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Heredity

Educational worksheet: Heredity. Download and print for classroom or home learning activities.

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Show Answer Key & Explanations Step-by-step solution for: Heredity
Let’s solve each scenario one by one using Punnett squares. We’ll assume simple Mendelian genetics (one gene, two alleles) for each trait unless told otherwise.

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Scenario 1: Mr. and Mrs. Williams — both have brown eyes, but all six children have blue eyes.

In eye color genetics (simplified), brown eyes (B) are dominant over blue eyes (b). That means:

- Brown-eyed people can be BB or Bb.
- Blue-eyed people must be bb.

If both parents have brown eyes but ALL their children have blue eyes (bb), then each child must have gotten a “b” from mom AND a “b” from dad.

That means BOTH parents must carry the recessive allele — so they must both be Bb (heterozygous).

Let’s draw the Punnett square:

Parent 1 (Bb) → gametes: B or b
Parent 2 (Bb) → gametes: B or b

Punnett Square:

| | B | b |
|-------|-------|-------|
| B | BB | Bb |
| b | Bb | bb |

Offspring probabilities:
- 25% BB → brown eyes
- 50% Bb → brown eyes
- 25% bb → blue eyes

Wait — this says only 25% chance of blue eyes per child. But the problem says ALL SIX children have blue eyes. Is that possible?

Yes — it’s unlikely, but genetically possible. Each child has a 25% chance of being bb. The fact that all six are bb is rare, but not impossible — like flipping a coin and getting heads six times in a row.

But here’s the key: For ANY child to have blue eyes (bb), BOTH parents MUST contribute a “b”. So if even one parent was BB, NO child could be bb. Since all children ARE bb, both parents MUST be Bb.

So the explanation is: Both parents are heterozygous (Bb) for eye color. They each passed the recessive “b” allele to every child, resulting in all children having genotype bb → blue eyes.

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Scenario 2: Noah and Charlotte — both have red hair, but both parents have brown hair.

Hair color is more complex, but for simplicity in school problems, we often treat red hair as recessive. Let’s say:

- Brown hair (R) is dominant.
- Red hair (r) is recessive.

So:

- Red-haired people = rr
- Brown-haired people = RR or Rr

Noah and Charlotte both have red hair → so they are both rr.

Their parents both have brown hair → so each parent must be either RR or Rr.

But since they produced children with rr, each parent must have given an “r” allele. So neither parent can be RR — because RR can only give “R”.

Therefore, both parents must be Rr (heterozygous).

Punnett Square:

Parent 1 (Rr) → gametes: R or r
Parent 2 (Rr) → gametes: R or r

| | R | r |
|-------|-------|-------|
| R | RR | Rr |
| r | Rr | rr |

Offspring:
- 25% RR → brown hair
- 50% Rr → brown hair
- 25% rr → red hair

So there’s a 25% chance per child to have red hair. Noah and Charlotte happened to be among those 25%. It’s possible — again, like flipping coins.

Explanation: Both parents are carriers (Rr) for red hair. They each passed the recessive “r” allele to Noah and Charlotte, giving them genotype rr → red hair.

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Scenario 3: Triplets — non-identical, one has freckles, two don’t. Father has freckles, mother does not.

Freckles are often treated as a dominant trait in basic genetics.

Let’s say:

- Freckles (F) = dominant
- No freckles (f) = recessive

Mother does NOT have freckles → she must be ff (only way to show recessive trait).

Father HAS freckles → he could be FF or Ff.

They have triplets (non-identical → fraternal → separate eggs/sperm → each child is independent genetically).

One triplet has freckles → must have at least one “F” → genotype F_ (either FF or Ff)

Two triplets do NOT have freckles → must be ff.

Since mother is ff, she can ONLY give “f” to her children.

So any child who has freckles must have gotten “F” from the father.

Any child without freckles got “f” from the father.

That means the father must be able to give BOTH “F” and “f” → so he must be Ff (heterozygous).

Punnett Square:

Father (Ff) → gametes: F or f
Mother (ff) → gametes: f or f

| | f | f |
|-------|-------|-------|
| F | Ff | Ff |
| f | ff | ff |

Offspring:
- 50% Ff → freckles
- 50% ff → no freckles

Perfect! This matches the family: one child with freckles (Ff), two without (ff). Totally possible — each child had a 50% chance.

Explanation: Father is heterozygous (Ff), mother is homozygous recessive (ff). Each child has a 50% chance of inheriting freckles. In this case, one inherited the “F” from dad, two inherited “f” from dad.

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Final Answer:

Scenario 1:
Both parents are Bb (brown eyes, carriers of blue). All children received “b” from each parent → bb → blue eyes.

Scenario 2:
Both parents are Rr (brown hair, carriers of red). Noah and Charlotte received “r” from each parent → rr → red hair.

Scenario 3:
Father is Ff (has freckles, carrier), mother is ff (no freckles). One child got “F” from dad → Ff → freckles; two got “f” from dad → ff → no freckles.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of heredity worksheet for middle school.
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