Mendel's law of independent assortment holds only when the two genes concerned are
- A. close together on the same chromosome
- B. on different chromosomes or far apart on the same one
- C. both recessive
- D. both on the X chromosome
Explanation
Independent assortment comes from the random orientation of different homologous pairs at metaphase I, so it requires the genes to be on different pairs. Genes close together on the same chromosome are linked and travel together, which is precisely why Morgan's results departed from Mendel's ratios. Genes far apart on one chromosome are separated by crossing over often enough to behave almost independently.
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