Complete question:
Question: Genes in different chromosomes _____ during meiosis. Genes that are very close together in the same chromosome are _____.
a) do not assort independently; unrelated
b) assort independently; unrelated
c) assort independently; linked
d) do not assort independently; linked
Answer:
c) assort independently; linked
Explanation:
During anaphase-I of meiotic division, homologous chromosomes are moved to the opposite poles of the cell. This segregation also separates the alleles of genes present on the chromosomes to the opposite poles. The segregation of genes is a random event which means that the alleles of one gene segregate independently of the alleles of some other gene. This requires that the genes are present on separate chromosomes.
The genes present close together on the same chromosomes are linked. This means that they are inherited together and do not exhibit independent assortment.
