Class 12 Biology (NCERT)

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Ch-4: Principles of Inheritance and Variation 12 Questions

Before You Practice

Try each question on your own first. Use the Show Answer button only after you have selected your option, then read the explanation and revise the related concept from your chapter notes.

1. Gregor Mendel conducted his classical genetic experiments primarily on:

  • A. Garden pea (Pisum sativum)
  • B. Fruit fly (Drosophila)
  • C. Maize
  • D. Human pedigrees

2. Mendel's Law of Segregation states that:

  • A. The two alleles of a gene separate from each other during gamete formation
  • B. Genes located on different chromosomes assort independently
  • C. All traits observed are always dominant
  • D. Genetic traits always blend together in offspring

3. In a dihybrid cross between two heterozygous parents, the typical phenotypic ratio observed in the F2 generation is:

  • A. 9:3:3:1
  • B. 3:1
  • C. 1:2:1
  • D. 1:1:1:1

4. A cross between an F1 heterozygote and a homozygous recessive parent is specifically called a:

  • A. Test cross
  • B. Dihybrid cross
  • C. Reciprocal cross
  • D. Back cross to the dominant parent

5. Sex determination in humans is primarily based on the presence of:

  • A. X and Y chromosomes
  • B. Only autosomes
  • C. Only X chromosomes
  • D. Hormone levels alone

6. Haemophilia, a well-known bleeding disorder, is an example of a:

  • A. Sex-linked recessive disorder
  • B. Autosomal dominant disorder
  • C. Autosomal recessive disorder
  • D. Y-linked disorder

7. Down's syndrome in humans is primarily caused by:

  • A. Trisomy of chromosome 21
  • B. Deletion of chromosome 21
  • C. Trisomy of the X chromosome
  • D. Monosomy of chromosome 21

8. Pedigree analysis is a technique primarily used to study the:

  • A. Inheritance pattern of a specific trait within a family
  • B. DNA sequence of an organism
  • C. Overall process of gamete formation
  • D. Physical structure of a chromosome

9. Incomplete dominance results in a hybrid phenotype that is:

  • A. Intermediate between the two parental phenotypes
  • B. Identical to only one of the two parents
  • C. A blend that eventually reverses over generations
  • D. Never actually observed in nature

10. The ABO blood group system in humans is a classic example of:

  • A. Multiple allelism
  • B. Sex-linked inheritance
  • C. Incomplete dominance exclusively
  • D. Polygenic inheritance exclusively

11. Linked genes are genes that are located:

  • A. On the same chromosome, and tend to be inherited together
  • B. On entirely different chromosomes
  • C. Only within mitochondrial DNA
  • D. Only on the sex chromosomes

12. A mutation is best described as a:

  • A. Sudden, heritable change occurring in the genetic material
  • B. Non-heritable change limited to the phenotype only
  • C. Change that can only result from crossing over
  • D. A type of dominant trait exclusively

How to use these MCQs

This page contains a chapter-wise objective practice set. Try the questions without checking the answer first, then use the explanation to understand the point you missed. The current page contains 12 questions, so you can practise in smaller sets when you are revising.

Quick revision tip

After the practice set, write down the question numbers you missed and revise only those concepts once more. This makes MCQ practice more useful than repeatedly attempting the same questions without reviewing mistakes.

More for this chapter

Class 12 › Biology › Principles of Inheritance and Variation
Chapter notesRead the chapterPractice MCQsCheck what you rememberChapter test10 questions on one pageOnline testTest 1, 2 and 3, one question at a timePYQPrevious year questionsStudy materialPDF notes
Topics in this chapter: Mendel's Laws of InheritanceDeviations from Mendelian InheritanceChromosomal Theory and Sex DeterminationMutation and Genetic Disorders