Deck 3: Hereditary Influences on Development

Question 1

Irving and Sarah were told by their fertility doctor that Irving's sperm contains 23 chromosomes.What does this indicate regarding Irving's ability to father children?

A)Irving is infertile.
B)If Sarah successfully conceives a child with Irving, the child will have a chromosomal abnormality.
C)Irving is a typical male.
D)If Sarah successfully conceives a child with Irving, the child will have a metabolic disorder.

Answer 1

Irving is a typical male.

Question 2

Are most chromosomal abnormalities lethal or nonlethal?

A)Most are lethal and result in spontaneous abortion.
B)Most are nonlethal and result in Down syndrome.
C)Most are nonlethal and result in fragile-X syndrome.
D)Most are lethal and result in eventual death during childhood or adolescence.

Answer 2

Most are lethal and result in spontaneous abortion.

Question 3

Once a baby is conceived, how can genetic abnormalities be detected?

A)by blood testing of the fetus in the second trimester
B)by amniocentesis, because it is the only way to detect abnormalities prenatally
C)by at least three relatively low-risk procedures that can be used to detect many types of abnormalities
D)by several procedures that can be used to detect many types of abnormalities, although most pose considerable risk to the fetus

Answer 3

by at least three relatively low-risk procedures that can be used to detect many types of abnormalities

Question 4

Francine and her husband Jack are carriers of a genetic defect that results in a fatal metabolic disorder.Francine has just been told that she is pregnant.Which prenatal testing procedure would give Francine and Jack the earliest and most informative results regarding the health of their fetus?

A)ultrasound
B)amniocentesis
C)chorionic villus sampling
D)genetic imprinting

Question 5

According to the text, what is the cause of Down syndrome?

A)the action of a dominant gene contributed by the mother
B)the presence of extra sex chromosomes
C)the presence of an extra 21st chromosome
D)the action of a dominant gene contributed by the father

Question 6

What are polygenic traits determined by?

A)dominant genes
B)the combined influence of many genes
C)a genetic mutation
D)the combined influence of a recessive and a dominant gene

Question 7

Kyrin has several close relatives who are alcoholics, who are clinically depressed, or who suffer from schizophrenia.Kyrin has decided to have a vasectomy so that he will never father any children.He explains that his children would surely have a mental illness.Is Kyrin right?

A)He is wrong, because none of these disorders show any degree of heritability.
B)He is overreacting, because the odds are low that his children will have a disorder.
C)He is correct, because the chances are extremely high that his children will develop one or more disorders.
D)He is overreacting, because if he doesn't have any of these disorders, his children would have no risk of developing them either.

Question 8

Which disorder is attributable to a chromosomal abnormality?

A)muscular dystrophy
B)diabetes
C)cystic fibrosis
D)Down syndrome

Question 9

What is the complete set of cells in an organism known as?

A)germline
B)homologue
C)genome
D)autosome

Question 10

If the differences in IQ scores in a population were entirely a result of genetic factors, what would you expect to find about the correlation in IQ scores for twin pairs?

A)It would be higher for dizygotic twins reared together than for monozygotic twins reared apart.
B)It would be the same for monozygotic twins reared together and for monozygotic twins reared apart.
C)It would be higher for monozygotic twins reared together than for monozygotic twins reared apart.
D)It would be lower for monozygotic twins reared together than for monozygotic twins reared apart.

Question 11

According to Rowe and Plomin's research, what can you conclude if nonshared environmental influences are found to play a major role in the development of personality traits?

A)Environmental differences between individuals contribute more strongly than do similarities.
B)Environmental similarities between individuals contribute more strongly than do similarities.
C)Environmental differences and similarities contribute equally.
D)Environmental influences contribute very little, regardless of whether they are shared or unshared.

Question 12

Genetic uniqueness is ensured by a process during meiosis called crossing-over and by which other Mendelian principle?

A)polygenic inheritance
B)homologue segregation
C)independent assortment
D)differentiation

Question 13

Which trait illustrates the principle of codominance?

A)AB blood type
B)Down syndrome
C)colour blindness
D)phenylketonuria

Question 14

Disorders such as hemophilia, some forms of night blindness, and two types of muscular dystrophy occur at different rates in males and females.Which statement best characterizes the pattern of these disorders in the two sexes?

A)They are more likely to be displayed by males than by females.
B)They are more likely to be displayed by females than by males.
C)They are equally likely to be displayed in males and females because the mother is the carrier.
D)They are equally likely to be displayed in males and females because the father is the carrier.

Question 15

What does the mathematical index of heritability represent?

A)the predicted IQ score for a child based on the scores attained by both parents
B)the extent to which genetic factors account for variations in IQ within a population
C)the predicted IQ score for an infant based on the scores attained by older siblings
D)the proportion of an individual's IQ score that can be traced to genetic factors

Question 16

What do the sperm and the ovum each contribute at conception?

A)46 chromosomes
B)23 chromosomes, and one X or one Y
C)23 single chromosomes
D)46 gene pairs and one X and one Y chromosome

Question 17

What new cell is formed when the sperm's genetic material fuses with the ovum's genetic material?

A)embryo
B)zygote
C)blastocyst
D)fetus

Question 18

What does research with monozygotic twins on the role of heredity in mental illness indicate?

A)If one twin is diagnosed as mentally ill, it is inevitable that the second twin will eventually develop the same mental illness.
B)There is no greater likelihood of the second twin showing mental illness than there would be in any two nontwin siblings.
C)The second twin has an increased risk of developing the same disorder, but identical twins are usually discordant with respect to mental illness and behavioural disorders.
D)Mental illness shows almost no evidence of heritability.

Question 19

Genetic uniqueness is ensured by the Mendelian principle of independent assortment and by another process that occurs during meiosis.What is that process?

A)crossing-over
B)homologue segregation
C)polygenic inheritance
D)differentiation

Question 20

What occurs in the zygote as it moves through the fallopian tube toward the uterus?

A)It begins to reproduce itself through the process of meiosis.
B)It undergoes little change until after implantation in the uterus.
C)It begins to reproduce itself through the process of mitosis.
D)It undergoes rapid differentiation to determine the sex of the zygote.

Question 21

Moe and Jayme are twins.Even though Moe is a boy and Jayme is a girl, they look alike.On the basis of this information, what can you conclude about Moe and Jayme?

A)They must be monozygotic twins.
B)They could be either monozygotic or dizygotic twins.
C)They must be dizygotic twins.
D)They have the same genotype but are displaying different phenotypes.

Question 22

Harlan, who has fathered seven daughters, marries Sabah, who is the mother of four sons.If Sabah conceives a child with Harlan what is the probability that the child will be a boy?

A)10 percent
B)25 percent
C)50 percent
D)75 percent

Question 23

If monozygotic twins reared together are more alike on a characteristic than monozygotic twins reared apart, what can you infer regarding the relative roles of heredity and environment in determining that characteristic?

A)Heredity plays a role.
B)Environment plays a role.
C)Heredity plays no role.
D)Environment plays no role.

Question 24

Rhea and Brandon both have blue eyes.If eye colour is determined by simple dominant-recessive inheritance and brown is dominant, what percentage of their potential offspring will have brown eyes?

A)0 percent
B)25 percent
C)50 percent
D)75 percent

Question 25

Most common human characteristics are determined by which gene pattern?

A)a single dominant gene
B)a pair of recessive genes
C)a single recessive gene
D)many genes working together

Question 26

Imagine that behavioural geneticists have found a way to measure the characteristic of "punctuality." The correlation between twin pairs is .75 for monozygotic twins and .30 for dizygotic twins.Based on this information, what would a behavioural geneticist conclude about the influence of genes and environment on this trait?

A)It is strongly influenced by the environment because the heritability coefficient is nearly 1.00.
B)It is strongly influenced by genetics because the heritability coefficient is nearly 1.00.
C)It is mildly influenced by genetics because the heritability coefficient is nearly 0.45.
D)It is mildly influenced by the environment because the heritability coefficient is nearly 0.45.

Question 27

Mila and Ella are monozygotic twins who are 4 years old.Mila and Ella's parents always make a special effort to ensure the two girls are dressed differently and receive different presents on their birthday.According to Rowe and Plomin, the behaviour of their parents would be considered as examples of which type of influence?

A)shared hereditary influence
B)nonshared environmental influence
C)shared environmental influence
D)nonshared hereditary influence

Question 28

Sickle-cell anemia is a characteristic involving incomplete dominance.Suppose that a person is heterozygous for this characteristic.What will be the state of his or her red blood cells?

A)They will consist of a mixture of some normal round cells and some abnormal sickle-shaped cells.
B)They will consist of normal round cells in childhood but will mutate into sickle-shaped cells by adulthood.
C)They will consist of only sickle-shaped blood cells.
D)They will consist of no sickle-shaped blood cells.

Question 29

What is the result of the crossing-over phenomenon during meiosis?

A)Two genetically identical daughter cells are produced.
B)Undifferentiated germ cells form into gonads.
C)Two genetic cell types are produced, cells that are either genetically identical to the maternal cells or cells that are genetically identical to the paternal cells.
D)Segments of genetic material are exchanged between maternal and paternal homologues.

Question 30

What is germline gene therapy?

A)It is a therapy involving insertion of normal genes into patient's body tissues.
B)It is an invasive procedure involving prenatal surgery.
C)It is a highly controversial treatment wherein a section of DNA is transferred to cells to produce gametes.
D)It is a treatment involving changes in diet to target epigenetic changes in gene expression.

Question 31

What procedure might a pregnant woman consider having performed to test for possible chromosomal or genetic defects in the fetus?

A)amniocentesis
B)ultrasound
C)germline gene analysis
D)selective embryonic analysis

Question 32

Marjory is 45 years old and Jason is 51 years old.Marjory has just become pregnant and both are worried about having a child at their ages.Which prenatal screening procedure would their doctor most likely advise to rule out chromosomal abnormalities?

A)an ultrasound
B)amniocentesis
C)chorionic villus sampling
D)maternal blood analysis

Question 33

Imagine that behavioural geneticists have found a way to measure the characteristic of having a "sweet tooth." The correlation between twin pairs is .95 for monozygotic twins and .90 for dizygotic twins.Based on this information, what would a behavioural geneticist conclude about the influence of genes and environment on this trait?

A)It is mildly influenced by genetics because the heritability coefficient is nearly 0.00.
B)It is mildly influenced by the environment because the heritability coefficient is nearly 0.00.
C)It is strongly influenced by genetics because the correlations are so high for both types of twins.
D)It is influenced about equally by genetics and by the environment because the correlations are nearly identical for both types of twins.

Question 34

Christos has a sex chromosome abnormality.He is taller than most of his friends, but otherwise his appearance is typical for a male.Although he and his wife tried unsuccessfully for several years to conceive a child, his wife is now pregnant.Based on this description, which syndrome does Christos have?

A)Supermale syndrome
B)Turner syndrome
C)fragile-X syndrome
D)Klinefelter syndrome

Question 35

Which individuals are genetically identical?

A)monozygotic twins
B)dizygotic siblings
C)fraternal siblings
D)fraternal twins

Question 36

What is mitosis?

A)the process of cell division that produces the gametes
B)the process of cell division that occurs when portions of the chromosome pair are exchanged before the final cell division occurs
C)the process of cell division that occurs in females
D)the process of cell division that produces normative growth and development

Question 37

In comparison to ethologists, what is the best characterization of the position of behavioural geneticists?

A)Like ethologists, behavioural geneticists emphasize the biological basis for what makes individuals similar.
B)Unlike ethologists, behavioural geneticists focus on the contribution of heredity and minimize the role of environment.
C)Like ethologists, behavioural geneticists emphasize the biological basis for variation among individuals.
D)Unlike ethologists, behavioural geneticists emphasize the biological basis for variation among individuals.

Question 38

Suppose that two children differ in IQ by 20 points.According to Gottesman's range of reaction principle, what is the difference due to?

A)genetic differences in intellectual potential
B)differences in environmental favourableness
C)genetic differences in intellectual potential, depending on whether the environment of rearing was similar
D)ethnic variations in educational practices

Question 39

Which of the following causes hereditary defects such as cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria, and Tay-Sachs disease?

A)recessive genes
B)aging ova
C)dominant genes
D)extra chromosome(s)

Question 40

Some genetic disorders, such as Tay-Sachs disease, are always fatal, and yet these diseases occur in the offspring of two parents without the disorders themselves.How is this possible?

A)They are due to chromosomal abnormalities that occur as a result of aging of the ova or from exposure to environmental hazards.
B)They are spontaneous mutations that occur in response to stressors in the environment.
C)They are recessive disorders that occur when both parents are heterozygous carriers of the recessive gene.
D)They are the result of damage to the fetus during pregnancy and not inherited directly from the parents.

Question 41

Nerissa has a sex chromosome abnormality.She is short and has difficulty with tasks that require spatial reasoning.Based on this description, which syndrome does Nerissa have?

A)Poly-X syndrome
B)Turner syndrome
C)fragile-X syndrome
D)Klinefelter syndrome

Question 42

What is the term for the notion that genotype sets limits on the possible phenotypes that an individual might display in response to different environments?

A)canalization
B)range of reaction
C)gene-environment correlation
D)heritability coefficient

Question 43

For IQ scores, the correlation between monozygotic twins reared apart is lower than that between monozygotic twins reared together.What does this difference indicate about the role of environmental and genetic factors in the development intellectual ability?

A)Environmental factors have no impact.
B)Genetic factors have no impact.
C)Environmental factors have a greater influence than genetic factors.
D)Both genetic and environmental factors contribute equally.

Question 44

What would a researcher need to know to estimate the influence of nonshared environmental influences on a particular trait?

A)both the correlation between monozygotic twins reared together and the correlation between monozygotic twins reared apart
B)only the variation in the trait due to shared environmental influences
C)both the heritability ratio and the variation in the trait due to shared environmental influences
D)only the correlation between monozygotic twins reared together

Question 45

Marika's mother has red-green colour blindness, but her father does not.What can we predict about the colour vision of Marika and her three brothers?

A)Marika is colour blind, but her brothers' colour vision is normal.
B)All the children in this family are colour blind.
C)All of Marika's brothers are colour blind, but Marika's colour vision is normal.
D)None of the children in this family are colour blind.

Question 46

What is the term for how genes can be altered without altering the underlying DNA?

A)epigenetics
B)genotype
C)karyotype
D)phenotype

Question 47

Which of the following autosomal disorders is caused by an extra chromosome?

A)Down syndrome
B)sickle-cell anemia
C)fragile-X syndrome
D)Huntington's disease

Question 48

What determines the sex of an embryo?

A)the genetic contribution from the father
B)the genetic contribution from the mother
C)the genetic contribution from the parent who contributes the dominant gene on chromosome 23
D)the genetic contribution from the parent who contributes the recessive gene on chromosome 23

Question 49

What is the name of the field for the study of gene influences on behaviour?

A)biometric analysis
B)behavioural genetics
C)eugenics
D)ethology

Question 50

What is the cause of chromosomal abnormalities such as Klinefelter syndrome or Turner syndrome?

A)exposure to environmental hazards at conception
B)uneven segregation of the chromosomes during meiosis
C)the combined age of the ova and the sperm at conception
D)monogenic inheritance that follows a dominant pattern

Question 51

Rachel has exceptional vision.What is her vision an example of with respect to genotype and phenotype?

A)how her phenotype is expressed as a genotype
B)how her genotype is expressed as a phenotype
C)how her phenotype is expressed as an allele
D)how her genotype is expressed as an allele

Question 52

Most genetically inherited human characteristics, such as height, weight, and intelligence, are influenced by many allele pairs.What is this phenomenon called?

A)polygenic inheritance
B)epigenetics
C)simple codominant inheritance
D)independent assortment

Question 53

What did both Waddington and Gottesman emphasize as being important to the interaction of heredity and environment in development?

A)Heredity sets limits on the extent environment can influence outcomes.
B)The influence of environmental factors decreases over time.
C)An individual's intelligence and personality are determined during infancy and the preschool years.
D)The influence of genes is most important in early childhood.

Question 54

Max and his wife have five daughters.Max was complaining to his friends that he thinks his wife must have too much estrogen and that is why they have not had a boy.Why is Max's reasoning flawed?

A)The sex of the child is determined by his wife's genetic contribution, but not because of her estrogen level.
B)The sex of the child is determined by Max's genetic contribution.
C)Both parents' genetic contributions contribute to the determination of the child's sex.
D)The sex of the child is the result of codominance, and it is the dominant parent's genetic contribution that determines the sex of the child.

Question 55

Assume that having long arms is a recessive genetic trait controlled by a single pair of genes.If a child has long arms, but both the child's biological parents have short arms, what are the parents' genotypes for this trait?

A)The father is heterozygous and the mother is homozygous.
B)Both parents are heterozygous.
C)The mother is heterozygous and the father is homozygous.
D)Both parents are homozygous.

Question 56

What are alleles?

A)pairs of chromosomes in which one dominates the other
B)the site on the chromosome where two chromatids are joined
C)specific sequences of DNA that make up chromosomes
D)alternative forms of a gene at a particular site on a chromosome

Question 57

What is meiosis?

A)the process of cell division that occurs when portions of the chromosome pair are exchanged before the final cell division occurs
B)the process of cell division that produces the gametes
C)the process of cell division that occurs in males
D)the process of cell division that produces normative growth and development

Question 58

Which statement is the most accurate description of how phenotypes arise based on underlying genotype?

A)When a trait is influenced by multiple genes, extreme phenotypes will appear more frequently than average phenotypes.
B)Most complex phenotypes arise from a simple dominant-recessive pattern.
C)When a trait is influenced by a single gene pair, a large number of phenotypes will be evident in the population.
D)Most complex phenotypes arise from polygenic patterns rather than a single dominant gene.

Question 59

Does a man with Supermale syndrome inherit the syndrome from his mother or father?

A)his father
B)either his father or his mother depending on their age
C)either his father or his mother, depending on his maternal and paternal grandfathers' genotypes
D)his mother

Question 60

What is the prognosis for infants who are born with a hereditary defect in metabolism such as cystic fibrosis or phenylketonuria?

A)There is nothing that can be done to treat the condition.
B)Some but not all children can be treated.
C)Even for the majority of children that can be treated, the child's mental and physical functioning will be seriously compromised.
D)Even with treatment, most children will live only a very short time and die before reaching puberty.

Question 61

Which abnormality of the sex chromosomes is associated with mild-to-severe intellectual disability, particularly when the defective gene is inherited from the mother?

A)Turner syndrome
B)Klinefelter syndrome
C)fragile-X syndrome
D)Down syndrome

Question 62

Suppose that a researcher finds that monozygotic twins reared together in the same home show differences with respect to intelligence.What do those differences indicate about the role of environmental and genetic factors in the development of that trait?

A)Environmental factors have more influence than genetic factors.
B)Genetic factors have more influence than environmental factors.
C)Both genetics and environmental factors contribute equally.
D)Genetic factors are solely responsible.

Question 63

Children of mixed-race parents often have skin that is lighter than that of one parent but darker than that of the other parent.What genetic factor accounts for this outcome?

A)recessive traits
B)genetic mutations and crossing-over
C)codominance of traits
D)transmission of sex-linked characteristics

Question 64

Which of the following is common to these four chromosomal abnormalities: Turner syndrome, Poly-X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, and Supermale syndrome?

A)brittle chromosomes that have broken apart
B)an abnormal number of sex chromosomes
C)an extra 22nd chromosome
D)an extra 21st chromosome

Question 65

What is the term for a person who carries two dominant or two recessive genes for a particular trait?

A)heterozygous
B)homozygous
C)codominant
D)corecessive

Question 66

Which process results in monozygotic twins?

A)germline reproduction
B)a single fertilized ovum splitting into two zygotes
C)two ova released at the same time, each fertilized by a different sperm
D)crossing-over

Question 67

Scarr and McCartney propose that the attributes that an individual inherits will affect the behaviour of other people toward that individual.What did they call this type of influence?

A)passive
B)evocative
C)active
D)cooperative

Question 68

Which mode of transmission occurs when a trait is controlled by a recessive gene on the X chromosome?

A)The trait will be more commonly expressed in females than in males.
B)The trait will be more commonly expressed in males than in females.
C)The trait can be expressed only in females.
D)The trait can be expressed only in males.

Question 69

Which of the following options describes a person who carries one dominant and one recessive gene for a particular trait?

A)heterozygous
B)homozygous
C)codominant
D)corecessive

Question 70

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding epigenetics?

A)Germ cells are especially sensitive to the process of methylation.
B)Epigenetic modifications affect gene expression but have no effect on DNA.
C)Genes and environment interact but are independent of methylation.
D)Epigenetic effects are only observed under extraordinary circumstances.

Question 71

Which of the following methods for prenatal detection of genetic disorders analyzes cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from the placenta?

A)amniocentesis
B)chorionic villus sampling
C)ultrasound
D)non-invasive prenatal testing

Question 72

If two homozygous parents have normal vision, what allele for vision will their gametes carry?

A)All will carry the allele for normal vision.
B)One quarter will carry the allele for normal vision.
C)Half will carry the allele for normal vision and half will carry the allele for nearsightedness.
D)Three quarters will carry the allele for normal vision.

Question 73

In order to determine whether a human zygote will develop into a typical male, what must the 23rd pair of chromosomes consist of?

A)YY
B)XX
C)XY
D)YO

Question 74

Suppose that a researcher reports that he or she has evidence for nonshared environmental influences on a personality trait.What data would he or she have to provide to rule out the influence of individual differences in genotype?

A)Monozygotic twins reared together displayed differences that can be attributed only to environmental influences.
B)Dizygotic twins differed and had experienced different environments.
C)Siblings differed and had experienced different environments.
D)Monozygotic twins reared apart did not differ in personality despite environmental differences.

Question 75

If the differences in IQ scores in a population were entirely a result of environmental factors, what would you expect to find about the correlation in IQ scores for twin pairs?

A)It would be higher for dizygotic twins reared together than for monozygotic twins reared apart.
B)It would be the same for monozygotic twins reared together and for monozygotic twins reared apart.
C)It would be lower for monozygotic twins reared together than for monozygotic twins reared apart.
D)It would be higher for monozygotic twins reared apart than for dizygotic twins reared together.

Question 76

In comparing amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS), which is the most accurate statement?

A)Amniocentesis provides earlier results but poses more of a risk to the fetus.
B)Amniocentesis provides earlier results and poses less of a risk to the fetus.
C)CVS provides earlier results but poses more of a risk to the fetus.
D)CVS provides earlier results and poses less of a risk to the fetus.

Question 77

Scarr and McCartney propose that the environments children prefer and seek out are ones that are compatible with their genetic predispositions.What did they call this type of influence?

A)passive
B)evocative
C)cooperative
D)active

Question 78

If the correlation for a trait is .75 for monozygotic twins, .55 for siblings, .23 for cousins, and .11 for genetically unrelated adopted siblings, what could you conclude regarding the contribution of heredity and environment?

A)Heredity plays no role in the trait.
B)Environment plays no role in the trait.
C)Heredity is a prime contributor to the trait, but environment also plays a role.
D)Environment is the prime contributor to the trait, with heredity making only a minor contribution.

Question 79

For which discovery was Mendel responsible?

A)the sequence of genes on the chromosomes
B)mitosis and meiosis
C)fragile-X syndrome
D)genetic dominance

Question 80

What is the term for the particular combination of genes that each person inherits?

A)autosome
B)genetic imprint
C)phenotype
D)genotype