Mendel's study of genetics differed from his contemporaries' studies because he?

a. used only pure-breeding parents.





b. examined several different traits at the same time.





c. kept careful records and analyzed the data statistically.





d. worked on plants rather than animals.





e. confirmed the blending theory of inheritance.

Mendel's study of genetics differed from his contemporaries' studies because he?
E is wrong. He showed that traits are discrete units of inheritance known as genes, the varieties of which are called alleles.


D is wrong. Many animals reproduce much more slowly than plants, at least the animals they could access. Today, Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) are commonly used because they have a fast turnover time, and since we have microscopes, we can see them.


B is incorrect, as other scientists would look at several traits at the same time.


A is also wrong, as scientists would try to prove the blending idea, so they would use pure-breeding stock to see if the offspring was a mixture.


C is correct, though you should know that Mendel fudged a lot of his data. He only reported the traits that matched his allele inheritance theory. In that time, he couldn't account for such phenomena as crossing over and linked genes, since science didn't even know about chromosomes yet. His ideas were revolutionary and insightful considering this fact, but he still skewed results in his favor. Tricksy.
Reply:c. kept careful records and analyzed the data statistically.





He was a very patience man and his records were meticulous.