Question

A scientist collects data on the height of parents and their children. He uses families that live in the same environment, eat the same diet, and have the same health histories. He finds that tall parents usually have tall children, and short parents usually have short children. What conclusion can be drawn from this data?

1) Height is determined solely by genetics
2) Height is determined solely by environment
3) Height is determined by a combination of genetics and environment
4) Height is determined randomly

Answer 1

The conclusion that can be drawn from the data is that height is determined by a combination of genetics and environment. The correct answer is option C.

Step-by-step explanation:

The conclusion that can be drawn from the data is that height is determined by a combination of genetics and environment. While tall parents usually have tall children and short parents usually have short children, there can be variations in height that are influenced by factors such as nutrition and health. Genes play a major role in determining our adult height, but environmental factors can prevent us from reaching our full genetic potential.

The data collected by the scientist implies that height is influenced by a combination of both genetics and the environment. While tall and short parents generally have children with similar stature, suggesting a genetic role, environmental factors such as nutrition also play a key role in growth.

The scientist's findings suggest that height is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Since the families studied live in the same environment and have the same diet and health histories, the consistent pattern of tall parents having tall children and short parents having short children strongly implies a genetic component to height. However, we know that environmental factors such as nutrition also affect growth and development, which means that height cannot be determined solely by genetics.

Indeed, while genes are a major determinant of human height, they interact with environmental factors, and these interactions can influence the physical expression of genetic potential. This is a complex dynamic, where genetic factors set certain possibilities, but environmental influences also play a critical role in determining final outcomes.

Therefore, the combination of genetics and environment is responsible for determining height. This aligns with the broader understanding of phenotypic traits, where both inherited genes and various environmental conditions contribute to the physical characteristics of an individual.