Question

Mendel’s law of segregation is also known as______________.
A. Law of separation
B. Law of dominance
C. Law of purity of gametes
D. Law of independent assortment.

Answer 1

Hint: Mendel’s law of segregation states that a trait passes to its offspring with the help of randomly selected allele from a diploid organism. In this process the offspring get one allele from both the parents. This random allele distribution into gamete occurs during the process of meiosis. There are two types of alleles, one is dominant and other is recessive and the offspring can attain any one allele randomly. This allele in the offspring helps in forming traits in the offspring and can be identical to homozygous from either parent.

Complete answer: Mendel’s observation of 3:1 phenotypic ratio states that in heterozygotes, there is one recessive and another dominant allele and zygote can attain any one of the alleles during meiosis. Mendel states the law of segregation after observing the pea plant in his garden that two different traits makes an offspring which possess all dominant traits but the generations after that show both dominant as well as recessive traits in ratio of 3:1. Law of segregation is also called the law of purity of gametes as this law is universally accepted and applicable to the law of Mendel.
Law of dominance states that one trait will dominate the trait of another allele for a character in heterozygote.
Law of independent assortment describes the working of different genes independently separate from one another when reproduction of cells occurs.

Hence, the correct option is C. law of purity of gametes.

Note: Mendel after breeding and testing thousands of pea plants came to observations that are known as Mendel’s law of inheritance. Law of inheritance further states different laws based on his observations that are universally accepted that are the Law of independent assortment, the Law of dominance, the Law of segregation, and the Law of unit characters.