Historical Development of Inheritance Understanding — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptWe must, however, recognise that though our ancestors knew about the inheritance of characters and variation, they had very little idea about the scientific basis of these phenomena.
Which of the following statements are correct concerning the scientific rigor of Mendel’s experimental methodology? S1. His use of a large sampling size significantly reduced the impact of chance deviations on progeny ratios, enhancing data credibility. S2. Mendel's confirmation of inferences across successive generations ensured his results reflected general rules of inheritance. S3. He was the first to apply statistical analysis and mathematical logic to interpret biological problems. S4. By studying traits with continuous variation, Mendel could observe gradual blending of characters. S5. Mendel ensured that the factors (genes) controlling characters were treated as discrete units that did not blend.
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Correct answer: B — S1, S2, S3 and S5
The core concept involves the robust nature of Mendel's experimental design and data interpretation. S1. NCERT states, 'His experiments had a large sampling size, which gave greater credibility to the data that he collected.' This reduces the impact of chance deviations. So, S1 is correct. S2. NCERT states, 'the confirmation of his inferences from experiments on successive generations of his test plants, proved that his results pointed to general rules of inheritance rather than being unsubstantiated ideas.' So, S2 is correct. S3. NCERT states, 'it was for the first time that statistical analysis and mathematical logic were applied to problems in biology.' So, S3 is correct. S4. Mendel studied characters with distinct opposing traits (e.g., tall/dwarf), not continuous variation, and observed no blending. So, S4 is NOT correct. S5. Mendel proposed that characters are controlled by 'factors' (genes) which are stable and discrete units that do not blend. So, S5 is correct. Therefore, statements S1, S2, S3, and S5 are correct. The tested concept is the scientific integrity and methodological innovations of Mendel's work.
What does NCERT say about We must however recognise?
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Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 176 of the 180 ReNEET 2026 (June 21) questions were already in the MedicNEET question bank before the exam.
176/180MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.