Question

Early twentieth century Russia was in great turmoil as the Bolshevik Revolution ended 300 years of monarchical rule. Tsar Nicholas Romanov, his wife, Tsarina Alexandra, and their five children were placed under house arrest, but disappeared in the summer of 1918. Rumors abounded about their possible execution or escape from Russia.
Two years later, a young woman named Anna Anderson claimed that she was Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. There was much controversy surrounding Anna's claim. Some believed she was a fraud, others that she was indeed the lost Princess Anastasia. Anna remained steadfast in her claim until her death in 1984.

In 1991, the remains of nine skeletons, five male and four female, were exhumed from a shallow grave east of Moscow. Evidence from nuclear DNA showed that three of the young women were related and that one of the men and one of the women were their parents.

Further evidence from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) showed that one of the women could be positively identified as Tsarina Alexandra and that one of the men was indeed Tsar Nicholas II. The other three women had mtDNA that matched that of the Tsarina's and were identified as three of the Tsar's children. Anastasia and her younger brother, Alexei, were not among those found in the grave. This led to further speculation about Anastasia's possible escape from Russia after her parents were killed.

In 2007, an additional grave was found near that exhumed in 1991. It contained the remains of a teenage girl and boy. These remains were mtDNA tested, as well as samples from Anna Anderson, uncovered from hospital storage long after her death.

Analysis of the mtDNA supported the hypothesis that Princess Anastasia had been killed with her family in 1918. Which of the following statements support this hypothesis? Select all that apply.

a. The mtDNA of Anna Anderson bore no resemblance to that of Tsarina Alexandra.

b. The mtDNA from the remains of the teenage girl matched that of Tsar Nicholas II.

c. Tsarina Alexandria's mtDNA was found to be a match to that of the teenage girl.

d. The mtDNA from Anna Anderson matched that of Tsarina Alexandra.

e. The mtDNA of the teenage girl and boy matched each other.

Answer 1

Answer:

a. The mtDNA of Anna Anderson bore no resemblance to that of Tsarina Alexandra

c. Tsarina Alexandria's mtDNA was found to be a match to that of the teenage girl.

Explanation:

Mitochondria contain their own DNA known as mtDNA, a strand which is inherited maternally. mtDNA can be used to find maternal ancestry and cannot be passed down by a paternal parent.

This information provides evidence given that the remains of the teenage girl had mtDNA that was identical to the mother, Tsarina Alexandra. It also gave evidence as to why Anna Anderson's claim of being Anastasia were false as the mtDNA of her and Tsarina Alexandra were not similar.

As to why the other answers cannot support the hypothesis, mtDNA is a maternally passed-down strand making the father, Tsar Nicholas Romanov, from having identical mtDNA to his children. On the other hand, if the teenage girl were to not have matching mtDNA to that of Tsuarina's mtDNA, this would disprove the theory of the girl being related to her.

While the teenage boy also had matching mtDNA with the girl, this only proves that the two were related to one another but not necessarily related to Tsarina unless the mtDNA of all three were proven identical.