Practice Questions

1.Who carried out breeding experiments on pea plants in the 19th century?

Gregor Mendel

2.Give two reasons why Mendel’s work was not recognised at the time.

Characteristics controlled by discrete units (genes) 
Units are passed on unchanged / do not blend.

These ideas contracted the accepted theory of blending at the time. 

3.Scientists observed that chromosomes separate during gamete formation.
Explain how this supports Mendel’s ideas about inheritance. 

Chromosomes separate during gamete formation so each gamete receives only one chromosome from each pair. This means offspring receive one chromosome from each parent. This supports Gregor Mendel’s idea that inheritance is controlled by separate units, with one inherited from each parent.