STANDARD EXAM QUESTIONS ON GENETICS

2015 I
1 Pure breeding dwarf garden pea plants were crossed with pure-breading tall garden pea
plants. The resulting offspring were all tall.
(a)
(i). What is meant by pure breeding? [1]
(ii). Using your own symbols, state the genotypes of the parents.
Pure breeding dwarf garden pea plant =………………………………
Pure breeding tall garden pea plant =……………………… [2]
(b) Using a genetic diagram, show the cross between a dwarf parent and one of the
offspring. [5]
(c) Differentiate between homozygous and heterozygous. [1]
[Total: 9]
2015 II

2
(a) State one sex linked disease. [1]
(b) What is meant by the term sex – linked characteristics? [3]
(c) Using a genetic diagram and appropriate symbols, explain how a man with normal
eye sight married to a woman who is a carrier of the trait for colour blindness can
have a child who is colour blind. [5]
[Total: 9]
2016 GCE

3 Table 5.0 below shows a cross between a brown male pig labelled pig B, with two female
pigs’ brown (pig A) and white, pig C.
Pig Phenotype Offspring
White Brown
B Brown male Nil Nil
A Brown female 4 12
C White female 8 8
(a) Explain why pig B had no offspring. [1]
(b) From the results in table 5.0 and using the symbol B for dominant allele and b for
recessive allele,
(i). Identify the recessive phenotype of the skin colour of the pigs. [1]
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 (ii). Suggest the genotypes of pigs A and C. [2]
(c) Using a genetic diagram, show the results of crossing pig B with pig C. [5]
[Total: 8]
2016 INTERNAL
4 Figure 5.1. Below show pedigree diagrams for two families A and B, outlining inheritance
of a sex-linked disease called haemophilia.

(a)
(i). From Figure 5.1, which family has a parent who is a carrier for
haemophilia? [1]
(ii). Give a reason for your answer in (a)(i) above. [1]
(b)
(i). Using the symbols X H and X h , state the genotypes for offspring H and J, if
J is a carrier for haemophilia. [2]
(ii). Using a genetic diagram, show whether the offspring would be haemophilic
or normal when H and J are crossed. [5]
[Total: 9]
2017 GCE
5 A pure breeding black bull was crossed with a pure breeding red cow, all the resulting
offspring were black.
(a) Using letter B or b for alleles;
(i). Which allele was dominant for skin colour? [1]
(ii). What was the genotype for the parent black bull? [1]
(b) Using a genetic diagram, show the resulting offspring if the offspring black bull
was crossed with the parent red cow. [5]
(c) Suggest what could happen to the pure breeding black bull or red cow to cause them
to produce a black and white offspring. [2]
[Total: 9]
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2017 INTERNAL
6 Mrs Mumba delivered a baby girl in a certain hospital. Mrs Mumba has blood group O and
the father to the girl has blood group AB. Mrs Mumba sues the hospital for giving her a
wrong baby whose blood group was O.
(a) Explain using a genetic diagram why Mrs Mumba would win or lose the case.
[8]
(b) What could have been the correct genotype of the actual father? [1]
[Total: 9]
2018 GCE
7 Figure 5.0 shows inheritance of red-green colour blindness in generations of two families
Y and Z.

(a) Which letter in figure 5.0 corresponds to a second filial generation offspring?
[1]
(b) Using symbols X R and X r , determine the alleles for red- green colour blindness and
for normal sight from the pedigree diagram in figure 5.0.
(i). Red-green colour blindness [1]
(ii). Normal sight [1]
(c) Predict the genotypes of offspring J and K
(i). Genotype of J [1]
(ii). Genotype of K [1]
(d) Using the genotypes of offspring J and K in (c) above, show using a genetic
diagram, the inheritance of red – green colour blindness of offspring L and N.
[4]
[Total: 9]

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2018 INTERNAL
8 Two farmers one with a pure breeding black bull and the other with a pure breeding white
cow decided to cross their cattle. The black bull was crossed with the white cow and all the
resulting offspring had a coat colour called roan.
(a) Using letter B for the allele for black coat colour and W for the allele for white coat
colour.
(i). Show the genotype of the offspring [1]
(ii). Explain why neither the bull nor the cow had their coat colour expressed in
the phenotype of the offspring. [2]
(b) Using a genetic diagram predict the chances of the Second Filia (F2) offspring
having a roan coat colour when the parent black bull was crossed with one of the
roan offspring. [6]
[Total: 9]
2019 GCE
9 Two adolescent learners were not sure how the sex of a foetus is determined and wanted
to try by engaging in sexual relationships.
(a)
(i). Explain the sex determinants of the foetus. [2]
(ii). Use the genetic diagram to illustrate your answer. [5]
(b) Explain two best methods of avoiding pregnancies as adolescents. [2]
[Total: 9]
2019 INTERNAL
10 A young girl had multiple sexual partners consisting of the following: a young boy, a
businessman and public worker.
(a)
(i). Briefly explain two risks the girl may have had from the multiple sexual
relations. [2]
(ii). Identify one sexual behaviour that can help the young girl achieve her set
goals in education. [1]
(b) Suggest one best contraceptive method the girl could have been using to protect
herself. [1]
(c) If the sexual partners had the following blood groups
Young girl – blood group O
Young boy – blood group B
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 Businessman – blood group AB
Public worker – blood group B
(i). Suggest the sexual partner who would have been responsible for the
pregnancy if the young girl had a child with blood group A. [1]
(ii). Use a genetic diagram to explain your answer in (c) (i) above. [4]
[Total: 9]
2020 GCE
11 Red-green colour blindness is a sex-linked characteristic.
(a)
(i). Define 'sex-linked characteristic'. [1]
(ii). What can cause sex-linked genetic disorders like the red-green colour
blindness? [1]
(b) A normal couple had a colour-blind son. Using the gene 'R' for normal colour vision
and gene 'r' for colour blindness, write down the genotypes of:
(i). Father
(ii). Mother [2]
(c) Using a genetic diagram, show how the son could have been born colour blind.
[4]
[Total: 9]
2020 INTERNAL
12
(a)
(i). State the number of sex chromosomes in the nucleus of a somatic cell of the
human body. [1]
(ii). What is haemophilia? [2]
(b) Using a genetic diagram, explain how normal parents for haemophilia can have a
son who is haemophiliac. Use symbols X H and X h to represent the dominant and
the recessive alleles respectively. [5]
[Total: 8]

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2021 GCE
13
(a)
(i). Name two traits in plants which show discontinuous variation.
1 ……………………………………………………………
2 ………………………………………………… [2]
(ii). State two factors which cause variation in animals.
1 ……………………………………………………………
2 …………………………………………………………. [2]
(b) In humans, black hair is dominant over blonde hair. Using letters, B and b, show
using a genetic diagram, why a male parent with black hair had some children with
black hair and other children with blonde hair with his wife who had blonde hair.
[5]
[Total: 9]
2021 INTERNAL
14 Figure 5 shows four animal cells at different stages of mitotic division

(a) Name the structures labelled N and O

N ………………………………………………………………………. [1]
O ………………………………………………………………………. [1]
(b) At which stages of mitotic division are cells 1 and 3
Cell 1………………………………………………………………….
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 Cell 3 ………………………………………………………………… [2]
(c) A husband and wife were heterozygous for blood group A and B respectively. With
help of a genetic diagram, Show the possible blood groups of their children.
[5]
[Total: 9]
2022 GCE
15
(a) Define the following terms:
(i). Gene
(ii). Genotype [2]
(b) In a family of rats, the recessive allele (d) causes stunted growth if it occurs in a
homozygous animal. Use a genetic diagram to predict the offspring produced if two
heterozygous rats were mated [5]
(c) Explain named cause of genetic variation [2]
[Total: 9]
2022 INTERNAL
16 Figure 5 shows blood group phenotypes for a mother and her two children.

(a) From figure 5, deduce the genotypes for the father and mother.
Father ……………………………………………………………… [1]
Mother ……………………………………………………………. [1]
(b) The daughter got married and had a child with blood group AB. What was the blood
group phenotype of the husband? [1]
(c) The father divorced the wife and married another woman with blood group B and
their first child had blood group O. With the help of a genetic diagram, explain how
this was possible. [5]
[Total: 8]

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2023 GCE
17 A haemophilic mother had two son who were both haemophilic. The father was non-
haemophilic.
(a) Define the term ‘haemophilic’. [1]
(b) Using letters 𝐗 𝐡 and 𝐗 𝐇 , write down the genotypes of the
(i). Father [1]
(ii). Mother [1]
(c) Using the genetic diagram, explain why both boys were haemophilic. [6]
[Total: 9]

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