). RNA uses ribose sugar and Uracil instead of Thymine.
Question 6
The theory of spontaneous generation was disproved by:
A) Louis Pasteur using swan-neck flasks
B) Gregor Mendel using pea plants
C) James Watson using X-ray diffraction
D) Charles Darwin using finches
Answer: A) Louis Pasteur using swan-neck flasks
Rationale: Pasteur's swan-neck flask experiment demonstrated that broth remained sterile even
when exposed to air, as long as dust and microbes were trapped in the neck. This refuted the
idea that life arises spontaneously from non-living matter.
Question 7
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection requires:
A) Use and disuse of organs
B) Inheritance of acquired characteristics
C) Variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success
D) Spontaneous generation
Answer: C) Variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success
Rationale: Darwin's theory posits that individuals within a population vary in traits. These traits
are heritable, and individuals with traits better suited to the environment tend to survive and
reproduce more (differential success), changing the population over time.
Question 8
What is the diploid number of chromosomes in a normal human somatic cell?
A) 23
B) 24
, C) 46
D) 48
Answer: C) 46
Rationale: Humans are diploid organisms. Somatic cells contain 46 chromosomes (23 pairs—22
autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes). Gametes (sperm/egg) contain the haploid number
of 23.
Question 9
Who proposed the double helix model of DNA?
A) Gregor Mendel
B) Charles Darwin
C) James Watson and Francis Crick (with data from Rosalind Franklin)
D) Matthias Schleiden
Answer: C) James Watson and Francis Crick (with data from Rosalind Franklin)
Rationale: In 1953, Watson and Crick proposed the double helix model. They utilized X-ray
diffraction images taken by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, which revealed the helical
structure and dimensions of the DNA molecule.
Question 10
Which of the following best reflects the relationship between genotype and phenotype?
A) The genotype is solely determined by the environment
B) The phenotype is the observable expression of the genotype interacting with the
environment
C) The genotype is the physical trait, and the phenotype is the genetic code
D) Genotype and phenotype are identical terms
Answer: B) The phenotype is the observable expression of the genotype interacting with the
environment
Rationale: Genotype refers to the specific genetic makeup of an individual (the alleles).
Phenotype is the physical manifestation of those genes. Environmental factors can modify the
phenotype.
Complete Question & Answer Bank
(2026/2027 Update) | Portage Learning |
100% Verified Pass Guide
Question 1
What is genetics?
A) The study of evolution and natural selection
B) The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
C) The study of cell division and metabolism
D) The study of protein synthesis and function
Answer: B) The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
Rationale: Genetics focuses on understanding how genes contribute to the passing of traits
from parents to offspring. It encompasses both heredity (the transmission) and variation (the
differences).
Question 2
What is the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance?
A) Chromosomes are contained within genes that encode for all genetic traits
B) Chromosomes inherited from a father will always be dominant over those from the mother
C) The proteins within chromosomes are the main drivers of genetic inheritance
D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are carried on chromosomes
Answer: D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are carried on chromosomes
Rationale: Proposed by Sutton and Boveri in the 1910s, this theory linked Mendel's abstract
"factors" to physical structures—chromosomes. It established that chromosomes segregate and
assort independently during meiosis, explaining how genes are transmitted from parents to
offspring.
Question 3
,How does the theory of Epigenesis differ from Preformation?
A) Preformation states development builds structures stepwise; epigenesis states a preformed
human just grows
B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human exists in the gamete and only grows; epigenesis
says structures arise gradually from an initially simple embryo
C) Both theories state that environment alone shapes the embryo
D) They are the same concept with different names
Answer: B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human exists in the gamete and only grows;
epigenesis says structures arise gradually from an initially simple embryo
Rationale: Preformationists imagined a homunculus inside the gamete that simply enlarged.
Epigenesis correctly states that tissues and organs form progressively through cell division and
differentiation, matching modern developmental biology.
Question 4
What type of plants did Gregor Mendel use in his famous experiments?
A) Corn plants
B) Pea plants
C) Tomato plants
D) Wheat plants
Answer: B) Pea plants
Rationale: Mendel chose garden peas because they have easily observable traits, short
generation times, and can self-pollinate or be cross-pollinated. This allowed him to derive the
basic laws of inheritance, such as segregation and independent assortment.
Question 5
A DNA nucleotide consists of which three components?
A) Phosphate group, ribose sugar, nitrogenous base
B) Phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, nitrogenous base
C) Sulfate group, deoxyribose sugar, amino acid
D) Phosphate group, glucose, nitrogenous base
Answer: B) Phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, nitrogenous base
,Rationale: A DNA nucleotide consists of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose (pentose) sugar, and
one of four nitrogenous bases (A, T, C, G). RNA uses ribose sugar and Uracil instead of Thymine.
Question 6
The theory of spontaneous generation was disproved by:
A) Louis Pasteur using swan-neck flasks
B) Gregor Mendel using pea plants
C) James Watson using X-ray diffraction
D) Charles Darwin using finches
Answer: A) Louis Pasteur using swan-neck flasks
Rationale: Pasteur's swan-neck flask experiment demonstrated that broth remained sterile even
when exposed to air, as long as dust and microbes were trapped in the neck. This refuted the
idea that life arises spontaneously from non-living matter.
Question 7
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection requires:
A) Use and disuse of organs
B) Inheritance of acquired characteristics
C) Variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success
D) Spontaneous generation
Answer: C) Variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success
Rationale: Darwin's theory posits that individuals within a population vary in traits. These traits
are heritable, and individuals with traits better suited to the environment tend to survive and
reproduce more (differential success), changing the population over time.
Question 8
What is the diploid number of chromosomes in a normal human somatic cell?
A) 23
B) 24
, C) 46
D) 48
Answer: C) 46
Rationale: Humans are diploid organisms. Somatic cells contain 46 chromosomes (23 pairs—22
autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes). Gametes (sperm/egg) contain the haploid number
of 23.
Question 9
Who proposed the double helix model of DNA?
A) Gregor Mendel
B) Charles Darwin
C) James Watson and Francis Crick (with data from Rosalind Franklin)
D) Matthias Schleiden
Answer: C) James Watson and Francis Crick (with data from Rosalind Franklin)
Rationale: In 1953, Watson and Crick proposed the double helix model. They utilized X-ray
diffraction images taken by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, which revealed the helical
structure and dimensions of the DNA molecule.
Question 10
Which of the following best reflects the relationship between genotype and phenotype?
A) The genotype is solely determined by the environment
B) The phenotype is the observable expression of the genotype interacting with the
environment
C) The genotype is the physical trait, and the phenotype is the genetic code
D) Genotype and phenotype are identical terms
Answer: B) The phenotype is the observable expression of the genotype interacting with the
environment
Rationale: Genotype refers to the specific genetic makeup of an individual (the alleles).
Phenotype is the physical manifestation of those genes. Environmental factors can modify the
phenotype.
