Question

From the results Mendel got from his crossing experiments, he mentioned some discrete units were involved in passing down from one generation to another. What did he call those units?

• A. Genes
• B. Alleles
• C. Traits
• D. Factors

Answer 1

The correct option is D Factors

From the results obtained from his crossing experiments, Mendel theoretically mentioned the presence of some discrete units which were passed down from one generation to another. Science at that time was not that well developed, so he was unable to prove the physical presence of these discrete units. Hence, he just named them ‘factors’.
With the advancement of science, these Mendelian ‘factors’ were later found out and termed ‘genes’. Gene is a distinct sequence of nucleotides in DNA (genetic material), that codes for specific protein. It is the physical and functional unit of heredity (the transmission of genes from one generation to another).
The ‘factors’ were responsible for the expression of some distinct features. In plants, these features could be seed shape or seed color. These features were referred to as characters. The visible contrasting varieties of a character (round or wrinkled seed shape, yellow or green seed color) were referred to as ‘traits’. These ‘traits’ are now referred to as ‘alleles’.