Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Skills Worksheet
st
Read the passage below. Notice that the sentences are numbered. Answer the questions that follow.
1 All living things are able to pass on their characteristics (traits) to their offspring because the genes that determine their characteristics are passed on from parent to offspring each generation. 2 Genes are sets of inherited instructions for making proteins that are coded in a molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA). 3 The passing of traits from parents to offspring is called heredity.
4 parents. 5
Heredity is the reason children tend to resemble their
Sometimes genes are the cause of physical abnormalities and serious diseases. 6 Through the science of genetics, researchers have been able to understand the causes of many of these conditions in humans. 7 Now that genetics researchers know how to read the complete set of genetic instructions (genome) for humans, the potential for developing treatments for genetic diseases has greatly increased.
SKILL: READING EFFECTIVELY
Read each question, and write your answer in the space provided.
1. Why does the word traits appear in parentheses in Sentence 1?
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2. The word genes appears in boldface type in Sentence 2. What does the use of boldface type indicate?
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3. Based on Sentence 3, how would you define the word heredity ?
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Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Holt Biology 5 Applications of Biology

Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Active Reading continued
4. In Sentence 6, to what do the words these conditions refer?
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SKILL: RECOGNIZING CAUSE AND EFFECT
Read each question, and write your answer in the space provided.
5. A cause-and-effect relationship is identified in Sentence 4. What is the effect of heredity?
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6. Another cause-and-effect relationship is identified in Sentence 5. What does the word sometimes indicate about the “cause” in this relationship?
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7. Sentence 7 describes another cause-and-effect relationship. Summarize this relationship.
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In the space provided, write the letter of the term that best completes the statement.
_____ 8. Genes are instructions for making
a. humans.
b. genomes.
c. proteins.
d. diseases.
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Holt Biology 6 Applications of Biology