Introduction to Genetics
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Write the letter of the matching definition next to each term.
1. heredity
A. Having dissimilar alleles at corresponding chromosomal loci
2. genetics
B. An organism that is the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock
3. trait
C. A group of organisms sharing a specific genetic constitution
4. hybrid
D. The branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms
5. gene
E. An organism or cell having the normal amount of DNA per cell
6. allele
F. The separation of paired alleles during meiosis so that members of each pair of alleles appear
7. dominant
G. A distinguishing feature of your personal nature
8. recessive
H. The interchange of sections between pairing homologous chromosomes during the prophase of meiosis
9. phenotype
I. Of or relating to an inheritable character that is controlled by several genes at once
10. genotype
J. A segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain
11. homozygous
K. Having identical alleles at corresponding chromosomal loci
12. heterozygous
L. The biological process whereby genetic factors are transmitted from one generation to the next
13. segregation
M. The fifth note of the diatonic scale
14. haploid
N. Understatement for rhetorical effect
15. diploid
O. An allele that produces its characteristic phenotype only when its paired allele is identical
16. meiosis
P. What an organism looks like as a consequence of the interaction of its genotype and the environment
17. crossing over
Q. Either of a pair of alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus on a particular
18. incomplete
R. Not complete or total
19. polygenic
S. An organism or cell having only one complete set of chromosomes