NAME: _________________________________ Date: _________________ PER: _____ #____

Genetics Punnett Square Problems

Directions: Use a separate piece of notebook paper to solve the problems assigned in class or for homework.

P-Square Practice question # 1

In seals, the gene for the length of the whiskers has two alleles. The dominant allele (L) codes long whiskers &
the recessive allele (l) codes for short whiskers.

a) What percentage of offspring would be expected to have long whiskers from the cross of two long-
whiskered seals, one that is homozygous dominant and one that is heterozygous?
b) If one parent seal is pure long-whiskered and the other is short-whiskered, what percent of offspring
would have short whiskers?

P-Square Practice question #2

In the alien species, Weebles, 2 heads (H), is dominant over 3 heads (h). If you cross a heterozygous Weeble
with a homozygous recessive Weeble,
a. what are the genotypic results as a percentage?
b. what are the phenotypic results as a percentage?

P-square Practice question #3

In Oompah Loompahs, green hair is dominant to white hair. If a female white-haired Oompah Loompah marries a
male who is heterozygous for green hair.
a. What percentage of their children will be heterozygous?
b. What percentage of their children will be homozygous dominant?
c. What percentage of their children will have green hair?

P-square Practice question #4

In toothfairies, curved wings are dominant over straight wings. If a homozygous recessive toothfairy has 4
children, and half of them have straight wings...
a. What is the genotype of her toothfairy husband? A
b. What would the genotype of the other 2 children be?

P-square Practice question #5

In Ligers, stripes are dominant over solids. If two heterozygous Ligers mate...
a. What is the chance of their baby Liger having stripes?
b. What is the chance of their baby Liger having no stripes?
P-square Practice question #6

In unicorns, diamond eyes are dominant over emerald eyes. Two unicorns with diamond eyes have 4 babies. 1 of
their babies has emerald eyes. What is the genotype of the two parent unicorns? What are their chances of
having another baby with emerald eyes?

P-square Practice #7

Stitch leaves Hawaii and goes back to outer space. There he falls in love with another member of his species,
named Dolly. Stitch has black eyes (dominant) and Dolly has green eyes (recessive). Both Stitch and Dolly are
true-bred. They have a baby named Patch.
a. What will Patch’s genotype be? What will Patch’s phenotype be?

b. When Patch grows up he marries an alien lady who is heterozygous for black eyes. What is the chance that
they will have a baby that has green eyes?

P-square Practice #8

You are a geneticist and two very angry hobbits, Pippin and Lola, come storming into your office. Pippin and Lola
have just had a newborn baby girl named Beatrice. Beatrice has blue eyes, but Pippin and Lola both have green
eyes. Green eyes are dominant over blue eyes. Pippin thinks that Beatrice is not his baby, and is very angry with
Lola. Determine how it is in fact possible for Beatrice to be Pippin’s baby girl.
a. What are Pippin and Lola’s genotypes?
b. What is Beatrice’s genotype?
c. Prove this to Pippin using a Punnett Square.

P-square Practice #9

In gremlins, hairy shoulders are dominant over non-hairy shoulders. Peter the Gremlin, who has very hairy
shoulders, was adopted at birth and he is finally reunited with his parents 30 years later. He brought his
girlfriend, Gretchen the Gremlin, to the reunion. Gretchen studies genetics in college, and notices that neither
of Peter’s parents have hairy shoulders. What are Peter’s parents genotypes? What are Peter’s possible
genotypes? Why do you think that Gretchen is concerned?

P-square Practice #10

In mermaids, green fins are dominant over purple fins, in fact, purple fins are very rare in the Mermaid world.
Muriel the Mermaid has purple fins, and her family has been true-bred for purple fins for generations. Muriel
falls in love with Jack the merman. He has green fins. Muriel’s family does not want Muriel to marry him because
it will break the family tradition of purple fins. However, after much thought, they decide that they will allow
Muriel to marry Jack if a geneticist (that’s you), can prove that there is a chance of Muriel and Jack having a
baby mermaid with purple fins.

a) What is Muriel’s genotype?

b) What type of information do you need from Jack to determine his genotype?
c) What does Jack’s genotype need to be in order for there to be any purple finned babies (prove with P-
square)