Question

Geneticist Geri notices that a woman exhibits Trait L. With certainty, she asks the woman, "Which of your parents also exhibits this trait?" The woman is surprised that Geri knew that one of her parents had to also display Trait L. Knowing which fact would have cleared up the woman's confusion?

Answer 1

Answer: A. Trait L is governed by a dominant allele.

Options:

A. Trait L is governed by a dominant allele.

B)  Trait L is governed by a recessive allele.

C)  Trait L involves polygenic inheritance.

D)  None of these would help to clear up the confusion.

Explanation: A dominant allele gives humans a dominant trait that is passed on from their parents. This physical trait, or characteristic will always be present whether it is combined with the same characteristic or a different one in their genotype. For example, dark hair is dominant over blonde hair. This makes blonde hair a recessive trait, so when an allele controlling dark hair is present, the person will have dark hair regardless of whether one of their parents has passed on the recessive allele that gives blonde hair.

In the question above, explaining to the woman that trait L is governed by a dominant allele will help her understand that it must have been passed on to her from one of her parents.