Simpsons Genetic Probability Worksheet

There are six Punnett square problems featured below. You will be graded on both filling in the Punnett square as well
as filling in the correct answer next to the multiple choice questions after each problem.

Problem One: Typical Punnett Square Problem

Milhouse is extremely worried that because his dad is bald he will also be bald. To relieve his fear, he has asked you to
use your Punnett square skills to determine what the probability of him being bald will be. Milhouse is aware that his
dad is heterozygous for baldness (Bb) while his mom does not carry the baldness gene and so she is homozygous for no
baldness (bb). Remember baldness is dominant (B) while no baldness is recessive (b).

___________ 1. What is the probability that Milhouse will be bald?

a. 0% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75%

Problem Two: Incomplete Dominance

Homer has decided he wants to go into the dog breeding business and wants to use Santa’s Little Helper. Santa’s Little
Helper is heterozygous light brown (BB’), a combination of dark brown (B) and white (B’). Homer wants to get puppies
that are dark brown, light brown and white and has two choices of dogs he can mate with Santa’s Little Helper:
Penelope, who is also light brown (BB’) or Samantha, who is white (B’B’). Create Punnett Squares for each dog to help
Homer figure out the answer.

Penelope Samantha

2. Which dog would be best to mate with Santa’s Little Helper to get the most different colored puppies?

a. Penelope b. Samantha c. Neither one d. Either one (same odds)

 Problem Three: Codominance

Itchy and Scratchy created two brand new breeds of flowers: one lime green (GG) and one bright orange (OO). Green is
codominant with orange. Itchy and Scratchy know that because of codominance, if they cross these two plants, the
flowers should be both green and orange. If they cross these two plants, how many will be both green and orange if
they grow ten plants?

Itchy & Scratchy

__________3. How many out of 10 will be orange and green?

a. 0 b. 5 c. 7 d. 10

Problem Four: Multiple Alleles

Mr. Burns is in desperate need of a blood transfusion but unfortunately has the rare blood type OO and needs a donor
that is also OO. He offers a reward to anyone who could help him (enter Homer). Homer knows unfortunately that his
blood type is heterozygous type A (AO) and that Marge is heterozygous type B (BO). What is the probability that one of
the Simpson’s children will have the blood type to match Mr. Burns?

__________ 4. What is the likelihood that one of the Simpson children has the OO blood type?

a. 0 % b. 25 % c. 50% d. 75%
 Problem Five: Sex-linked Traits

Dr. Hibbert is treating a young Springfield couple who are having a child. The parents are worried that since the mom is
a carrier for the disorder of color blindness (XXc ), which is linked only to the female sex chromosome Xc , that the child
will have color blindness as well. The father does not have color blindness (XY) which is the dominant gene. What are
the odds that the child will NOT have color blindness?

X = no color blindness (dominant)

Xc = color blindness (recessive)

_____________5. What are the odds that their child will not be color blind?

a. 0% b. 25 % c. 50% d. 75%

Problem Six: Dihybrid Cross

Chief Wiggum and his wife are talking about having another child, giving Ralph another brother or sister. What are the
chances that Ralph’s sibling will have blue hair like their parents as well as straight hair like Ralph? The following are the
genotypes of the parents B=Blue, b=black, C=Curly, c=straight.

Chief Wiggum: Heterozygous curly = Cc Heterozygous Blue Hair = Bb

Ralph’s mom: Heterozygous curly = Cc Heterozygous Blue Hair = Bb

The cross would be ________________ X ____________________

The Punnett square and the offspring would be:

_______________ 6. How many out of 16 will have blue hair and straight hair?

a. 3 b. 6 c. 9 d. 16
 B b
Simpson’s Genetic Probability—Answer Key
Problem One: Typical Punnett Square, Milhouse
b Bb bb
1. What is the probability that Milhouse will be bald? Answer: C. 50 %
b Bb bb
a. 0% b. 25 c. 50% d. 75%

Problem Two: Incomplete Dominance

1. Which dog would be best to mate with Santa’s Little Helper to get the most different colored puppies?
a. Penelope b. Samantha c. Neither one d. Either one Answer: a. Penelope
B B’ B’ B’
Penelope
1 dark brown Samantha B
B BB BB’ 2 light brown BB’ BB’
2 light brown
1 white 2 white B’
B’ BB’ B’B’ B’B’ B’B’

Problem Three: Codominance G G

2. How many of 10 flowers will be orange and green? Answer: d. 10
a. 0 b. 5 c. 7 d. 10
(All are GO or green and orange) O GO GO

O GO GO
Problem Four: Multiple Alleles
A O
4. What is the likelihood that one of the Simpson children has a OO
blood type?
B a. 0% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75%
AB BO
O Answer: B. 25 % is the likelihood that one
AO OO
child will have type OO blood
X Xc

Problem Five: Sex-linked Traits

What are the odds that the Springfield couple will have a child that will not X
XX XcX
be colorblind?
a. 0 b.25% c. 50% d. 75% Answer: D. 75% Y
XY Xc Y

Problem Six: Dihybrid Cross

The Punnett square and the cross would be: CcBb x CcBb C= Curly c= straight B= Blue b= black
CB Cb cB cb

CB CCBB CCBb CcBB CcBb

Curly Blue Curly Blue Curly Blue Curly Blue
Cb CCBb CCbb CcBb Ccbb
Curly Blue Curly black Curly Blue Curly black
cB CcBB CcBb ccBB ccBb
Curly Blue Curly Blue straight Blue straight Blue
cb CcBb Ccbb ccBb ccbb
Curly Blue Curly black straight Blue straight black
How many out of 16 will have blue, straight hair? a. 3 b. 6 c. 9 d. 16 Answer: a. 3