NCERT Exemplar Solutions for Class 12

Biology
Chapter 5 - Principle of Inheritance and Variation

Exercise

Multiple Choice Questions

1. All genes located on the same chromosome:

(a) Form different groups depending upon their relative distance

(b) Form one linkage group

(c) Will not from any linkage groups

(d) Form interactive groups that affect the phenotype

Ans: Option (b) is correct.
Morgan showed that genes located on the same chromosome formed one linkage
group; however, linkage or no linkage depends on the proximity of the two genes.
Genes which are closer show more likelihood of linkage hence the correct option is
(b).

2. Conditions of a karyotype 2n ± 1 and 2n ± 2 are called:

(a) Aneuploidy

(b) Polyploidy

(c) Allopolyploidy

(d) Monosomy
Ans: Option (a) is correct.
Failure of segregation of chromatids during cell division cycle results in gain or loss
of chromosome. This condition is called aneuploidy so the correct answer is (a).
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 1
3. Distance between the genes and percentage of recombination shows:

(a) A direct relationship

(b) An inverse relationship

(c) A parallel relationship

(d) No relationship
Ans: Option (b) is correct.
Chances of recombination decreases with increased distance between genes. Hence
there is an inverse relationship between the two and the correct option is (b).

4. If a genetic disease is transferred from a phenotypically normal but carrier

female to only some of the male progeny, the disease is:

(a) Autosomal dominant

(b) Autosomal recessive

(c) Sex-linked dominant

(d) Sex-linked recessive
Ans: Option (d) is correct.
Here, the defective gene is present on the X-chromosome but the disease is
manifested in men and women are carriers. So, the answer is (d).

5. In sickle cell anaemia glutamic acid is replaced by valine. Which one of the
following triplets codes for valine?

(a) G G G

(b) A A G
(c) G A A

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 2

(d) G U G
Ans: Option (d) is correct.
The substitution of amino acid in the globin protein results due to the single base
substitution at sixth codon of beta globin gene from GAG to GUG which codes for
valine.

6. Person having genotype IA IB would show the blood group as AB. This is
because of:

(a) Pleiotropy

(b) Co-dominance
(c) Segregation

(d) Incomplete dominance

Ans: Option (b) is correct.
When F1 generation resembles both parents, it is co-dominance which is mostly seen
in ABO blood grouping. As both A and B sugars are dominant, it results in AB blood
group therefore the answer is (b).

7. ZZ / ZW type of sex determination is seen in:

(a) Platypus

(b) Snails

(c) Cockroach

(d) Peacock
Ans: Option (d) is correct.
This type of sex determination is seen in birds. The female has a ZW combination
while the male has ZZ combination so the answer is (d).

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 3

8. A cross between two tall plants resulted in offspring having few dwarf plants.
What would be the genotypes of both the parents?

(a) TT and Tt

(b) Tt and Tt

(c) TT and TT
(d) Tt and tt
Ans: Option (b) is correct.

In case of TT and Tt; all offspring would be tall (TT, Tt). In case of option ‘c’ no
gene for dwarf is present, so all offspring will be tall. In option ‘d’ one of the parent
plant is dwarf, so it is incorrect. In option ‘b’ most of the offspring will be tall and a
few will be dwarf (TT, Tt, tt). So, ‘b’ is the correct answer.

9. In a dihybrid cross, if you get 9:3:3:1 ratio it denotes that:

(a) The alleles of two genes are interacting with each other

(b) It is a multigenic inheritance

(c) It is a case of multiple allelism

(d) The alleles of two genes are segregating independently.

Ans: Option (b) is correct.
The alleles of two genes are segregating independently. This shows the perfect
dihybrid ratio according to Mendel. Hence, the alleles of two genes are segregating
independently and therefore the answer is (b).

10. Which of the following will not result in variations among siblings?

(a) Independent assortment of genes

(b) Crossing over

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 4

(c) Linkage

(d) Mutation
Ans: Option (b) is correct.
Linkage happens in all cases whenever two genes are located on the same
chromosome and are close to each other. Thus, linkage has nothing to do with
variation therefore the answer is (b).

11. Mendel’s Law of independent assortment holds good for genes situated on
the:

(a) Non-homologous chromosomes

(b) Homologous chromosomes

(c) Extra nuclear genetic element

(d) Same chromosome

Ans: Option (a) is correct.
Independent assortment cannot take place in case of options (b), (c) and (d) therefore
the answer is (a).

12. Occasionally, a single gene may express more than one effect. The
phenomenon is called:

(a) Multiple allelism

(b) Mosaicism

(c) Pleiotropy

(d) Polygeny
Ans: Option (c) is correct.

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 5

When a single gene may express more than one effect then the phenomenon is called
pleiotropy.

13. In a certain taxon of insects some have 17 chromosomes and the others have
18 chromosomes. The 17 and 18 chromosome-bearing organisms are:

(a) males and females, respectively

(b) females and males, respectively

(c) all males

(d) all females

Ans: Option (a) is correct.
XO type of sex determination is seen in these insects. In such cases, the males have
only one X-chromosome and the females have a pair of X-chromosome therefore,
the answer is (a).

14. The inheritance pattern of a gene over generations among humans is studied
by the pedigree analysis. Character studied in the pedigree analysis is
equivalent to:

(a) quantitative trait

(b) Mendelian trait

(c) polygenic trait

(d) maternal trait
Ans: Option (b) is correct.
The pattern of inheritance of Mendelian disorders can be traced through pedigree
analysis so the answer is (b).

15. It is said that Mendel proposed that the factor controlling any character is
discrete and independent. His proposition was based on the:
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 6
(a) Results of F3 generation of a cross.
(b) Observations that the offspring of a cross made between the plants having
two contrasting characters shows only one character without any blending.

(c) Self-pollination of F1 offsprings

(d) Cross pollination of F1 generation with recessive parent.
Ans: Option (b) is correct.
Mendel proposed that the factor controlling any character is discrete and
independent. His proposition was based on observations that the offspring of a cross,
made between the plants having two contrasting characters, would show one
character only. In a dihybrid cross, he observed that a particular character behaved
independently from another character. Hence, ‘b’ is correct.

16. Two genes ‘A’ and ‘B’ are linked. In a dihybrid cross involving these two
genes, the F1 heterozygote is crossed with homozygous recessive parental type
(aa bb). What would be the ratio of offspring in the next generation?

(a) 1: 1: 1: 1

(b) 9: 3: 3: 1
(c) 3: 1
(d) 1: 1
Ans: Option (d) is correct.
The ratio of the offspring in the next generation would be 1: 1: 1: 1 hence option (d)
is correct.

17. In the F2 generation of a Mendelian dihybrid cross the number of

phenotypes and genotypes are:
(a) phenotypes - 4; genotypes - 16
(b) phenotypes - 9; genotypes - 4
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 7
(c) phenotypes - 4; genotypes - 8

(d) phenotypes - 4; genotypes – 9

Ans: Option (d) is correct.
For example of dihybrid cross between round yellow (RRYY) and wrinkled green
(rryy). In F2 generation there were four Phenotypes: round yellow, round green,
wrinkled yellow and wrinkled green. The genotypes were; RRYY, RRYy, RRyy,
RrYY, RrYy, Rryy, rrYY, rrYy and rryy. So (d) is correct.

18. Mother and father of a person with ‘O’ blood group have ‘A’ and ‘B’ blood
group respectively. What would be the genotype of both mother and father?

(a) Mother is homozygous for ‘A’ blood group and father is heterozygous for
‘B’
(b) Mother is heterozygous for ‘A’ blood group and father is homozygous for
‘B’
(c) Both mother and father are heterozygous for ‘A’ and ‘B’ blood group,
respectively
(d) Both mother and father are homozygous for ‘A’ and ‘B’ blood group,
respectively
Ans: Option (c) is correct.
Possible genotype of parents are; IAi (A blood group) and IBi (B blood group) and
phenotype of offspring is ii (O blood group) therefore, the answer is (c).

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What is the cross between the progeny of F1 and the homozygous recessive
parent called? How is it useful?
Ans: The cross between the progeny of F1 and the homozygous recessive parent is
called test cross. The progenies of a test cross are studied to determine the phenotype
in F1 generation.
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 8
2. Do you think Mendel’s laws of inheritance would have been different if the
characters that he chose were located on the same chromosome?
Ans: If the characters were located on some chromosome, then results would have
been different. It was seen by Morgan’s experiments on Drosophilla. He observed
that phenotype in the F1 generation was in a different ratio than something which
was observed by Mendel previously because the characters were located on the same
chromosome.

3. Enlist the steps of controlled cross pollination. Would emasculation be

needed in a cucurbit plant? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: The steps of controlled cross pollination are:
Emasculation → Transfer of pollen from a different flower → Pollination →
Fertilisation
Plants of cucurbitaceae have unisexual flowers, so cross pollination is the norm and
emasculation is not needed. But in case of a monoecious plant, emasculation would
be necessary.

4. A person has to perform crosses for the purpose of studying inheritance of a

few traits / characters. What should be the criteria for selecting the organisms?
Ans: For such type to studies, the organism should meet following criteria:
1. They must possess easily identifiable sets of contrasting characters.
2. Life cycle of the organism should be short so that their study can be conveniently
completed within a couple of years.
3. Hybridization should be easy to induce in the organism.

5. The pedigree chart given below shows a particular trait which is absent in
parents but present in the next generation irrespective of sexes. Draw your
conclusion on the basis of the pedigree.

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 9

Ans: The first row shows mating between parents. The next row shows the number
of progenies. There are three male and 2 female children. One boy and one girl are
affected with some genetic disorder. Thus, the trait is autosomal linked and recessive
in nature.

6. In order to obtain the F1 generation Mendel pollinated a pure-breeding tall

plant with a pure breeding dwarf plant. But for getting the F2 generation, he
simply self-pollinated the tall F1 plants. Why?
Ans: When plants of F1 generation plants were produced, all of them were tall. Then
Mendel wanted to understand fate of recessive characters. He did not want any other
character set to mask the effect of inheritance to the F2 generation so, he self
pollinated tall F1 plants

7. “Genes contain the information that is required to express a particular trait.”

Explain.
Ans: During Mendel’s period, genes were not known but after the discovery of
chromosomes, scientists discovered that genes are present on chromosomes and they

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 10

were responsible for inheritance of characters. Hence, it is understood that genes
contain all the information required to express a particular trait.

8. How are alleles of particular gene differ from each other? Explain its
significance.
Ans: Genes which code for a pair of contrasting characters are alleles which are
slightly different from each other in the form of absence or presence of an extra
molecule of a particular substance. Alleles are significant in the sense that a
particular trait can be dominant or recessive. In some instances, co-dominance can
also be observed.

9. In a monohybrid cross of plants with red and white flowered plants, Mendel
got only red flowered plants. On self-pollinating these F1 plants got both red
and white flowered plants in 3:1 ratio. Explain the basis of using RR and rr
symbols to represent the genotype of plants of parental generation.
Ans: Symbols RR and rr are used for the sake of convenience and using a particular
alphabet has no scientific basis. Usually, the first letter of a particular trait is used to
describe that character and the contrasting character is shown by the same letter but
in a different case.
As per convention, dominant trait is shown by capital letter and recessive trait is
shown by lower case letter.

10. For the expression of traits genes provide only the potentiality and the
environment provides the opportunity. Comment on the veracity of the
statement.
Ans: Genes are the carriers of inheritable traits and hence it can be said that the
genes provide the potentiality for the expression of a particular trait. Expression of
a particular trait is termed as phenotype and it is dependent on many factors. A
particular trait may become recessive if it gets combined with a dominant trait.
Moreover, survival of a particular trait also depends on the fact whether the trait
passes the natural selection. Hence, it can be said that the environment provides the
opportunity for expression of a particular trait.
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 11
11. A, B, D are three independently assorting genes with their recessive alleles
a, b, d, respectively. A cross was made between individuals of Aa bb DD
genotype with aa bb dd. Find out the type of genotypes of the offspring
produced.
Ans: The following Punnett Square shows the genotype of F1 generation:

abd
AbD AabbDd
abD aabbDd

12. In our society, a woman is often blamed for not bearing male child. Do you
think it is right? Justify.
Ans: From the concept of sex determination in humans, it is clear that Y
chromosome which is present in males comes from the father and not from the
mother. Hence, it is the man who should be blamed for not having a male child rather
than the woman. But chances of an X or Y chromosome ending up in the zygote is
equal, i.e. 50: 50. So, it is purely a chance that a girl or a boy is born and no one
should be blamed or rewarded for the same.

13. Discuss the genetic basis of wrinkled phenotype of pea seed.

Ans: Seeds dry before they are ready for dispersal and subsequent germination. If
there is enough starch in the seed, then the seed is round otherwise wrinkled seeds
are produced. Relative amount of starch in the seed is controlled by a gene. A mutant
gene in pea plants results in enzymes which lessen the amount of starch in seeds and
thus seeds become wrinkled.

14. Even if a character shows multiple allelism, an individual will only have two
alleles for that character. Why?
Ans: Most of the organisms are diploid and thus alleles can only be present in pairs.
Hence, in spite of multiple allelism; an individual will only have two alleles for that
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 12
character. Example: IA, IB and i alleles which govern the ABO blood grouping in
humAns:

15. How does a mutagen induce mutation? Explain with example.

Ans: Mutagens are chemical and physical factors which can induce mutation. They
do so by altering the base pair sequence in the DNA during replication.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. In a Mendelian monohybrid cross, the F2 generation shows identical
genotypic and phenotypic ratios. What does it tell us about the nature of alleles
involved? Justify your answer.
Ans: When plants of F1 generation are allowed to reproduce without cross, the
alleles segregate and one allele goes to one parent while another allele goes to
another parent. This is in accordance with transfer of halved number of chromosome
during meiosis. This segregation is a random process and there is 50% chance of a
particular allele going to either the male gamete or the female gamete. Due to this,
the genotype produced in F2 generation is same as the phenotype produce in that
generation. So, percentage of plants with pure genotype and those with mixed
genotype will be same, i.e. 50%

2. Can a child have blood group O if his parents have blood group ‘A’ and ‘B’.
Explain.
Ans: A child from parents with blood group ‘A’ and ‘B’ can have blood group O. If
genotype of one parent is IAi and that of another parent is IBi; then gametes from
the parents can have any one of the genotype, i.e. IA or IB or i. If fertilization
happens between gametes with i only, then the child’s genotype will be ii and hence
the child can have blood group O.

3. What is Down’s syndrome? Give its symptoms and cause. Why is it that the
chances of having a child with Down’s syndrome increases if the age of the
mother exceeds forty years?
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 13
Ans: Down’s syndrome is a chromosomal disorder. A person suffering from Down
‘s syndrome shows following symptoms:
1. Short stature
2. Small round head
3. Furrowed tongue and partially open mouth
4. Palm is broad with characteristic palm crease.
5. Physical, psychomotor and mental development is retarded in the person.
This condition happens because of an extra copy of chromosome 21. As per some
research, chances of having a child with Down’s syndrome increases with advancing
maternal age because ova are present in female’s right from their birth. More is the
age of the mother, cells will be more older. Hence, chances of chromosomal non-
disjunction will be more because of various physico-chemical exposures during the
mother’s life-time.

4. How was it concluded that genes are located on chromosomes?

Ans: Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri studied the behaviour of chromosome and
genes during meiosis. They observed that the movement of chromosome and that of
gene was similar. Based on this observation, they proposed the theory that genes are
located on the chromosomes.

5. A plant with red flowers was crossed with another plant with yellow flowers.
If F1 showed all flowers orange in colour, explain the inheritance.
Ans: Sometime, dominance of a particular trait over another trait may not be
complete. This results in a situation that both the characters manifest together in
some progeny. This condition is called incomplete dominance. Let us assume that
red flowers have genotype RR and yellow flowers have genotype rr. All progenies
in the F1 generation will have Rr genotype. Since red colour fails to completely
dominate the yellow colour; all plants in F1 generation produce orange flowers.

6. What are the characteristic features of a true-breeding line?

Ans: Following are the characteristic features of a true-breeding line:
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 14
1. Self-pollination through successive generation.
2. Stable trait inheritance through several generations.
3. Stable expression of characters through several generations.

7. In peas, tallness is dominant over dwarfness, and red colour of flowers is

dominant
over the white colour. When a tall plant bearing red flowers was pollinated with
a
dwarf plant bearing white flowers, the different phenotypic groups were
obtained in
the progeny in numbers mentioned against them:
Tall, Red = 138

Tall, White = 132

Dwarf, Red = 136

Dwarf, White = 128

Mention the genotypes of the two parents and of the four offspring types.
Ans: Genotypes of parents: TtRr and ttrr

Offspring: Tall, Red: TtRr

Offspring: Tall, White: Ttrr

Offspring: Dwarf, Red: ttRr

Offspring: Dwarf, White: ttrr

8. Why is the frequency of red-green colour blindness is many times higher in

males than that in the females?
Ans: The genes that produce photopigments are present on X-chromosomes. If some
of the gene is missing or damaged, it can result in colour blindness. Since males have
only one X chromosome, the chances of colour blindness is very high in males. In
case of females, to be colourblind must have the allele for it in both her X-
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 15
chromosomes. In case, if female possesses the allele for colourblind in only one X-
chromosome, then she will act as a carrier and won’t be affected by it.

9. If a father and son are both defective in red-green colour vision, is it likely
that the son inherited the trait from his father? Comment.
Ans: The genes for colour blindness are present on the X chromosome. But X
chromosome in a son (male child) is not contributed by the father but comes from
the mother. Hence, even if a father and his son both are suffering from colour
blindness, the son has inherited this trait from his mother.

10. Discuss why Drosophila has been used extensively for genetical studies.
Ans: Drosophila has been used extensively for genetical studies because:
1. It can be grown on simple synthetic medium in laboratory.
2. It completes life cycle in two weeks.
3. A single mating produces a large number of offsprings.
4. There is clear cut sexual dimorphism.
5. It has many hereditary variations which can be easily observed with a low power
microscope.

11. How do genes and chromosomes share similarity from the point of view of
genetical studies?
Ans: Genes and chromosomes share similarity from the point of view of genetical
studies as:
1. They are found in pairs.
2. They segregate at the time of gamete formation and only one of the pair is
transmitted to a gamete.
3. Independent pairs segregate independently of each other.

12. What is recombination? Discuss the applications of recombination from the

point of view of genetic engineering.
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 16
Ans: The gene combination which is different from parental genes is called
recombination.
This can happen naturally during meiosis. This can also be artificially induced
through genetic engineering. Genetic engineering has been applied in creating
recombination for various species to produce useful products for humAns: For
example; Bt cotton and Bt brinjal have been produced through genetic engineering.
Some vaccines are also being produced through this process, e.g. hepatitis B vaccine.

13. What is artificial selection? Do you think it affects the process of natural
selection? How?
Ans: Artificial selection is the selective breeding of plants and animals to include
beneficial traits in them. This is also called selective breeding. While some selective
breeding can be purely artificial, many others are natural breeding done in a
controlled environment. From the point of ethics, it may be wrong to go for artificial
selection. But if we follow the law of natural selection and survival of the fittest,
then it can be safely assumed the even in case of artificial selection only those
varieties are going to survive which are fit to survive. Hence, it can be inferred that
artificial selection is not going to affect the process of natural selection.

14. With the help of an example differentiate between incomplete dominance

and codominance.

Ans:

Incomplete dominance Co-dominance

Phenotypes from both the parents are Phenotypes from both the parents are
partially manifested in F1 generation. completely manifested in F1 generation.
Example: When snapdragon plants with
red flowers were crossed with flowers, Example: ABO blood grouping in
the F1 generation produced pink humans shows co-dominance.
flowers.

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 17

15. It is said, that the harmful alleles get eliminated from population over a
period of time, yet sickle cell anaemia is persisting in human population. Why?
Ans: The sickle cell anemia is controlled by a single pair of allele; HbA and HbS. If
both the parents are heterozygous (HbAHbS) then the offspring can suffer from this
disease. The offspring should be homozygous (HbSHbS). Heterozygous individuals
are carriers of this of this disease. Heterozygous individuals are advantageous in
terms of adaptation. Due to this, sickle cell anemia is persisting in human population.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. In a plant tallness is dominant over dwarfness and red flower is dominant
over white. Starting with the parents work out a dihybrid cross. What is
standard dihybrid ratio? Do you think the values would deviate if the two genes
in question are interacting with each other?
Ans: The following Punnett Square shows cross between tall plant with red flowers
(RRYY) and dwarf plant with white flowers (rryy).

Gametes RY Ry rY ry
RY RRYY RRYy RrYY RrYy
Ry RRYy RRyy RrYy Rryy
rY RrYY RrYY rrYY rrYy
ry RrYy Rryy rrYy rryy

All the plants in the F1 generation will be tall and produce red flowers.
When plants of F1 generation are allowed to self-pollinated, phenotype of plants in
F2 generation can be shown by Punnett Square:

In this case, the standard dihybrid ratio 9:3:3:1 which can be shown as follows:
Tall plant red flower = 9

Tall plant white flower = 3

Dwarf plant red flower = 3
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 18
Dwarf plant white flower = 1
The standard dihybrid ratio works only when the genes for contrasting characters are
on different chromosomes. If characters are on the same chromosome, they may
interact with each other. In that situation, the dihybrid ratio would show variation
from the standard dihybrid ratio.

2. (a) In humans, males are heterogametic and females are homogametic.

Explain. Are there any examples where males are homogametic and females
heterogametic?
Ans: In humans, 23rd pair of chromosome contains and X chromosome and a Y
chromosome. Hence, males are called heterogametic. Females, on the other hand,
have XX chromosomes in the 23rd pair. Hence, females are called homogametic. But
in bird’s females have ZW chromosome and male have ZZ Chromosome. So, in
some cases, males can be homogametic and females can be heterogametic.

(b) Also, describe as to, who determines the sex of an unborn child? Mention
whether temperature has a role in sex determination.
Ans: In case of humans, sex is determined by X and Y-chromosomes. Out of 23
pairs of chromosomes, the 23rd pair is called sex chromosome while the remaining
pairs are autosomes. Males have X and Y-chromosomes in the 23rd pair while
females have XX-chromosomes. Thus, a sperm can have either X or Y chromosome,
while all the eggs will have X-chromosome. When a sperm with X chromosome
fertilizes the ovum; the zygote will result in development of a girl child. If a sperm
with Y chromosome fertilizes the ovum; the zygote will result in development of a
male child.

Temperature dependent sex determination is found in crocodiles etc. When eggs are
incubated at high temperature, it results in the birth of male crocodiles.

3. A normal visioned woman, whose father is colour blind, marries a normal

visioned man. What would be probability of her sons and daughters to be colour
blind? Explain with the help of a pedigree chart.
Ans: Following pedigree analysis shows the probability of prevalence of colour
blindness in offspring:
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 19
1. The P generation shows a normal husband and a carrier wife.
2. The F1 generation shows one male child and two female children.
The male child will suffer from colour blindness and one of the females may be a
carrier.
The genes for colour blindness are mostly present on X-chromosome. Hence if a boy
has defective X-chromosome the boy would be colour blind. Females have another
X chromosome which compensates for the deficiency of its counterpart. Due to this,
females are carriers of this disease.

4. Discuss in detail the contributions of Morgan and Sturtevant in the area of

genetics.
Ans: Morgan and his group conducted experiments in the field of genetics.
Sturtevant was Morgan’s student. Their contributions are:

Morgan carried out dihybrid crosses of Drosophila. He observed that the phenotypic
ratio was not similar to standard phenotypic ratio as observed by Mendel. Morgan
and his team were aware that the genes were located on the X chromosome. They
understood that when genes were situated on the same chromosome, they did not
Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 20
segregate independently of each other. However, when genes are situated on same
chromosome, the chances of parental combination are higher than non-parental one.
The physical association of genes on the same chromosome was termed linkage.
Morgan also coined the term recombination to describe generation of non-parental
combinations.
Sturtevant revealed that the relative distance between two genes on the same
chromosome was an important factor in recombination or lack of recombination.
Genetic mapping could be developed because of contributions made by Morgan and
his team.

5. Define aneuploidy. How is it different from polyploidy? Describe the

individuals having following chromosomal abnormalities.

(a) Trisomy of 21st Chromosome

Ans: Failure of chromatid segregation during cell division results in either loss or
gain of a chromosome (aneuploidy). Failure of cytokinesis; after telophase results in
an increase in a whole set of chromosomes (polyploidy).

(a) Trisomy or 21st chromosome: Presence of an additional copy of 21th chromosome

is trisomy. This was described by Langdon Down and hence called Down’s
Syndrome. A person suffering from Down’s syndrome is short and has a small round
head.

(b) XXY
Ans: XXY: This genetic disorder happens because of an additional copy of X
chromosome resulting in a karyotype of 47. There are three chromosomes (XXY) in
the 23rd set. This condition is known as Klinefelter’s syndrome. Such a person shows
overall masculine development but also shows enlarged breasts.

(c) XO
Ans: XO: This happens because of lack of an X chromosome resulting in a ploidy
of 45 (XO). This condition is called Turner’s syndrome. Ovaries are rudimentary in
such females and hence such females are sterile. Secondary sexual characters are
also absent in such females.

Class XII Biology www.vedantu.com 21