Asked in Premeth Test 27 — InheritanceModerate

A woman with normal vision, but whose father was color blind, marries a color blind man. Suppose that the fourth child of this couple was a boy. This boy:

Correct answer: A. May be color blind or may have normal vision

  • A. May be color blind or may have normal vision
  • B. Must be color blind
  • C. Must have normal color vision
  • D. Will be partially color blind since he is heterozygous for the color blind mutant allele

Explanation

The correct answer is that the boy may be color blind or may have normal vision. This is because the mother is a carrier of the color-blind allele (heterozygous), giving her son a 50% chance of inheriting either the color-blind allele or the normal vision allele. This illustrates the probabilistic nature of inheritance for X-linked recessive traits. Option B is incorrect because it assumes certainty of color blindness, which is not the case given the 50% probability. Option C is incorrect as it overlooks the possibility of inheriting the color-blind allele. Option D is incorrect because it misrepresents the genetic nature of X-linked traits; males are hemizygous and cannot be partially color blind.

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About Inheritance

Mendel's laws explain segregation, independent assortment and the prediction of genetic ratios using alleles, genotypes and phenotypes. The chapter also covers linked genes, recombination and crossing over during meiosis, then applies pedigree reasoning to X-linked recessive traits, which show different inheritance patterns in males and females.

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