biological exam questions

Question 1

what is a genotype? (1 MARK)

Answer 1

a genotype refers to the genes an individual possesses (their genetic makeup)

Question 2

what is a phenotype? (1 MARK)

Answer 2

a phenotype refers to the observational traits or characteristics shown by the individual - these traits are due to the combined effect of genes and the environment

Question 3

explain why John genotype will not reveal whether he will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (4 MARKS)

Answer 3

the test will only reveal johns genotype, not his phenotype. therefore, it will only show that John has a predisposition to getting Alzheimer’s disease, not whether he will actually get it in the future. environmental factors may contribute to the disorder between inherited factors and the environment

Question 4

using your knowledge of genotype and phenotype to explain this difference in their personalities (4 MARKS)

Answer 4

holly and rita have identical genotype as they are MZ twins. they have the predisposition to develop the same personalities as each other unless other factors intervenes. for them to have developed different personalities over time, this must have been influenced by being in different environments