Question 1

Who was Gregor Mendel?

Accepted Answer

Gregor Mendel was a scientist who studied how traits are passed from parents to their children. He did experiments with pea plants to figure this out.

Question 2

What is genetics?

Accepted Answer

Genetics is the study of how living things get their special features, like hair color or height, from their parents. It's like a recipe book that tells our bodies how to grow and work.

Question 3

Why did Mendel use pea plants for his experiments?

Accepted Answer

Mendel used pea plants because they grow quickly, and you can easily see different traits like flower color or seed shape. This made it simple for him to study how these traits passed on.

Question 4

What are traits?

Accepted Answer

Traits are special features that you can see, like blue eyes or curly hair. They are passed down from your parents to you, like a family tradition.

Question 5

What did Mendel discover about traits?

Accepted Answer

Mendel discovered that traits are passed down in a predictable way. He found out that some traits can hide in one generation but show up in the next.

Question 6

What are dominant and recessive traits?

Accepted Answer

Dominant traits are like leaders—they show up even if there's just one copy. Recessive traits are quieter and only show up when both copies are the same.

Question 7

What is a gene?

Accepted Answer

A gene is like a tiny instruction manual inside our bodies that tells how we look and work. It's passed down from our parents, just like pages in a book.

Question 8

How do parents pass traits to their children?

Accepted Answer

Parents pass traits to their children through genes. Each parent gives half their genes to their child, like sharing a cookie recipe.

Question 9

Why are Mendel's discoveries important?

Accepted Answer

Mendel's discoveries are important because they help us understand how traits are passed on. This knowledge is useful for things like growing better crops and understanding genetics.

Question 10

What is a hybrid?

Accepted Answer

A hybrid is like a mix—a plant or animal that has two different kinds of traits from its parents. It's like a new recipe that combines parts of both parents.

Question 11

Can genes change?

Accepted Answer

Yes, sometimes genes can change like a recipe being altered. These changes are called mutations and can create new traits.

Question 12

How did Mendel's pea plant experiments work?

Accepted Answer

Mendel carefully cross-pollinated pea plants with different traits and watched how these traits appeared in the next generations. It was like solving a puzzle.

Question 13

What is inheritance?

Accepted Answer

Inheritance is the way traits are passed from parents to children. It's like getting gifts from your family—traits that make you who you are.

Question 14

Can you see genes?

Accepted Answer

Genes are too tiny to see with just our eyes. Scientists use special tools to study them, kind of like a magnifying glass for tiny things.

Question 15

What does 'dominant' mean in genetics?

Accepted Answer

In genetics, 'dominant' means a trait that shows up even if there's just one copy of the gene for it. It's like a leader that takes charge in how someone looks.

Question 16

What does 'recessive' mean in genetics?

Accepted Answer

A 'recessive' trait is one that hides unless there are two copies of the gene for it. It stays in the background unless both parents pass it down.

Question 17

When did Mendel do his experiments?

Accepted Answer

Mendel did his experiments in the 1800s, a long time ago. Even though it was so long ago, we still learn from his work today.

Question 18

Why was Mendel's work important for scientists?

Accepted Answer

His work was important because it gave scientists a way to understand how traits are passed on. This helped them learn more about genetics in many living things.

Question 19

How did Mendel's work stay secret for so long?

Accepted Answer

Mendel's work didn't get a lot of attention when he first did it, so it stayed hidden. Many years later, other scientists found his studies and shared how important they were.

Question 20

What is the science that Mendel started called?

Accepted Answer

The science Mendel started is called genetics. It's like a big book of rules about how living things pass on their looks and features to their children.

The History and Science of Mendelian Genetics - 20 FAQs Explained Simply