A mother cat is a calico, with orange, black, and white fur. She has three kittens—an orange female, a black and orange female, and a black female. Did she reproduce sexually or asexually? Choose the option that has the best evidence to support your choice.(1 point)

Question

A mother cat is a calico, with orange, black, and white fur. She has three kittens—an orange female, a black and orange female, and a black female. Did she reproduce sexually or asexually? Choose the option that has the best evidence to support your choice.(1 point)
Responses

Asexually, because all of her kittens have the same colors as her, because they only inherited her genes.
Asexually, because all of her kittens have the same colors as her, because they only inherited her genes.

Asexually, because all of her kittens are females like her, which occurs with asexual reproduction.
Asexually, because all of her kittens are females like her, which occurs with asexual reproduction.

Sexually, because cats are multicellular, and multicellular organisms typically reproduce sexually.
Sexually, because cats are multicellular, and multicellular organisms typically reproduce sexually.

Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The best option is: **Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.** This option is supported by the evidence that the kittens have genetic variation in their fur colors compared to the mother, which indicates that they inherited a mix of genes from both parents, characteristic of sexual reproduction.