Q12
1 markMCQSection A

A cross between two tall pea plants resulted in offsprings having a few dwarf plants. The gene-combination of the parental plants must be

Heredity
Rules for the Inheritance of Traits – Mendel's Contributions

Options

(A)Tt and Tt
(B)Tt and tt
(C)TT and tt
(D)TT and Tt
Official Answer

The correct option is A.

Tt and Ttheterozygous talldwarf offspringrecessive allele

Marking Scheme

  • 11 Mark for selecting the correct option (A).

Hint

Since dwarfness is a recessive trait (tttt), a dwarf offspring must inherit a 't' allele from both parents. Since both parents are tall, they must have at least one 'T' allele.

Quick Oral Answer

The parental genotypes must be TtTt and TtTt because only heterozygous tall parents can each contribute a recessive allele 't' to produce a dwarf (tttt) offspring while themselves remaining tall.

Analysis & Explanation

For dwarf plants (which have the homozygous recessive genotype tttt) to appear in the offspring of two tall plants, each parent must contribute one recessive allele (tt). Since both parents are tall, they must also possess at least one dominant allele (TT). Therefore, both parental plants must be heterozygous tall, with the gene combination TtTt and TtTt.


  • Option B (Tt and tt): A cross between TtTt (tall) and tttt (dwarf) would indeed produce dwarf plants, but the question states that the cross is between two tall pea plants. Since tttt is dwarf, this option is incorrect.
  • Option C (TT and tt): This is a cross between a homozygous tall and a dwarf plant, which violates the condition that both parents are tall. Also, all offspring of this cross would be tall (TtTt).
  • Option D (TT and Tt): A cross between TTTT (homozygous tall) and TtTt (heterozygous tall) will only produce tall offspring (TTTT and TtTt). No dwarf plants (tttt) can be produced because the TTTT parent can only pass on the dominant allele TT.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1Students sometimes choose option B because it can produce dwarf offspring, forgetting that the question specifies both parents are tall.

Interesting Facts

A heterozygous tall plant (TtTt) looks identical to a homozygous tall plant (TTTT) because the dominant allele TT completely masks the expression of the recessive allele tt.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many marks does this question carry in CBSE Class 10 Science 2024?

This question carries 1 mark in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2024 examination.

Which chapter does this question come from in Science?

This question is from the chapter "Heredity" in the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus.

What topic does this question cover in Science?

This question covers the topic "Rules for the Inheritance of Traits – Mendel's Contributions" from CBSE Class 10 Science.

What type of question is this in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2024 paper?

This is a MCQ question from Section A in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2024 paper.