© UBC BIOL 121 – NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION NAME: STUDENT NUMBER:
Week 2: Homework Assignment
Note: All parts of this homework assignment must be completed before the due date in order to successfully complete the assignment.
The purpose is to give you practice answering exam-style questions. If you do work with a partner or study group, please make sure you can do this homework
independently so that you get the most realistic practice for an exam situation.
Note: Homework assignments must be uploaded to Canvas in order to be considered submitted. Please do not email your homework to any member of the
teaching team.
1) PLOIDY. The diagrams below represent cells with their chromosomes.
– Indicate the ploidy level of each one (e.g. haploid/1n, diploid/2n, etc…) and the total number of chromosomes that it has. If/when needed, include
additional explanations to justify your answer.
– Which of the cells above could start
mitosis immediately? Explain your
answer.
– Which of the cells above could start
meiosis I immediately? Explain your
answer.
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© UBC BIOL 121 – NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION NAME: STUDENT NUMBER:
2) Draw a diagram of a eukaryotic cell that satisfies the following criteria:
- The cell is diploid, and contains a total of six chromosomes and 12 DNA molecules
- Two of the chromosomes have centromeres closer to one end of the chromosome
The remaining chromosomes have centromeres approximately in the middle of the chromosome; two of these chromosomes
carry a gene identified as “B”
Draw your diagram below:
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© UBC BIOL 121 – NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION NAME: STUDENT NUMBER:
3) The diagrams below show chromosomes of a heterozygous diploid organism at anaphase. The organism is 2n=4 and has the genotype A/a ;
R/r. The two genes (gene A and gene R) are on different chromosomes (i.e., different homologous pairs). Each illustration represents one cell
undergoing anaphase. Assume no mutations have taken place during replication.
In the spaces provided below, indicate which of the following processes might possibly be taking place: mitosis, meiosis I, meiosis II…or an
impossible situation. Please briefly justify your answers.
Example 1:
Example 2:
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© UBC BIOL 121 – NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION NAME: STUDENT NUMBER:
CHALLENGE QUESTION: This question is within the realm of what could be asked on a Biol 121 test, but we realize it’s quite a challenging
question. This is a great question to try for yourself and discuss with peers on Piazza if you get stuck. You’ll need this information about writing
genotypes for linked and unlinked genes to understand the question information:
4) Sally has the genotype W2,S1 / W1,S3 ; T1/T6. Sally’s mother had the genotype W1,S3 / W1,S3 ; T6 / T6. Sally’s father had the genotype
W1,S3 / W2,S1 ; T1 / T6. The “W” and “S” genes are located on chromosome #1 and the “T” gene is located on chromosome #2. On
chromosome #1, the “W” and “S” genes are on the same side of the centromere, but the “S” gene is very close to the centromere and the “W”
gene is further away.
In the spaces below, draw a diagram showing chromosomes #1 and #2 within one of Sally’s cells at each of the specified stages. Make sure you
clearly label the location of the genes and alleles as described above.
a) Cell in G1 phase:
(although technically the chromosomes aren’t condensed at this stage, please show them as condensed, with discrete centromeres for the
purposes of labelling the genes and alleles).
b) Cell in metaphase I of meiosis, that will eventually produce daughter cells with the following genotypes (2 of each):
– (W1,S3 ; T1) , (W2,S1 ; T6)
