Principles of Inheritance and Variation Question 162

162. Point mutation involves:

(a) change in single base pair

(b) duplication

(c) deletion

(d) insertion

Show Answer

Answer : a

Hints & Solution

(a) A point mutation is a simple change in one base of the gene sequence. This is equivalent to changing one letter in a sentence, such as in this example, where we change the ’ $c$ ’ in cat to an ’ $h$ ‘: Original: The fat cat ate the wee rat. Point Mutation: The fat hat ate the wee rat.