BIOD 210 Module 1-7 Exam Genetics –
Complete Question & Answer Bank
(2026/2027 Update) | Portage Learning |
100% Verified Pass Guide
MODULE 1: FOUNDATIONS OF GENETICS (Questions 1-30)
History & Core Concepts
Q1. What type of plants did Gregor Mendel use in his famous
experiments?
A) Corn plants
B) Pea plants
C) Tomato plants
D) Wheat plants
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) Pea plants
Rationale: Mendel chose garden peas because they have easily
observable traits, short generation times, and can self-pollinate or be
cross-pollinated. This allowed him to derive the basic laws of inheritance .
Q2. The chromosomal theory of inheritance states that:
A) Chromosomes are contained within genes that encode for all genetic
traits.
,B) Chromosomes inherited from a father will be dominant over those from
the mother.
C) The proteins within chromosomes are the main drivers of genetic
inheritance.
D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are carried on chromosomes.
Correct ,,,answer,,,: D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are
carried on chromosomes.
Rationale: The chromosomal theory links Mendel's "factors" (genes) to
physical structures—chromosomes—that segregate and assort during
meiosis. This explains how genes are transmitted from parents to
offspring .
Q3. The genetic flow of material between organisms is NOT dependent
on which of these criteria?
A) Replication of the material
B) Independent assortment of the genes
C) Storage of the information
D) Variation of DNA through mutation
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) Independent assortment of the genes
Rationale: For genetic material to flow between organisms, it must be
able to replicate, store information, and vary through mutation.
Independent assortment describes how genes on different chromosomes
segregate during gamete formation but is not a requirement for the flow of
genetic material itself .
Q4. How does preformation differ from epigenesis?
A) Preformation says development builds structures stepwise; epigenesis
says a tiny preformed human just grows.
B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human exists in the gamete and
,only grows; epigenesis says structures arise gradually from an initially
simple embryo.
C) Both theories state that environment alone shapes the embryo.
D) They are the same concept with different names.
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human
exists in the gamete and only grows; epigenesis says structures arise
gradually from an initially simple embryo.
Rationale: Historically, preformationists imagined a homunculus inside
the gamete that simply enlarged. Epigenesis correctly states that tissues
and organs form progressively through cell division and differentiation,
matching modern developmental biology .
Q5. Charles Darwin's publication on evolution is called:
A) Evolution in a Modern Age
B) The Origin of Species
C) The Theory of Relativity
D) Principles of Genetics
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) The Origin of Species
Rationale: Darwin's full title, "On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection," outlined his evidence and arguments for evolution by
natural selection and transformed biological science .
Q6. The theory of ______ posits that living things can spontaneously
generate from nonliving things.
A) Natural selection
B) Epigenesis
C) Spontaneous generation
D) Cell theory
, Correct ,,,answer,,,: C) Spontaneous generation
Rationale: Spontaneous generation was an early, incorrect hypothesis
that organisms arise from nonliving matter (e.g., maggots from meat). It
was later disproved by experiments such as Pasteur's swan-neck flask
studies .
Q7. Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann famously introduced:
A) The Origin of Species
B) The Cell Theory
C) Germ Theory of Disease
D) Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) The Cell Theory
Rationale: Schleiden and Schwann concluded that all organisms are
composed of cells and that the cell is the basic unit of life. This
foundational cell theory underlies modern biology and medicine .
Q8. True or False: Nucleotides are the basic building blocks that make
up DNA.
Correct ,,,answer,,,: True
Rationale: DNA is a polymer of nucleotides, each consisting of a sugar,
phosphate, and nitrogenous base. The sequence of nucleotides encodes
genetic information, so they are correctly described as the "building
blocks" of DNA .
Q9. What are the four nucleotides that make up DNA? What are the pair
combinations that they form?
A) A, U, G, C; A-U and G-C
B) A, T, G, C; A-T and C-G
Complete Question & Answer Bank
(2026/2027 Update) | Portage Learning |
100% Verified Pass Guide
MODULE 1: FOUNDATIONS OF GENETICS (Questions 1-30)
History & Core Concepts
Q1. What type of plants did Gregor Mendel use in his famous
experiments?
A) Corn plants
B) Pea plants
C) Tomato plants
D) Wheat plants
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) Pea plants
Rationale: Mendel chose garden peas because they have easily
observable traits, short generation times, and can self-pollinate or be
cross-pollinated. This allowed him to derive the basic laws of inheritance .
Q2. The chromosomal theory of inheritance states that:
A) Chromosomes are contained within genes that encode for all genetic
traits.
,B) Chromosomes inherited from a father will be dominant over those from
the mother.
C) The proteins within chromosomes are the main drivers of genetic
inheritance.
D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are carried on chromosomes.
Correct ,,,answer,,,: D) Genes, contributed from each parent, are
carried on chromosomes.
Rationale: The chromosomal theory links Mendel's "factors" (genes) to
physical structures—chromosomes—that segregate and assort during
meiosis. This explains how genes are transmitted from parents to
offspring .
Q3. The genetic flow of material between organisms is NOT dependent
on which of these criteria?
A) Replication of the material
B) Independent assortment of the genes
C) Storage of the information
D) Variation of DNA through mutation
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) Independent assortment of the genes
Rationale: For genetic material to flow between organisms, it must be
able to replicate, store information, and vary through mutation.
Independent assortment describes how genes on different chromosomes
segregate during gamete formation but is not a requirement for the flow of
genetic material itself .
Q4. How does preformation differ from epigenesis?
A) Preformation says development builds structures stepwise; epigenesis
says a tiny preformed human just grows.
B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human exists in the gamete and
,only grows; epigenesis says structures arise gradually from an initially
simple embryo.
C) Both theories state that environment alone shapes the embryo.
D) They are the same concept with different names.
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) Preformation says a tiny fully formed human
exists in the gamete and only grows; epigenesis says structures arise
gradually from an initially simple embryo.
Rationale: Historically, preformationists imagined a homunculus inside
the gamete that simply enlarged. Epigenesis correctly states that tissues
and organs form progressively through cell division and differentiation,
matching modern developmental biology .
Q5. Charles Darwin's publication on evolution is called:
A) Evolution in a Modern Age
B) The Origin of Species
C) The Theory of Relativity
D) Principles of Genetics
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) The Origin of Species
Rationale: Darwin's full title, "On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection," outlined his evidence and arguments for evolution by
natural selection and transformed biological science .
Q6. The theory of ______ posits that living things can spontaneously
generate from nonliving things.
A) Natural selection
B) Epigenesis
C) Spontaneous generation
D) Cell theory
, Correct ,,,answer,,,: C) Spontaneous generation
Rationale: Spontaneous generation was an early, incorrect hypothesis
that organisms arise from nonliving matter (e.g., maggots from meat). It
was later disproved by experiments such as Pasteur's swan-neck flask
studies .
Q7. Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann famously introduced:
A) The Origin of Species
B) The Cell Theory
C) Germ Theory of Disease
D) Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance
Correct ,,,answer,,,: B) The Cell Theory
Rationale: Schleiden and Schwann concluded that all organisms are
composed of cells and that the cell is the basic unit of life. This
foundational cell theory underlies modern biology and medicine .
Q8. True or False: Nucleotides are the basic building blocks that make
up DNA.
Correct ,,,answer,,,: True
Rationale: DNA is a polymer of nucleotides, each consisting of a sugar,
phosphate, and nitrogenous base. The sequence of nucleotides encodes
genetic information, so they are correctly described as the "building
blocks" of DNA .
Q9. What are the four nucleotides that make up DNA? What are the pair
combinations that they form?
A) A, U, G, C; A-U and G-C
B) A, T, G, C; A-T and C-G
