Unit 6: Heredity

Question 1

What is the difference between a genotype and a phenotype?

Answer 1

A genotype is the genetic makeup of the traits of an organism. A phenotype is the expression of the genotype (e.g. Bb is the genotype and a person having brown hair is the phenotype)

Question 2

What is a homozygous allele?

Answer 2

2 of the same alleles in a trait (e.g. BB or bb)

Question 3

True or false: A carrier of a disease has homozygous alleles

Answer 3

False. Carriers are individuals who do not have the disease yet have a recessive allele for it are considered carriers as they can pass it to their offspring

Question 4

What is X-linked inheritance?

Answer 4

Characteristics determined solely by the X chromosome (e.g. colourblindness)