Question

A particular plant has 10 pairs of chromosomes in each cell. For each of the plant's gametes, how many genetic combinations are possible through independent assortment?
A. 200
B. 512
C. 1,024
D. 1,048,576

Answer: C. 1,024

I hope this helps.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. 1,024

The answer can be worked out using 2^pairs of chromosomes

Explanation:

Imagine there were two pairs of chromosomes:

• A paired with B
• C paired with D

A gamete could have the following combinations:

• A + C
• A + D
• B + C
• B + D

Therefore, with two pairs of chromosomes, there are 4 (2²) possibilities

Now, Imagine there were three pairs of chromosomes:

• A paired with B
• C paired with D
• E paired with F

A gamete could have the following combinations:

• A + C  + E
• A + D + E
• A + D + F
• A + C + F
• B + D + F
• B + C + F
• B + C + E
• B + D + E

Therefore, with three pairs of chromosomes, there are 4 (2³) possibilities

For 10 chromosomes - there are 2¹⁰ possibilities. 2¹⁰ = 1024