Q.(a)
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Mendelian Genetics Basics
Imagine you have a box of coloured beads — red and white. If you pick one bead from the box, you get either red or white. Now imagine that the colour of your eyes, or the shape of your earlobe, is decided by something like that: a tiny "packet" inside your cells that comes in two versions, and you inherit one from each parent. That is the core idea of Mendelian genetics.
The everyday intuition
You have probably noticed that children often look like their parents — same hair colour, same dimples, same height. But they are never exact copies. Why? Because each parent contributes half of the "instructions" for building a child. Those instructions come in pairs, one from mother and one from father. Sometimes one instruction overrides the other; sometimes they blend. Gregor Mendel, a 19th-century monk, figured out the rules by watching pea plants — tall vs short, yellow vs green seeds — and counting what appeared in the next generation.
The precise meaning
Mendelian genetics is the study of how traits are passed from parents to offspring through genes. A gene is a unit of heredity — a stretch of DNA that codes for a specific characteristic, like flower colour. Each gene comes in different versions called alleles. For every gene, you inherit two alleles: one from your mother, one from your father.
If the two alleles are identical, you are homozygous for that trait. If they are different, you are heterozygous. In a heterozygous pair, one allele may be dominant — it shows up in the appearance — and the other recessive — it stays hidden unless both alleles are recessive.
Mendel's key insight was that traits are not blended like paint. Instead, alleles remain separate and are passed on intact. A recessive allele can skip a generation and reappear later, unchanged.
Why it matters
Mendelian genetics is the foundation of modern biology. It explains:
- Why some diseases run in families (like cystic fibrosis or sickle-cell anaemia)
- How plant and animal breeders create new varieties
- Why you might have your grandmother's eyes but not your mother's
The NCERT textbook states that Mendel's work established the laws of inheritance — the Law of Dominance, the Law of Segregation, and the Law of Independent Assortment. These laws describe how alleles separate during the formation of eggs and sperm, and how different genes are inherited independently of one another.
Key terms at a glance
- Gene: a unit of heredity on a chromosome
- Allele: a variant form of a gene
- Dominant: the allele that expresses itself even when paired with a different allele
- Recessive: the allele that expresses itself only when paired with an identical recessive allele
- Homozygous: having two identical alleles for a gene
- Heterozygous: having two different alleles for a gene …
Part (b)Concept understanding — Lac Operon Catabolite Repression
Imagine you are a factory manager. You have two raw materials: a high-grade fuel that your machines run on perfectly, and a low-grade backup fuel that works but is harder to use. As long as the good fuel is available, you would never waste time and energy switching to the backup. But if the good fuel runs out, you immediately switch to the backup to keep production going.
That is exactly what catabolite repression does inside a bacterium like E. coli. It is the cell's way of saying: "Use the best fuel first; don't bother with the second-best until you absolutely have to."
The Two Fuels: Glucose and Lactose
E. coli bacteria love glucose. It is their favourite energy source — easy to break down, gives quick energy. Lactose (milk sugar) is harder to digest; the cell needs to build special enzymes (like β-galactosidase) to break it down. These enzymes are coded by the lac operon.
The cell has a simple rule: If glucose is present, do not waste energy making lactose-digesting enzymes. That is catabolite repression. It is a global regulatory mechanism that ensures glucose is used first, even when lactose is also available.
Catabolite repression is sometimes called the glucose effect. It is not unique to the lac operon — it affects many operons that break down alternative sugars. But the lac operon is the classic textbook example.
How It Works: The Molecular Switch
The key player is a molecule called cAMP (cyclic AMP). Its level inside the cell is inversely related to glucose concentration:
- When glucose is high: cAMP levels are low.
- When glucose is low: cAMP levels rise.
cAMP binds to a protein called CAP (Catabolite Activator Protein). The cAMP–CAP complex then binds to a specific site near the lac operon's promoter. This binding dramatically increases the rate of transcription — it is like pressing the accelerator pedal.
So here is the logic:
- Glucose present (high): Low cAMP → CAP cannot bind → lac operon is barely transcribed, even if lactose is around. The cell ignores lactose.
- Glucose absent (low): High cAMP → CAP binds → lac operon is fully activated. Now, if lactose is also present, the operon switches on fully and the cell digests lactose.
Catabolite repression is a positive control mechanism. The CAP–cAMP complex activates transcription. This is different from the lac repressor, which blocks transcription when lactose is absent. The lac operon is controlled by two switches: a negative one (repressor) and a positive one (CAP–cAMP). Both must be in the "on" position for maximum expression.
Why It Matters (Exam Perspective)
The NCERT textbook (Class 12 Biology, Chapter 6) presents catabolite repression as a fine-tuning mechanism. It explains that even when the lac repressor is removed (by lactose binding), transcription is still low unless glucose is absent. The CAP–cAMP complex is the "second key" that unlocks full expression.
Key points to remember for exams: …
Part (a)
(i) Pea (violet/white) vs Snapdragon (red/white):
| Feature | Garden pea | Snapdragon |
|---|---|---|
| F1 phenotype | All violet | All pink |
| F2 phenotype | 3 violet : 1 white | 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white |
| F2 genotype | 1 VV : 2 Vv : 1 vv | 1 RR : 2 Rr : 1 rr |
| Conclusion | Complete dominance | Incomplete dominance |
- Pea shows complete dominance (F1 violet, F2 3:1); snapdragon shows incomplete dominance (F1 pink, F2 1:2:1); ABO shows multiple alleles + codominance.
- In the switched-on lac operon lactose inactivates the repressor so RNA polymerase transcribes z,y,a; it is negative regulation because a repressor inhibits transcription.
Part (a)
(i) Comparison of flower-colour inheritance
In the garden pea, let V = violet (dominant) and v = white (recessive). Crossing true-breeding VV × vv:
- F1: all Vv → all violet (the dominant allele completely masks the recessive one).
- F2 (on selfing Vv × Vv): genotype 1 VV : 2 Vv : 1 vv; phenotype 3 violet : 1 white.
In the snapdragon (Antirrhinum), let R = red and r (or W) = white. Crossing RR × rr:
- F1: all Rr → all pink — an intermediate phenotype, because neither allele is completely dominant.
- F2: genotype 1 RR : 2 Rr : 1 rr; phenotype 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white.
| Feature | Garden pea (violet/white) | Snapdragon (red/white) |
|---|---|---|
| F1 phenotypic expression | All violet | All pink (intermediate) |
| F2 phenotypic ratio | 3 violet : 1 white | 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white |
| F2 genotypic ratio | 1 VV : 2 Vv : 1 vv | 1 RR : 2 Rr : 1 rr |
| Conclusion | Complete dominance | Incomplete dominance |
Conclusion: in the pea the heterozygote looks like the dominant parent, so the phenotypic and genotypic ratios differ (3:1 vs 1:2:1) — complete dominance. In the snapdragon the heterozygote is intermediate, so the phenotypic ratio equals the genotypic ratio (1:2:1) — incomplete dominance.
(ii) Two characteristics of ABO blood-group inheritance
- Multiple alleles: three alleles — I^A, I^B and i — control the trait (though any individual carries only two). …
Showing the 12 most recent of 48 on this concept.
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-FN1 markMCQQ.What is the percentage of Pink colour flowered plants in F2 generation of snapdragon monohybrid cross (A) 25 (B) 50 (C) 75 (D) 100
›Reveal solutionSolution
Snapdragon flower colour shows incomplete dominance, giving an F2 genotypic (and here, phenotypic) ratio of 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white, so pink = 50%.
Concept and Intuition
In cases of incomplete dominance, the heterozygote's phenotype is intermediate between the two homozygous parental phenotypes because neither allele is fully dominant — there is a partial/blended expression (e.g., due to partial enzyme/pigment production). In the snapdragon (Antirrhinum) monohybrid cross for flower colour, red (RR) crossed with white (rr) gives an F1 that is entirely pink (Rr), not red, showing the alleles are not fully dominant/recessive. Selfing the pink F1 (Rr × Rr) reproduces the classic Mendelian 1:2:1 genotypic ratio, and because genotype and phenotype track together here, the phenotypic ratio is also 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Set up the cross: RR (red) × rr (white) → F1 all Rr (pink), confirming incomplete dominance. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-FN1 markMCQQ.The blood group of mother is B and the progeny in the family is 25% A blood type, 25% AB and 50% B type. What are the genotypes of the parents. (A) IAIA father and IBIO mother (B) IAIO father and IBIO mother (C) IAIB father and IBIB mother (D) IAIB father and IBIO mother
›Reveal solutionSolution
Testing each option against the observed 25% A : 25% AB : 50% B ratio, only
father IAIB × mother IBIO reproduces it exactly. Answer: (D).
Concept and Intuition
ABO blood grouping is governed by multiple alleles (IA, IB, IO) at a
single locus, where IA and IB are co-dominant to each other and both
dominant to IO. To find parental genotypes from an observed progeny ratio,
we can test each candidate cross by Punnett-square logic and check whether it
reproduces the given proportions.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Mother's phenotype is B, so her genotype must be IBIB or IBIO — this alone doesn't decide between the options, so test the crosses.
- Try option (D): father IAIB (gametes IA, IB, each 1/2), mother IBIO (gametes IB, IO, each 1/2).
- Combine gametes:
- IA×IB→IAIB (AB) — 1/4
- IA×IO→IAIO (A) — 1/4
- IB×IB→IBIB (B) — 1/4
- IB×IO→IBIO (B) — 1/4 …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.Gene 'y' in the Lac operon synthesizes the following protein/enzyme. (A) Transacetylase (B) Permease (C) β-galactosidase (D) Repressor
›Reveal solutionSolution
In the lac operon's z-y-a gene cluster, gene y (lacY) encodes permease, the membrane transporter that brings lactose into the cell. Answer: (B) Permease.
Concept and Intuition
The lac operon (Jacob and Monod's model of inducible gene regulation) has a single promoter-operator controlling three structural genes transcribed as one polycistronic mRNA: lacZ (β-galactosidase, hydrolyses lactose into glucose + galactose and also converts some lactose to allolactose, the real inducer), lacY (permease, transports lactose across the cell membrane into the cytoplasm), and lacA (transacetylase, whose exact metabolic role is less central but is transcribed along with z and y). The repressor protein, coded by the separate lacI gene (with its own independent promoter), binds the operator to block transcription in the absence of lactose.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Identify the gene naming convention: lacZ, lacY, lacA correspond to β-galactosidase, permease, and transacetylase respectively.
- Gene 'y' = lacY → codes for permease. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.Mendelian genetic disorder controlled by a single gene on chromosome 11 of each parent is (A) Phenylketonuria (B) Cystic fibrosis (C) Sickle-cell anaemia (D) Cooley's Anaemia
›Reveal solutionSolution
Cooley's anaemia (beta-thalassemia) is controlled by the single HBB gene on chromosome 11 of each parent — option (D).
Concept and Intuition
NCERT distinguishes the thalassemias: alpha-thalassemia is controlled by two closely linked genes (HBA1, HBA2) on chromosome 16 of each parent, while beta-thalassemia — Cooley's anaemia — is controlled by a single gene, HBB, on chromosome 11 of each parent. The wording of the stem matches this exact statement.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Phenylketonuria: PAH gene on chromosome 12 — not chromosome 11.
- Cystic fibrosis: CFTR gene on chromosome 7 — not chromosome 11.
- Sickle-cell anaemia also involves HBB on chromosome 11, but NCERT does not use the 'single gene ... chromosome 11 of each parent' descriptor for it. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.Assertion (A): Though the parents contain two alleles during gamete formation, the alleles of a pair segregate from each other. Reason (R): Segregation is a universal phenomenon in all organisms showing sexual method of reproduction. (A) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation to (A) (B) Both (A) and (R) are correct but (R) is not correct explanation for (A) (C) (A) is correct (R) is wrong (D) (A) is wrong (R) is correct
›Reveal solutionSolution
Mendel's Law of Segregation: alleles separate during gamete formation, and this is universally true across sexually reproducing organisms because it is a direct consequence of meiosis. Both statements true, R explains A.
Concept and Intuition
A diploid organism carries two alleles for every gene (one from each parent). During meiosis, homologous chromosomes — and with them, the two alleles of each gene — separate into different gametes, so any single gamete carries only one allele per gene. This isn't a quirk of Mendel's pea plants; it is a mechanical outcome of the meiotic process itself, which every sexually reproducing organism undergoes to produce haploid gametes.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Assertion: alleles of a pair segregate during gamete formation — this is exactly Mendel's Law of Segregation, verified true by countless organisms since. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.Expression of more than one phenotypic trait by a single gene is known as (A) Pleiotropy (B) Polygenetic inheritance (C) Multiple allelism (D) Lyonisation
›Reveal solutionSolution
A single gene producing effects on more than one phenotypic trait is the definition of pleiotropy.
Concept and Intuition
Most genes are studied for one visible trait, but many gene products (often enzymes early in a biochemical pathway) influence several downstream processes at once. When a single gene's mutation therefore shows up as changes in multiple, often unrelated, characteristics simultaneously, geneticists call this pleiotropy. This is distinct from polygenic inheritance (many genes controlling one trait), multiple allelism (many alternate forms of one gene, e.g., ABO blood groups), and lyonisation (X-chromosome inactivation in females).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Read the definition carefully: 'expression of more than one phenotypic trait by a single gene.'
- Match this to the standard genetics term: pleiotropy is defined exactly this way. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.If blood group of father is A (homozygous) and that of mother is O, these blood groups are not expected in their children. (A) B, AB, A (B) B, AB, O (C) A, O, AB (D) A, B, O
›Reveal solutionSolution
With father IAIA and mother ii, every child is genotype IAi (blood group A) — so B, AB and O are all impossible.
Concept and Intuition
ABO blood group is controlled by multiple alleles IA, IB, i, with IA and IB co-dominant and both dominant over i. A homozygous IAIA father can only pass on the IA allele (he has no other allele to give), and an ii mother can only pass on i. Every offspring therefore receives exactly one IA and one i, giving genotype IAi, phenotype blood group A, with no variation possible.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Father's genotype: IAIA (homozygous A) — gametes are all IA.
- Mother's genotype: ii (O) — gametes are all i.
- Cross: IAIA×ii⇒ all offspring IAi — phenotype A, with 100% certainty. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-AN1 markMCQQ.During the expression of Lac operon, the repressor protein binds to (A) Promoter (B) Operator (C) Inducer (D) Terminator
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests the basic mechanism of negative regulation in the lac operon: the
repressor's binding site is the operator, not the promoter, inducer, or terminator.
Concept and Intuition
The lac operon is a classic example of negative inducible regulation. The lacI
gene constitutively produces a repressor protein. In the absence of lactose (the
inducer), this repressor binds the operator — a DNA sequence that overlaps/lies
next to the promoter — and this bound repressor sterically blocks RNA polymerase
from moving from the promoter into the structural genes, so transcription is
switched off. When lactose (via allolactose) is present, it binds the repressor,
changes its shape, and the repressor can no longer bind the operator, so RNA
polymerase transcribes lacZ, lacY, lacA freely.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Identify the four choices as operon elements: Promoter (where RNA polymerase binds), Operator (the repressor's binding site), Inducer (lactose/allolactose, which binds the repressor, not DNA), Terminator (where transcription ends).
- Recall the definition of the operator: a DNA sequence whose occupation by the repressor blocks transcription initiation.
- The repressor protein's job, by definition, is to bind the operator — this is the textbook mechanism of lac operon repression. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-AN1 markMCQQ.If blood group of mother is B (homozygous) and that of father is A (homozygous), these blood groups are absent in their children. (A) A, AB, B (B) A, AB, O (C) B, O, A (D) AB, O, B
›Reveal solutionSolution
This is a classic ABO blood group cross using co-dominant alleles IA and IB.
Concept and Intuition
The ABO blood group system involves three alleles at one locus: IA and IB are co-dominant to each other and both dominant over i (the recessive allele for O). A homozygous B individual has genotype IBIB and can only contribute the IB allele to offspring. A homozygous A individual has genotype IAIA and can only contribute the IA allele. Since neither parent carries the recessive i allele, no child can be blood group O; and since every child receives one IA and one IB, every child is genotype IAIB = blood group AB, so no child can be pure A or pure B either.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Mother: IBIB (homozygous B) → gametes are all IB.
- Father: IAIA (homozygous A) → gametes are all IA.
- Cross: every offspring gets IA from father and IB from mother → genotype IAIB → phenotype AB, with 100% probability. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.If two heterozygous tall garden pea plants are crossed, the expected genotypic ratio in their off spring is (A) 3 : 1 (B) 1 : 1 (C) 1 : 2 : 1 (D) 1 : 0
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests the classic Mendelian monohybrid cross genotypic ratio. The answer is (C) 1 : 2 : 1.
Concept and Intuition
When two heterozygotes for a single gene are crossed (Tt × Tt), each parent contributes either the dominant (T) or recessive (t) allele with equal probability (1/2 each) to the gametes. Combining gametes via a Punnett square yields four equally likely combinations: TT, Tt, Tt, tt — i.e., genotypes in the ratio 1 TT : 2 Tt : 1 tt. This is distinct from the phenotypic ratio, which collapses TT and Tt into the same "tall" phenotype, giving 3 tall : 1 dwarf (3:1).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Set up the cross: Tt (tall, heterozygous) × Tt (tall, heterozygous).
- Gametes from each parent: T or t, each with probability 1/2. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-19-FN1 markMCQQ.In which of the following crosses, both phenotypic and genotypic ratios at F2 generation are 1 : 2 : 1 I) Red flowered plant crossed with white flowered plant in snapdragon II) Tall plant crossed with dwarf plant in garden pea III) Plant with dotted seed coat is crossed with spotted seed coat plant in lentil IV) A homozygous plant is crossed with a heterozygous plant The correct answer is (A) I, II (B) III, IV (C) I, III (D) II, III
›Reveal solutionSolution
Only incomplete dominance (snapdragon flower colour) and codominance (lentil seed-coat pattern) give matching 1:2:1 phenotypic and genotypic ratios at F2 — complete dominance (pea height) gives 3:1 phenotypically despite 1:2:1 genotypically, and a homozygous x heterozygous cross gives 1:1. Answer: (C), I and III.
Concept and Intuition
In a standard monohybrid self-cross (Aa x Aa to F2), the genotypic ratio is always 1 AA : 2 Aa : 1 aa. Whether the phenotypic ratio also comes out 1:2:1 depends entirely on whether the heterozygote (Aa) looks different from both homozygotes:
- If dominance is complete (as in pea height, Tall dominant over dwarf), Aa looks identical to AA, so the two dominant genotypic classes merge phenotypically — giving the familiar 3:1 phenotypic ratio, even though the underlying genotypic ratio is still 1:2:1. Phenotypic and genotypic ratio do not match here.
- If dominance is incomplete (as in snapdragon flower colour: red x white gives pink F1), the heterozygote has its own distinct, intermediate phenotype — so phenotypic classes align exactly with genotypic classes, giving 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white, matching the 1:2:1 genotypic ratio.
- If the trait is codominant (as in lentil seed-coat pattern: dotted x spotted gives a distinct dotted-and-spotted heterozygote pattern in which both parental patterns are simultaneously visible), the same logic applies — the heterozygote's phenotype is unique, so phenotypic and genotypic ratios both come out 1:2:1.
- A cross between a homozygous and a heterozygous individual (e.g., AA x Aa, or Aa x aa) is a test/back-cross type, not a self-cross producing an "F2" generation in the usual sense, and produces a 1:1 ratio of genotypes/phenotypes (not 1:2:1).
Step-by-Step Solution
- (I) Snapdragon red x white: incomplete dominance to F1 pink; F2 = 1 red : 2 pink : 1 white (phenotypic) and 1 RR : 2 Rr : 1 rr (genotypic) — both 1:2:1. QUALIFIES. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-20-AN1 markMCQQ.If father has blood group A (heterozygous) and mother has blood group B (homozygous), these blood groups are not expected in their children (A) AB, O (B) AB, B (C) A, O (D) B, O
›Reveal solutionSolution
A father who is IAi crossed with a mother who is IBIB can only produce children
of blood group AB (IAIB) or B (IBi) — groups A and O are impossible from this
particular cross. Answer: (C).
Concept and Intuition
Human ABO blood groups are controlled by three alleles at one locus: IA and IB are
co-dominant to each other and both dominant over i; genotype IAIA or IAi gives
blood group A, IBIB or IBi gives blood group B, IAIB gives blood group AB, and
ii gives blood group O. To determine which blood groups are possible in offspring, we
need the parents' gamete contributions, not just their phenotypes.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Father's genotype: heterozygous A = IAi. His gametes: IA or i (each with 50% probability).
- Mother's genotype: homozygous B = IBIB. Her gametes: only IB (100%).
- Combine gametes: IA (from father) + IB (from mother) = IAIB → blood group AB.
- Combine gametes: i (from father) + IB (from mother) = IBi → blood group B.
- These are the only two possible offspring genotypes/phenotypes: AB and B. Blood …
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