MCAT Biology : MCAT Biological Sciences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for MCAT Biology

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Example Questions

Example Question #1101 : Mcat Biological Sciences

Consider a plant with the following characteristics.

Round leaves (R) are dominant to pointed leaves (r).

White flowers (W) are dominant to pink flowers (w).

Plants heterozygous for both traits are crossed.

What is the probability of obtaining a plant with pointed leaves and pink flowers?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The scenario described is a dihybrid cross. Draw a Punnett Square for the scenario, and identify the frequency of obtaining the genotype (wwrr), which is the only genotype that will display both recessive traits.

Punnett_square_9

You should be familiar with the ratios represented in a dihybrid cross: 9:3:3:1. There will be nine inidividuals with both dominant traits (pointed leaves and white flowers), three individuals dominant for one trait (round leaves and pink flowers), three individuals dominant for the other trait (pointed leaves and white flowers), and only one individual recessive for both traits (pointed leaves and pink flowers).

Example Question #1101 : Mcat Biological Sciences

Consider a plant with the following characteristics.

Round leaves (R) are dominant to pointed leaves (r).

White flowers (W) are dominant to pink flowers (w).

Plants heterozygous for both traits are crossed.

What is the probability of obtaining a plant with pointed leaves and white flowers?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The genotype to obtain pointed leaves is rr, while the genotypes to obtain white flowers are WW or Ww. Determine the frequence of obtaining WWrr or Wwrr using a Punnett Square.

Punnett_square_10

You should be familiar with the ratios represented in a dihybrid cross: 9:3:3:1. There will be nine inidividuals with both dominant traits (pointed leaves and white flowers), three individuals dominant for one trait (round leaves and pink flowers), three individuals dominant for the other trait (pointed leaves and white flowers), and only one individual recessive for both traits (pointed leaves and pink flowers).

Example Question #21 : Mendel And Inheritance Patterns

Assume that a trait is expressed according to the mechanism of complete dominance. Each gene contributes one of two possible alleles. Which of the following statements is true?

Possible Answers:

The genotype is the expressed trait of the individual

If two heterozygous organisms mate, 25% of the progeny will be homozygous

There are three possible phenotypes the organism can express

If two heterozygous organisms mate, 75% of the progeny will display the dominant phenotype

Correct answer:

If two heterozygous organisms mate, 75% of the progeny will display the dominant phenotype

Explanation:

If a trait is expressed by complete dominance, the dominant allele will be expressed over the recessive allele. The only time that the recessive trait is expressed is when the organism has two recessive alleles. The genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism, while the phenotype is the physical expression of a trait.

Since there are only two alleles for the trait, there are two distinct phenotypes that the organism can express. A Punnett square reveals that two heterozygous organisms will yield a progeny with 75% displaying the dominant phenotype. 50% of the progeny will be heterozygous, and the other half will be homozygous.

Aa x Aa

Child 1: AA (homozygous, dominant)

Child 2: Aa (heterozygous, dominant)

Child 3: Aa (heterozygous, dominant)

Child 4: aa (homozygous, recessive)

Example Question #31 : Genetics

A condition is known to be X-linked dominant. An affected man and unaffected woman have a son. What is the likelihood that the son will be affected?

Possible Answers:

There is a one in two chance that the son will be affected

The son will be affected

There is a one in four chance the son will be affected

The son cannot be affected

There is a three in four chance that the son will be affected

Correct answer:

The son cannot be affected

Explanation:

Males carry an X-chromosome and a Y-chromosome, while females carry two X-chromosomes. A son, by necessity, must inherit a Y-chromosome from the father and an X-chromosome from the mother. In this case, the affected father cannot possibly transfer his allele to the son because the condition is linked to the X-chromosome. We also know that the trait is X-linked dominant and that the mother is unaffected; since the trait is dominant, she cannot possible be a carrier, and must have two copies of the wild type allele. As a result, the son must inherit a Y-chromosome from the father and a wild type X-chromosome from the mother. The son cannot possibly be affected.

Example Question #31 : Genetics

A certain type of plant is only tall when it has a heterozygous genotype. If two heterozygous plants are crossed, what is the probability their offspring will also be tall?

Possible Answers:

100%

0%

25%

75%

50%

Correct answer:

50%

Explanation:

The cross between two heterozygous plants (Tt and Tt) will result in 25% TT, 50% Tt and 25% tt.

Example Question #34 : Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, And Genetics

Prions are the suspected cause of a wide variety of neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. According to prevailing theory, prions are infectious particles made only of protein and found in high concentrations in the brains of infected animals. All mammals produce normal prion protein, PrPC, a transmembrane protein whose function remains unclear. 

Infectious prions, PrPRes, induce conformational changes in the existing PrPC proteins according to the following reaction:

PrPC  + PrPRes  → PrPRes + PrPRes

The PrPRes is then suspected to accumulate in the nervous tissue of infected patients and cause disease. This model of transmission generates replicated proteins, but does so bypassing the standard model of the central dogma of molecular biology. Transcription and translation apparently do not play a role in this replication process.

This theory is a major departure from previously established biological dogma. A scientist decides to test the protein-only theory of prion propagation. He establishes his experiment as follows:

Homogenized brain matter of infected rabbits is injected into the brains of healthy rabbits, as per the following table:

Rabbit 1 and 2: injected with normal saline on days 1 and 2

The above trials serve as controls.

Rabbit 3 and 4: injected with homogenized brain matter on days 1 and 2

The above trials use unmodified brain matter.

Rabbit 5 and 6: injected with irradiated homogenized brain matter on days 1 and 2

The above trials use brain matter that has been irradiated to destroy nucleic acids in the homogenate.

Rabbit 7 and 8: injected with protein-free centrifuged homogenized brain matter on days 1 and 2

The above trials use brain matter that has been centrifuged to generate a protein-free homogenate and a protein-rich homogenate based on molecular weight.

Rabbit 9 and 10: injected with boiled homogenized brain matter on days 1 and 2

The above trials use brain matter that have been boiled to destroy any bacterial contaminants in the homogenate.

Some patients have a predisposition to developing neurodegenerative disease due to genetic mutations in the PrPC gene. If a father knows that he has the mutation, but never develops the disease, and the mother knows she is not a carrier, what is the probability that their son will develop the disease? Assume that this disease follows simple Mendelian inheritance patterns.

Possible Answers:

100%

50%

25%

0%

75%

Correct answer:

25%

Explanation:

This is a simple Mendelian recessive trait. It must be recessive if the father is a carrier but never affected. 

Example Question #33 : Genetics

In peas, the gene for yellow color (C) is dominant to the gene for green color (c). To determine the genotype of an unknown yellow pea, what kind of pea should you cross with it?

Possible Answers:

Homozygous recessive (cc) or known heterozygous (Cc)

It is impossible to determine

Another unknown green pea

Any genotype

Homozygous dominant

Correct answer:

Homozygous recessive (cc) or known heterozygous (Cc)

Explanation:

We are unsure if our yellow pea is homozygous dominant (CC) or heterozygous (Cc). Crossing it with a homozygous recessive (cc) green pea will yield only yellow peas if it is homozygous dominant, or a mix of green and yellow if it is heterozygous. We could also cross it with a known heterozygote, as we would see the same pattern as if we had crossed with a homozygous recessive.  

Example Question #1108 : Mcat Biological Sciences

A mother is homozygous for blood type A and a father has blood type AB. Which of the following could describe their child's blood type?

Possible Answers:

Type A or type AB

Type O

Type B

Type A

Correct answer:

Type A or type AB

Explanation:

We are told that the mother is homozygous for blood type A (AA) and the father has blood type AB (AB). Using a simple punnett squre we can find that 50% of the offspring would be blood type A and 50% would be blood type AB.

Example Question #31 : Mendel And Inheritance Patterns

Consider a plant with the following characteristics.

Round leaves (R) are dominant to pointed leaves (r).

White flowers (W) are dominant to pink flowers (w),

Plants heterozygous for both traits are crossed.

What is the probabilty of obtaining a plant that is heterozygous for both traits?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

A plant heterozygous for both traits possesses the genotype WwRr. Consider the Punnett Square and determine the frequency of such an event.

Punnett_square_11

You should be familiar with the ratios represented in a dihybrid cross: 9:3:3:1. There will be nine inidividuals with both dominant traits (pointed leaves and white flowers), three individuals dominant for one trait (round leaves and pink flowers), three individuals dominant for the other trait (pointed leaves and white flowers), and only one individual recessive for both traits (pointed leaves and pink flowers). In this case, we are looking at a subcategory of the plants dominant for both traits. Four of these nine will be heterozygous for both traits.

Example Question #42 : Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, And Genetics

Consider a plant with the following characteristics.

Round leaves (R) are dominant to pointed leaves (r).

White flowers (W) are dominant to pink flowers (w).

Plants heterozygous for both traits are crossed.

What is the probability of obtaining a plant that is homozygous for both traits?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Plants homozygous for both traits have the following genotypes: WWRR, WWrr, wwRR, and wwrr. Consider the Punnett Square and calculate the frequency.

Punnett_square_12

Each of the described genotypes will occur only once in the Punnett square, leading to a probability of .

You should be familiar with the ratios represented in a dihybrid cross: 9:3:3:1. There will be nine inidividuals with both dominant traits (pointed leaves and white flowers), three individuals dominant for one trait (round leaves and pink flowers), three individuals dominant for the other trait (pointed leaves and white flowers), and only one individual recessive for both traits (pointed leaves and pink flowers).

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