Question

A baby crawfish has a long tail. Its mother has a long tail while its father has a short tail. Which of these statements explains why the baby has a long tail?
Responses

a
The baby crawfish inherited one copy of the gene for tail length from its mother and one copy from its father. Those genes connect together to make its long tail.
The baby crawfish inherited one copy of the gene for tail length from its mother and one copy from its father. Those genes connect together to make its long tail.

b
The baby crawfish inherited one copy of the gene for tail length from its mother and one copy from its father. That gene combination instructs for proteins that connect in ways that make a long tail.
The baby crawfish inherited one copy of the gene for tail length from its mother and one copy from its father. That gene combination instructs for proteins that connect in ways that make a long tail.

c
The baby crawfish inherited its copies of the gene for tail length from its mother and not from its father. Just like its mother’s genes, those genes instruct for proteins that connect in ways that make a long tail.
The baby crawfish inherited its copies of the gene for tail length from its mother and not from its father. Just like its mother’s genes, those genes instruct for proteins that connect in ways that make a long tail.

d
The baby crawfish inherited its copies of the gene for tail length from its mother and not from its father. Those genes connect together to make a long tail.

Answer 1

b

Reason: the offspring inherits one allele from each parent; the combination of alleles directs production of proteins that build the trait. (Options c and d are wrong because the baby gets genes from both parents; a is vague about how genes produce the trait.)