Genetics Quizzes: Test Your Understanding of Heredity

Question 1

Which tool is used to separate DNA fragments?

Accepted Answer

Electrophoresis gel

Answer

Centrifuge

Answer

PCR machine

Answer

Microscope

Question 2

A characteristic of a co-dominant allele is that:

Accepted Answer

Both alleles are fully expressed

Answer

Neither allele is dominant

Answer

Heterozygotes have an intermediate phenotype

Answer

Homozygotes have identical phenotypes

Question 3

The genetic makeup of an individual is referred to as their:

Accepted Answer

Genotype

Answer

Phenotype

Answer

Allele

Answer

Genome

Question 4

An individual who displays a dominant trait but carries a recessive allele is said to be:

Accepted Answer

Aa

Answer

AA

Answer

aa

Answer

aA

Question 5

Which type of mutation alters the amino acid sequence of a protein?

Accepted Answer

Missense mutation

Answer

Silent mutation

Answer

Nonsense mutation

Answer

Splice site mutation

Question 6

An example of a trait inherited based on genes located on sex chromosomes is:

Accepted Answer

Hemophilia

Answer

Eye color

Answer

Height

Answer

Hair color

Question 7

Which technique separates DNA fragments based on their size?

Accepted Answer

Gel electrophoresis

Answer

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Answer

Karyotyping

Answer

DNA fingerprinting

Question 8

The bonds that hold together the complementary DNA strands are:

Accepted Answer

Hydrogen bonds

Answer

Ionic bonds

Answer

Covalent bonds

Answer

Van der Waals interactions

Question 9

Which of the following traits is considered monogenic?

Accepted Answer

Eye colour

Answer

Height

Answer

Skin colour

Answer

Intelligence

Question 10

Which nitrogenous base is NOT found in DNA?

Accepted Answer

Uracil

Answer

Adenine

Answer

Thymine

Answer

Guanine

Question 11

What term describes the observable characteristics of an organism?

Accepted Answer

Phenotype

Answer

Genotype

Answer

Allele

Answer

Locus

Question 12

What is the primary function of DNA polymerase in DNA replication?

Accepted Answer

Synthesizes new DNA strands

Answer

Proofreads and corrects errors

Answer

Unwinds the DNA double helix

Answer

Separates the DNA strands

Question 13

What is the primary function of a codon in a DNA sequence?

Accepted Answer

To code for a specific amino acid

Answer

To regulate gene expression

Answer

To store genetic information

Answer

To initiate protein synthesis

Question 14

Which of the following characteristics describes a recessive allele?

Accepted Answer

It is expressed only in homozygous individuals

Answer

It is always dominant over other alleles

Answer

It is found exclusively on sex chromosomes

Answer

It is solely responsible for determining an individual's phenotype

Question 15

Which of the following traits is an example of a sex-linked characteristic?

Accepted Answer

Colour blindness

Answer

Height

Answer

Blood type

Answer

Eye colour

Question 16

What is the fundamental distinction between genotype and phenotype?

Accepted Answer

Genotype refers to an individual's genetic makeup, while phenotype represents its observable traits

Answer

Genotype represents an individual's observable traits, while phenotype refers to its genetic makeup

Answer

Genotype and phenotype are always identical

Answer

Genotype is determined by the environment, while phenotype is determined by genetics

Question 17

Which technique is commonly used in genetic engineering to introduce foreign DNA into a cell?

Accepted Answer

Recombinant DNA technology

Answer

Polymerase Chain Reaction

Answer

Gel electrophoresis

Answer

Restriction enzyme digestion

Question 18

What is the biological process by which DNA makes an identical copy of itself during cell division?

Accepted Answer

Replication

Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Mutation

Question 19

Which molecule is NOT directly involved in DNA replication?

Accepted Answer

RNA polymerase

Answer

Helicase

Answer

DNA polymerase

Question 20

In genetics, what is the basic unit of inheritance?

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Nucleotide

Answer

Allele

Question 21

Which of the following determines the observable characteristics of an organism?

Accepted Answer

Phenotype

Answer

Genotype

Answer

Allele

Answer

Karyotype

Question 22

What is the term for a permanent alteration in the DNA sequence?

Accepted Answer

Mutation

Answer

Translation

Answer

Transcription

Answer

Recombination

Question 23

Which type of inheritance pattern results in a 50% chance of inheriting a dominant allele?

Accepted Answer

Autosomal dominant

Answer

Autosomal recessive

Answer

X-linked dominant

Answer

X-linked recessive

Question 24

Which type of cell division results in two genetically identical daughter cells?

Accepted Answer

Mitosis

Answer

Meiosis

Answer

Binary fission

Answer

Budding

Question 25

What is the process by which mRNA is formed from DNA?

Accepted Answer

Transcription

Answer

Replication

Answer

Translation

Answer

Mutation

Question 26

Which of the following is the genetic material found in all living organisms?

Accepted Answer

DNA

Answer

RNA

Answer

Protein

Answer

Lipid

Question 27

What is the term for a specific region of DNA that codes for a particular protein?

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Allele

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Nucleotide

Question 28

What term describes the alternative forms of a gene that determine different traits?

Accepted Answer

Alleles

Answer

Genotype

Answer

Phenotype

Answer

Karyotype

Question 29

What is the basic structural unit of a DNA molecule, consisting of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and a phosphate group?

Accepted Answer

Nucleotide

Answer

Amino acid

Answer

Codon

Answer

Anticodon

Question 30

Which biological process is responsible for synthesizing RNA using DNA as a template?

Accepted Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Answer

Replication

Answer

Mutation

Question 31

What type of genetic material is found within viruses?

Accepted Answer

Both DNA and RNA

Answer

DNA

Answer

RNA

Answer

Neither DNA nor RNA

Question 32

Which of the following is considered the fundamental unit of heredity carrying genetic information?

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Cell

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Nucleotide

Question 33

What is the term for the process by which genetic information is transferred from one generation to another?

Accepted Answer

Inheritance

Answer

Replication

Answer

Transcription

Answer

Translation

Question 34

Which molecular biology technique is commonly used to amplify specific DNA sequences for various applications?

Accepted Answer

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Answer

DNA fingerprinting

Answer

Gel electrophoresis

Answer

DNA sequencing

Question 35

What term describes alternative forms of a gene that code for different versions of a trait?

Accepted Answer

Alleles

Answer

Mutations

Answer

Phenotypes

Answer

Genotypes

Question 36

In Mendelian inheritance, what is the likelihood of offspring inheriting two recessive alleles from heterozygous parents?

Accepted Answer

25%

Answer

75%

Answer

50%

Answer

100%

Question 37

Which type of variation arises from changes in the DNA sequence, leading to altered gene function?

Accepted Answer

Genetic variation

Answer

Phenotypic variation

Answer

Epigenetic variation

Answer

Environmental variation

Question 38

Which molecule is primarily responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information?

Accepted Answer

DNA

Answer

Carbohydrate

Answer

RNA

Answer

Protein

Question 39

Which ethical concern is associated with the use of genetic testing and information?

Accepted Answer

Potential discrimination

Answer

Limited availability

Answer

High cost

Answer

Lack of accuracy

Question 40

What is the term for the process by which genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next?

Accepted Answer

Inheritance

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Selection

Answer

Expression

Question 41

Select the option that does not represent a recognized type of genetic variation.

Accepted Answer

Epigenetic variation

Answer

Gene duplication

Answer

Point mutation

Answer

Chromosomal deletion

Question 42

Who is widely recognized as the father of genetics?

Accepted Answer

Gregor Mendel

Answer

Charles Darwin

Answer

James Watson

Answer

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Question 43

The basic unit of heredity, responsible for transmitting traits from parents to offspring, is the:

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

DNA molecule

Answer

Protein

Question 44

Which inheritance pattern results in a phenotypic ratio of 3:1 in offspring?

Accepted Answer

Dominant-recessive

Answer

Codominance

Answer

Incomplete dominance

Answer

Polygenic

Question 45

Who are credited with discovering the structure of DNA, the molecule that holds genetic information?

Accepted Answer

James Watson and Francis Crick

Answer

Rosalind Franklin

Answer

Erwin Chargaff

Answer

Gregor Mendel

Question 46

What is the central principle behind genetic engineering?

Accepted Answer

Altering the genetic material of organisms

Answer

Studying the causes of genetic disorders

Answer

Analyzing DNA sequences

Question 47

Which of the following is a potential ethical consideration raised by the advancements in genetic engineering?

Accepted Answer

Concerns over the potential consequences of manipulating genetic material

Answer

Creating genetically modified organisms

Answer

Curing genetic diseases

Answer

Improving crop yields