Maternal inheritance patterns from generation to generation cannot be analyzed by simply studying the X chromosome in the way that paternal inheritance patterns can follow the Y chromosome because
A) the X chromosome is too large to analyze effectively.
B) the X chromosome sometimes exchanges genetic information with the Y chromosome.
C) the X chromosome is obtained from both the father and the mother.
D) one X chromosome is deactivated in females.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The X chromosome is inherited from both the mother and the father (females inherit an X chromosome from each parent, while males inherit an X chromosome from their mother and a Y chromosome from their father), making it impossible to trace maternal inheritance patterns through the X chromosome alone in the same straightforward manner as paternal inheritance can be traced through the Y chromosome.

Maternal Inheritance Patterns from Generation to Generation Cannot Be Analyzed