Deck 2: Conception, Environment, and Heredity

Question 1

An ovum duplicates itself repeatedly by cell division to produce all the cells that make up a baby.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

If fertilization does not occur, the ovum and any sperm cells in the woman's body die.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

In the context of infertility in women being caused by blockage of the fallopian tubes, there is a 50 percent likelihood that the tubes are blocked by scar tissue from sexually transmitted infections.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection involves injecting a single sperm into the ovum.

Question 5

At the moment of conception, the single-celled zygote receives all the biological information needed to guide its development into a unique individual.

Question 6

Once hormones signal the SRY gene on the X chromosome to turn on, cell differentiation and formation of the ovaries are triggered.

Question 7

At 6 to 8 weeks after conception, the testes start to produce the male hormone testosterone.

Question 8

Permanent alterations in genes or chromosomes that usually produce harmful characteristics but provide the raw material of evolution are called mutations.

Question 9

Defects transmitted by recessive genes tend to be lethal at an earlier age, in contrast to those transmitted by dominant genes as they can be passed down to the next generation by carriers.

Question 10

Incomplete dominance is a pattern of inheritance in which certain characteristics carried on the X chromosome inherited from the mother are transmitted differently to her male and female offspring.

Question 11

Chromosomal abnormalities typically occur because of errors in cell division.

Question 12

Children with Down syndrome tend to benefit cognitively, socially, and emotionally when placed in special schools rather than in regular classrooms.

Question 13

Heritability refers to the relative influence of heredity and environment in a particular individual.

Question 14

The tendency to seek out environments compatible with one's genotype is called niche-picking.

Question 15

Obesity is measured by body mass index (BMI).

Question 16

Autism is likely to have an environmental basis rather than a genetic basis and shows greater concordance between dizygotic twins than between monozygotic twins.

Question 17

Advanced paternal age is a risk factor for schizophrenia.

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true about fertilization?

A) At birth, a female is likely to have about 2 million immature ova in her two ovaries.
B) Fertilization typically occurs before the ovum reaches the fallopian tube.
C) Fertilization typically involves only one sperm being released into the vagina.
D) At birth, a male is likely to have about a several hundred million sperm cells.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true about infertility?

A) Obesity is unlikely to have a negative effect on fertility.
B) Smoking is likely to have a strong negative effect on fertility.
C) High levels of caffeine and alcohol consumption are the leading causes of infertility.
D) Exposure to environmental pollutants is unlikely to be related to infertility.

Question 20

In the context of assisted reproductive technology (ART), artificial insemination by a donor recommended when

A) there is an increased risk for children of a multiples birth.
B) the production of multiple ova needs to be stimulated.
C) there is no female partner.
D) the male partner is infertile.

Question 21

The simplest form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is ________, and it can facilitate conception if a man has a low sperm count.

A) ovum transfer
B) gamete intrafallopian transfer
C) artificial insemination
D) in vitro fertilization

Question 22

Which of the following statements is true about adoption?

A) In June 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were to be treated as equal under the law, and same-sex adoption is now legal in all 50 states.
B) In 2008, adoptions were unlikely to occur through publicly funded adoption agencies or through intercountry adoption.
C) In August 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that stepparents could adopt the child of a spouse even if the spouse did not have legal custody of the child.
D) Since the mid-1970s, the percentage of never-married women who adopt out their children has increased significantly.

Question 23

Which of the following is true about the genetic code?

A) Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has a cylindrical structure.
B) Chromosomes are found only in the male and female gamete cells.
C) The complete sequence of genes in the human body constitutes the human genome.
D) A single gene is likely to be located in numerous potential points on a chromosome.

Question 24

In the context of the genetic code, the fundamental unit of heredity is a chemical called

A) threonine.
B) adenosine monophosphate.
C) arachidonic acid.
D) deoxyribonucleic acid.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of meiosis?

A) It results in two cells, each with 46 chromosomes.
B) It reduces the number of chromosomes by half.
C) It refers to the addition of an extra 21st chromosome.
D) It represents the process by which the ovum and sperm combine.

Question 26

Meiosis is a type of cell division in which

A) nonsex cells divide and replicate DNA.
B) permanent alterations are made in genetic material.
C) sex cells end up with 23 chromosomes.
D) recessive disorders are passed on to female children.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of the sequence of bases in a gene?

A) It tells the cells how to make the proteins that enable them to carry out specific functions.
B) It is meant to be a recipe for making a particular human.
C) It turns the gene on and off at different points in the development of an individual.
D) It has a double-helix structure and resembles a long, spiraling ladder.

Question 28

In the context of the mechanisms of heredity, normal human females have ________ and normal human males have ________.

A) an XY pairing of chromosomes; an XO pairing of chromosomes
B) an XY pairing of chromosomes; a YX pairing of chromosomes
C) two X chromosomes; an XO pairing of chromosomes
D) two X chromosomes; an XY pairing of chromosomes

Question 29

________ are chromosomes that are not related to sexual expression.

A) Allosomes
B) Ribosomes
C) Lysosomes
D) Autosomes

Question 30

During the 1860s, Gregor Mendel laid the foundation for people's understanding of patterns of inheritance. Mendel's most important finding was that

A) genes occur singly and not in pairs.
B) genes do not have fixed positions on chromosomes.
C) dominant traits are expressed only if both copies of a gene are recessive.
D) traits are transmitted independently of each other.

Question 31

Which of the following exemplifies a homozygous trait in a person?

A) Briana has curly hair similar to that of her parents.
B) Connor has freckles like his father, whereas his mother has clear skin.
C) Jayden, a mixed-race child, takes after his Asian mother who does not have eyelid creases.
D) Nyle's blood type is AB, whereas his mother's and father's blood types are A and B, respectively.

Question 32

A spontaneous dominant mutation known as ________ results in dwarfism.

A) toxoplasmosis
B) achondroplasia
C) bordetella
D) achlorhydria

Question 33

________ is defined as a mechanism that turns genes on or off and determines the functions of body cells.

A) Mitosis
B) Meiosis
C) Phagocytosis
D) Epigenesis

Question 34

In the context of races and ethnicities, which of the following is a true statement about birth disorders?

A) Hispanic infants report the highest rates of hypospadias.
B) Hispanic infants have a higher occurrence of neural tube and ear defects than do non-Hispanic white infants.
C) African American infants are more likely than others to have cleft lip or gastrointestinal abnormalities.
D) Asian American infants are at a higher risk for most birth defects than others.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is true about the genetic or chromosomal abnormalities that are not apparent at birth and appear later?

A) Huntington's disease results in excessive bleeding in males and typically appears during adolescence.
B) Cystic fibrosis is a condition that is most common in people of northern American descent.
C) Sickle-cell anemia is a metabolic disorder more common among Asian Americans and generally appears in infants between 3 to 4 months of age.
D) Tay-Sachs is a fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system and is most common in Jews of eastern European ancestry.

Question 36

Beta thalassemia is a birth defect that

A) causes severe anemia, leading to weakness, fatigue, and frequent illness.
B) leads to respiratory failure.
C) leads to the overproduction of mucus, which collects in the lungs and digestive tract.
D) causes poor blood clotting.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true about phenylketonuria?

A) It is best treated with the help of enzymes used to improve digestion.
B) It is most likely to be found in families of Mediterranean descent.
C) It is a metabolic disorder that results in intellectual disability.
D) It is an enzyme deficiency that is likely to lead to cirrhosis of the liver in early infancy.

Question 38

Recessive defects are expressed only if a child is ________ for that gene.

A) homozygous
B) hemizygous
C) azygous
D) heterozygous

Question 39

Incomplete dominance is a pattern of inheritance in which

A) multiple genes at different sites on chromosomes affect a complex trait.
B) a child receives identical recessive alleles, resulting in expression of a nondominant trait.
C) a child receives two different alleles, resulting in partial expression of a trait.
D) a child receives different alleles but only the dominant one is expressed.

Question 40

Reza, a 2-day-old baby, has muscle weakness and is unable to move his limbs. His doctors perform a surgery to close his spinal canal and to place a shunt inside his brain to drain excess fluid. In the context of birth defects, Reza is likely to have

A) spina bifida.
B) anencephaly.
C) Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
D) Tay-Sachs disease.

Question 41

Which of the following is true of Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

A) It is caused by an incompletely closed spinal canal.
B) It is usually fatal in males, and death usually occurs in young adulthood.
C) Its symptoms include enlarged kidneys, respiratory problems, and paralysis.
D) It can be treated with antibiotics and physical therapy.

Question 42

In the context of birth defects, which of the following is true of sickle-cell anemia?

A) It is a metabolic disorder resulting in mental retardation.
B) It increases the susceptibility of at-risk individuals to pneumonia and stroke.
C) Families of Mediterranean descent are primarily at risk for sickle-cell anemia.
D) Treatment for sickle-cell anemia involves regular blood transfusions with clotting factors.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is true about Klinefelter syndrome?

A) It results in a webbed neck, low-set ears, and short stature.
B) It is caused by an extra female sex chromosome.
C) It results from a missing sex chromosome.
D) It is found only in females.

Question 44

Which of the following statements about Down syndrome is true?

A) The cognitive functioning of children with Down syndrome is normal.
B) The conditions of children with Down syndrome can be improved with dietary changes.
C) Down syndrome is a sex-linked chromosomal disorder.
D) The risk of having a child with Down syndrome rises with the age of the mother.

Question 45

The clinical service that advises prospective parents of their probable risk of having children with hereditary defects is known as

A) genetic imprinting.
B) teratogenesis.
C) genetic coding.
D) genetic counseling.

Question 46

In the context of heritability, if a pair of twins is said to be concordant, the twins are likely to

A) attribute life to objects that are not alive.
B) make changes in their speech to match specific situations.
C) share a specific trait or disorder.
D) have accumulated differences in their genotypes.

Question 47

Which of the following terms describes the tendency of twins to share the same trait or disorder?

A) Disposition
B) Temperament
C) Concordance
D) Canalization

Question 48

A heritability estimate of 0.5 percent indicates that

A) both genes and the environment have an equal role in shaping a particular trait.
B) a particular trait has been shaped by factors other than the environment and genetics.
C) genes are 100 percent responsible for variances in a trait within a population.
D) the environment exclusively shaped a trait.

Question 49

In the context of making an estimate of the relative influence of genes and environment on a trait, identify a true statement about family studies.

A) Researchers study twins that are raised in either their biological family or an adoptive family.
B) Researchers measure the degree to which biological relatives share certain traits.
C) Researchers look at similarities between adopted children and their adoptive families.
D) Researchers compare pairs of monozygotic, or identical, twins with same-sex dizygotic, or fraternal, twins.

Question 50

________ is defined as a limitation on variance of expression of certain inherited characteristics.

A) Canalization
B) Multifactorial transmission
C) Transduction
D) Mutation

Question 51

________ is the conventional term for a range of potential expressions of a hereditary trait.

A) Canalization
B) Reaction range
C) Transduction
D) Karyotype

Question 52

Which of the following is true about canalized traits?

A) Children the world over acquire reading skills at approximately the same time.
B) Personality is a highly canalized trait and is unaffected by the kinds of families children grow up in.
C) Cognition is a highly canalized trait and is independent of variations in experience.
D) Babies the world over reach language milestones at approximately the same time and in the same order.

Question 53

________ usually refers to the effects of similar environmental conditions on genetically different individuals.

A) Teratogenesis
B) Genotype-environment interaction
C) Epigenesis
D) Phenotype-environment interaction

Question 54

Children select experiences that are consistent with their genetic tendencies. In the context of genotype-environment correlations, this best describes a(n)

A) active correlation.
B) passive correlation.
C) evocative correlation.
D) reactive correlation.

Question 55

Chandra, a young adult, was interested in a career in research and decided to pursue it. She was very successful academically. She realized that she missed social interaction, so she decided to teach biology to high school students. The moment she entered her classroom, she knew that it was where she belonged. Which of the following terms best explains Chandra's development?

A) passive genotype-environment correlation
B) normative genotype-environment correlation
C) reactive genotype-environment correlation
D) active genotype-environment correlation

Question 56

________ is defined as the unique environment in which each child grows up, consisting of distinctive influences or influences that affect one child differently than another.

A) nonshared environmental effect
B) canalization
C) genotype-environment interaction
D) bioecology

Question 57

In the context of the ways in which inheritance and experience work together, which of the following is true of an evocative correlation?

A) This response involves other people reacting to a child's genetic makeup.
B) This response illustrates how heredity restricts the range of development for some traits.
C) This response functions only when a child is living with a biologically related parent.
D) This response is most common among adolescents and adults.

Question 58

Which of the following statements about obesity is true?

A) Studies indicate that 40 to 70 percent of the risk of obesity is genetic.
B) Studies are yet to ascertain if there is a specific genetic code for obesity.
C) Obesity is on the rise in Western countries solely because of a genetic vulnerability to obesity.
D) The risk of obesity is free of environmental risk factors.

Question 59

Intelligence is a trait that is

A) influenced by the effects of large numbers of genes working together.
B) determined by a relatively small number of recessive genes.
C) determined from the karyotype of the father.
D) characterized by a lack of plasticity toward extreme environmental features.

Question 60

Which of the following is true of temperament?

A) It is closely related to the age of parents during conception.
B) It lacks a genetic basis.
C) It appears to be largely inborn.
D) It is inconsistent over the years.

Question 61

A neurological disorder that is characterized by loss of contact with reality; hallucinations and delusions; loss of coherent, logical thought; and inappropriate emotionality is known as

A) dyslexia.
B) depression.
C) schizophrenia.
D) Down syndrome.

Question 62

Many studies suggest that schizophrenia

A) is characterized by a strong hereditary influence.
B) is seldom seen in family clusters.
C) is solely a result of environmental stress.
D) is caused by a single gene.

Question 63

Concordance rates for schizophrenia are highest

A) for infants born in early summer.
B) between grandparents and grandchildren.
C) between monozygotic twin pairs.
D) between dizygotic twin pairs.

Question 64

Simone and Kumar were both 19 years old when Simone conceived for the first time. During the third month of her pregnancy, Simone suffered trauma because of her elder brother's untimely death in a tragic road accident. After carrying the baby to term, Simone gave birth to a baby boy. The baby is at an increased risk of

A) Tay-Sachs disease.
B) schizophrenia.
C) phenylketonuria.
D) polycystic kidney disease.

Question 65

Describe how researchers use family studies, adoption studies, and twin studies to investigate the heritability of traits.