Okay. So based on what we know about genes and heritability, what is wrong with the statement? Quote, "His mother was an alcoholic, so he probably inherited the gene and will be one too." End quote. So, not the most accurate. Let's go through our answer choices and see how we can refine that a little bit.
So, Option A reads that many traits, especially those involving complex behavior, are polygenic. And that is absolutely true, right? And in this quote here, they're saying that he probably inherited the gene as though there's only one gene that contributes to something as complex, you know, biologically and socially, behaviorally complex as alcoholism. That is very unlikely; this is likely a polygenic issue. So Option A is looking pretty promising.
Option B reads that heritable traits cannot be passed from mother to son, but that's not true. Right? We know that obviously, heritable traits do get passed down from parents to their children, so Option B is incorrect. And then Option C reads that heritability is not fate. Trait expression can be influenced by many factors including a person's environment, and that is also true, right?
Even if this person had inherited some genes that we know are associated with alcoholism, it does not mean that we will necessarily see the expression of those genes. His environment could have altered the way that those genes are going to get expressed. So Option C is also accurate. So it looks like our answer is going to be Option D: both A and C are true.
Many traits are polygenic and heritability is not fate. Alright, guys, I'll see you in the next one. Bye-bye!