Comprehension Questions

Section 3.1

Question 3.1

Why was Mendel’s approach to the study of heredity so successful?

Question 3.2

What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

Section 3.2

Question 3.3

What is the principle of segregation? Why is it important?

Question 3.4

How are Mendel’s principles different from the concept of blending inheritance discussed in Chapter 1?

Question 3.5

What is the concept of dominance?

Question 3.6

What are the addition and multiplication rules of probability and when should they be used?

Question 3.7

Give the genotypic ratios that may appear among the progeny of simple crosses and the genotypes of the parents that may give rise to each ratio.

Question 3.8

What is the chromosome theory of heredity? Why was it important?

Section 3.3

Question 3.9

What is the principle of independent assortment? How is it related to the principle of segregation?

Question 3.10

In which phases of mitosis and meiosis are the principles of segregation and independent assortment at work?

Section 3.4

Question 3.11

How is the chi-square goodness-of-fit test used to analyze genetic crosses? What does the probability associated with a chi-square value indicate about the results of a cross?

For more questions that test your comprehension of the key chapter concepts, go to for this chapter.