A pregnant mouse is exposed to high levels of a chemical. Many of the mice in her litter are deformed, but when they are interbred with each other, all their offspring are normal. Which two of the following statements could explain these results?

(a) In the deformed mice, somatic cells but not germ cells were mutated.
(b) The original mouse's germ cells were mutated.
(c) In the deformed mice, germ cells but not somatic cells were mutated.
(d) The toxic chemical affects development but is not mutagenic.


Choices (a) or (d) are correct. Choice (b) cannot account for these results because a mutation in the original mouse's germ cells would have no effect on the fetuses she was already carrying. Neither can choice (c), because mutations in the germ cells of the fetuses while in utero would have had no effect on their development, but they might have led to mutant mice among their offspring.

Biology & Microbiology

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