Name: _________________________________
Study Guide: Chapters 12 and 13
Mendelian Genetics & DNA and RNA Intro
Hybrid
Homozygous
Phenotype
Character
Dominant
mRNA
Trait
Recessive
tRNA
Cross
P generation
rRNA
Gene
F1 generation
RNA
Allele
F2 generation
DNA
Heterozygous
Genotype
DNA polymerase
1. What was Mendel’s educational background and why did this allow him to be so successful in
his heredity experiments?
2. What organism did Mendel do his experiments with?
3. Give three reasons why this model organism was very good for genetic experiments?
4. What is the definition of ‘genotype’?
5. What is the definition of ‘phenotype’?
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Name: _________________________________
6. How many PAIRS of chromosomes do humans have?
7. Why do we see some genetic conditions show up in males much more than they show up in
females?
8. Describe the shape and size of human sex chromosomes:
9. What does DNA look like in its most condensed form?
10. What does DNA look like in its least-condensed form?
11. Where is DNA contained within each cell type (prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic)? Why is this location
especially important for eukaryotes?
12. What does DNA stand for?
13. What does RNA stand for?
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Name: _________________________________
14. Why did Mendel need ‘true breeding’ plants for his experiments?
15. Why is Mendel’s work so significant, considering the time period he was working in (1860’s)?
16. List and define each of Mendel’s three Laws of Inheritance:
a. Law of ____________________________________:
b. Law of ____________________________________:
c. Law of ____________________________________:
17. What is the definition of ‘Codominance?’ Give one example of how this concept works.
18. What is ‘Incomplete Dominance?’ Give one example of how this concept works.
19. Define ‘polygenic’ and give an example of a polygenic trait.
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Name: _________________________________
20. Define ‘sex-linked traits.’
21. What three terms do we use to characterize the GENOTYPE of an individual?
22. Name the four nucleotides found in DNA. How do you know which nucleotides bond to each
other?
23. What are the three major components of every nucleic acid?
24. What does DNA physically look like?
25. What does RNA physical look like?
26. During what phase of the CELL LIFE CYCLE is the entire genetic code copied? Why do we need
two copies of all the DNA instructions?
27. What is a monohybrid cross?
28. What is a dihybrid cross?
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Name: _________________________________
29. Explain the major differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA:
30. List the three types of RNA we discussed in class and describe the job of each type.
31. Why is the final goal of biology often to produce PROTEINS? Why are proteins so special and so
important??
32. Why is DNA replication described as ‘semi-conservative?’ What does this mean and why is this
beneficial to us?
Fill in the blank:
33. ________________________________________ is known as the father of modern genetics.
34. A _________________________________ is the result of mixing two genetically different
parents.
35. If we cross two individuals to examine a single genetic trait, we have performed a
_______________________ cross.
36. If an individual has two different alleles for a given gene, that individual is described as
________________________________.
37. ____________________ is the type of RNA that decodes mRNA and translates it into a protein.
38. DNA replication is characterized as being _______________________________________.
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Name: _________________________________
39. The process of duplicating a cell’s entire genetic code occurs during _______ phase of the cell
life cycle.
40. Each gene serves as a recipe for constructing a ____________________________.
41. Mendel found that when crossing two ‘true-breeding’ individuals, the F1 offspring show
_______________________ phenotypes.
42. ________________________ are two different version of the same gene.
43. If an individual has two of the same alleles for a given gene, that individual is described as
___________________________.
44. _____________________________ are the organelles responsible for protein synthesis.
45. The allele that is always exhibited when it is present is known as the ______________________
allele.
46. In eukaryotic cells, protein synthesis takes place in the _____________________________.
47. The type of RNA responsible for transporting the RNA message from the nucleus to the
ribosome is called ____________________.
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