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Very Short Question and Answers - Mendel’s Experiments and Laws

Q 1.
Who is known as the 'Father of Genetics' and what plant did he conduct his experiments on?

Ans:

Gregor Mendel is known as the 'Father of Genetics', and he conducted his experiments on pea plants (Pisum sativum).

Q 2.
What are two main types of crosses Mendel performed in his experiments?

Ans:

Mendel performed monohybrid crosses (studying one trait) and dihybrid crosses (studying two traits simultaneously).

Q 3.
List two reasons why Mendel chose pea plants for his experiments.

Ans:

Pea plants have easily observable contrasting traits and can both self-pollinate and cross-pollinate.

Q 4.
In Mendel’s monohybrid cross for plant height, what were the genotypes of the parental plants?

Ans:

The genotypes were TT (tall) for one parent and tt (dwarf/short) for the other.

Q 5.
What was the phenotype of all plants in the F1 generation when Mendel crossed a tall (TT) and a short (tt) pea plant?

Ans:

All plants in the F1 generation were tall.

Q 6.
What was the phenotypic ratio in the F2 generation of a monohybrid cross for plant height?

Ans:

The phenotypic ratio was 3 tall : 1 dwarf.

Q 7.
What is the genotypic ratio in the F2 generation of a monohybrid cross (TT x tt)?

Ans:

The genotypic ratio is 1 TT : 2 Tt : 1 tt.

Q 8.
Define the Law of Dominance.

Ans:

The Law of Dominance states that in a pair of genes for a trait, one gene (dominant) masks the effect of the other (recessive) in the F1 generation.

Q 9.
Provide an example illustrating the Law of Dominance from Mendel’s experiments.

Ans:

When a tall (TT) and a short (tt) plant were crossed, all F1 offspring (Tt) appeared tall, showing tallness is dominant over shortness.

Q 10.
State the Law of Segregation.

Ans:

The Law of Segregation states that the two alleles for a trait separate during gamete formation, so each gamete gets just one allele.

Q 11.
What kind of gametes are formed by a plant with genotype Tt, according to the Law of Segregation?

Ans:

A Tt plant forms two types of gametes: one with T allele and one with t allele.

Q 12.
Name and define Mendel’s law related to inheritance of two traits simultaneously.

Ans:

It is the Law of Independent Assortment, which states that alleles of different genes are inherited independently of each other when gametes are formed.

Q 13.
What is the phenotypic ratio in the F2 generation of a dihybrid cross according to Mendel?

Ans:

The phenotypic ratio is 9:3:3:1.

Q 14.
In Mendel’s dihybrid cross involving seed color and seed shape, what are the four possible combinations observed in the F2 generation?

Ans:

Yellow round, yellow wrinkled, green round, green wrinkled.

Q 15.
What were the phenotypes of all plants in the F1 generation of Mendel’s dihybrid cross (YYRR x yyrr)?

Ans:

All plants in the F1 generation were yellow and round (YyRr).

Q 16.
Why is the Law of Independent Assortment important in genetics?

Ans:

It explains how different traits can appear in new combinations in the offspring, leading to genetic variation.

Q 17.
Give an example of a monohybrid cross other than plant height mentioned in Mendel’s experiments.

Ans:

Flower color: crossing purple (PP) and white (pp) flowers resulted in F1 generation all purple (Pp), with a 3 purple:1 white ratio in F2.

Q 18.
What was the main conclusion Mendel drew from his experiments on inheritance?

Ans:

Traits are inherited as discrete units (genes) and follow specific laws regarding their expression and distribution in offspring.

Q 19.
How did Mendel’s use of pure-breeding plants contribute to the accuracy of his results?

Ans:

Pure-breeding plants ensured that each parent passed only consistent traits, allowing Mendel to observe inheritance patterns without ambiguity.

Q 20.
How are Mendel’s laws significant for modern genetics?

Ans:

Mendel’s laws form the foundation of modern genetics, explaining how traits are inherited in all organisms, not just pea plants.

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