Genetics Basics: 54 MCQs with answers

Q1. Which term is defined as the branch of biology that studies genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms?

Q2. What is the controlled reproduction of organisms to produce offspring with desired traits called?

Q3. The passing of traits from parents to offspring through genes is known as:

Q4. Differences in characteristics among individuals of the same species are called:

Q5. An observable feature or characteristic of an organism, such as body color or growth rate, is called a:

Q6. The complete set of genetic material (DNA) present in an organism is called its:

Q7. Which of the following is the basic unit of heredity?

Q8. A thread-like structure of DNA and associated proteins found in the nucleus, carrying genes in linear order, is a:

Q9. The molecule that carries genetic information, composed of two strands forming a double helix, is:

Q10. The building block of DNA/RNA, consisting of a sugar, phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base, is a:

Q11. RNA is a nucleic acid involved in decoding and expressing genetic information.

Q12. What is the term for the observable physical characteristics of an organism?

Q13. What is the basic unit of heredity that can be passed from parent to offspring?

Q14. What term describes the genetic makeup of an organism at a specific locus?

Q15. Which term refers to the differences in traits among individuals of the same species?

Q16. What is the term for the complete set of genetic material present in an organism?

Q17. What is the term for the process of controlled reproduction to produce offspring with desired traits?

Q18. What do we call the structures that carry genes in linear order?

Q19. Which term is used to describe a cell or organism with two complete sets of chromosomes?

Q20. What is the term for one of two or more alternative forms of a gene?

Q21. What do we call the branch of biology that studies genes, heredity, and variation?

Q22. What is the term for the differences in traits among individuals of the same species?

Q23. What is the basic unit of heredity that can be passed from parent to offspring?

Q24. What is the term for the observable physical characteristics of an organism?

Q25. What do we call the complete set of genetic material present in an organism?

Q26. What is the term for the process of controlled reproduction to produce offspring with desired traits?

Q27. What is the term for the genetic makeup of an organism at a specific locus?

Q28. What is the term for a pair of chromosomes that are similar in size, shape, and gene content?

Q29. What do we call the thread-like structures of DNA and associated proteins found in the nucleus?

Q30. Which term refers to the process of cell division that produces two genetically identical diploid daughter cells?

Q31. What is the term for the differences in characteristics among individuals of the same species?

Q32. What is the term for the genetic material that carries information from one generation to the next?

Q33. What is the term for the observable traits or characteristics of an organism?

Q34. Which term describes the genetic constitution of an organism at one or more loci?

Q35. What is the basic unit of heredity that can be passed from parent to offspring?

Q36. What do we call the process by which traits are passed from parents to offspring?

Q37. What is the term for the structures that carry genes in a linear order?

Q38. Which term is used to describe a cell or organism with a single complete set of chromosomes?

Q39. What is the term for the process of cell division that produces four genetically distinct haploid gametes?

Q40. What is the constricted region of a chromosome that holds sister chromatids together?

Q41. Which term refers to the differences in characteristics among individuals of the same species?

Q42. The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment, is called:

Q43. The genetic constitution (allele combination) of an organism at one or more loci is called its:

Q44. The specific physical location of a gene on a chromosome is called its:

Q45. One of two or more alternative forms of a gene occupying the same locus is called a(n):

Q46. A pair of chromosomes (one from each parent) that are similar in size, shape, and gene content are called:

Q47. A cell or organism having two complete sets of chromosomes (one from each parent) is said to be:

Q48. A cell or organism having a single complete set of chromosomes, as in gametes, is said to be:

Q49. The number, size, and shape of chromosomes characteristic of a species, usually displayed as an ordered image, is called a:

Q50. One of the two identical strands of a duplicated chromosome, joined at the centromere, is a:

Q51. The constricted region of a chromosome that holds sister chromatids together and attaches to spindle fibers during cell division is the:

Q52. Which type of cell division produces two genetically identical diploid daughter cells and is used for growth and repair?

Q53. Which type of cell division produces four genetically distinct haploid gametes from a diploid parent cell?

Q54. Most fish body cells are haploid.