Question

Which of the following is an example of discontinuous variation?

• A. Blood groups
• B. Height
• C. Skin colour
• D. Shoe size

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Blood groups

Variation, the small differences that exist between individuals, can be described as being either discontinuous or continuous. In continuous variation there is a complete range of measurements from one extreme to the other. Height is an example of continuous variation - individuals can have a complete range of heights, for example, 1.6, 1.61, 1.62, 1.625 metres tall and so on. In case of discontinuous variations, individuals fall into distinct classes or categories, and they are based on features that cannot be measured across a complete range. You either have the characteristic or you don't. Blood groups are a good example: you are either one blood group or another - you can't be in between.