Study Guide for Exam 1: Mendelian Genetics
Topic 1: Meiosis and Fertilization
CA Science Biology Standard 2: Mutation and sexual reproduction lead to genetic variation in a
population.
A. What is meiosis?
Vocab: cell cycle, meiosis, sexual reproduction, cell division, DNA replication, prophase I,
metaphase I, anaphase I, telophase I, prophase II, metaphase II, anaphase II, telophase II,
segregation, nondisjunction, Down syndrome, trisomy, cytokinesis, diploid, haploid,
spermatogenesis, spermatogonia, oogenesis, testis, sperm, oogonia, ovary, polar body, egg,
gamete, genetic variation, synapsis, chromosome
Textbook: 118-126, 144-149
Notebook: ___________
What processes ensure that the gametes produced in meiosis are genetically unique? How
are new combinations of alleles generated?
Vocab: meiosis, prophase I, metaphase I, metaphase II, anaphase I, anaphase II, telophase I,
telophase II, homologous chromosomes, tetrad, crossing over, independent assortment, random
chromosome segregation, karyokinesis, gamete, fertilization, zygote, haploid, diploid, genotype,
phenotype, progeny, karyotype
Textbook: 118-126, 144-149
Notebook: ___________
What are the roles of chromosomes in determining an individual’s sex?
Vocab: chromosome, DNA, protein, gene, polypeptide, fertilization, gamete, progeny, somatic
cell, sex cell, autosome, homologous chromosomes, sex chromosome, X chromosome, Y
chromosome
Textbook: 118-126
Notebook: ___________
How do you predict possible combinations of alleles in a zygote from the genetic makeup of
the parents?
Vocab: allele, zygote, gamete, genetic locus, fertilization
Textbook: 166-169
Notebook: ___________
Topic 2: Mendel’s Laws
CA Science Biology Standard 3: A multicellular organism develops from a single zygote, and its
phenotype depends on its genotype, which is established at fertilization.
A. How do you predict the probable outcome of phenotypes in a genetic cross from the
genotypes of the parents and mode of inheritance?
Vocab: monohybrid cross, Punnett square, autosomal dominant allele, autosomal recessive allele,
incomplete dominant allele, X-linked allele, polygenic inheritance, incomplete dominance,
multiple alleles, codominance, environmental influences, nature versus nurture, genotype,
phenotype, gamete, genotypic ratio, progeny, probability, genetic disorder, albinism, cystic
fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, phenylketonuria (PKU), Huntington disease, dwarfism, neurofibromatosis,
color blindness, hemophilia, fragile-X syndrome, sex-linked muscular dystrophy
Textbook: 170-182
Notebook: ___________
B. What is the genetic basis for Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent
assortment?
Vocab: gamete, meiosis, law of independent assortment, law of segregation, first filial generation,
second filial generation, monohybrid cross, gene, locus, allele, dominant, recessive
Textbook: 162-169
Notebook: ___________
C. How do you predict the probable mode of inheritance from a pedigree diagram showing
phenotypes?
Vocab: pedigree diagram, phenotype, genotype, autosomal dominant mode of inheritance,
autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, sex-linked mode of inheritance
Textbook: pp. 175-176
Notebook: ___________
How do you use data on frequency of recombination at meiosis to estimate genetic distances
between loci and to interpret genetic maps of chromosomes?
Vocab: karyotype, locus, recombination, meiosis
Textbook: not in textbook
Notebook: ___________
Topic 3: Population Genetics
CA Science Biology Standard 7: The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on
many factors and may be stable or unstable over time.
A. Why are alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual still maintained in a gene pool?
Vocabulary: allele, genotype, homozygous, heterozygous, recessive, gene pool, heterozygote
carrier
Textbook: 330
Notebook: ___________