What term describes offspring from crosses between true-breeding parents with different traits?

• A. Hybrid
• B. Genetics
• C. Fertilization
• D. Trait

Answer: (A)

Hybrids are offspring produced from crossing true-breeding parents that differ in a trait. True-breeding parents are homozygous for that trait (for example, TT or tt). When they mate, each gamete carries one allele, so the offspring are typically heterozygous (like Tt) for that gene. This mixing of two distinct parental lines creates the hybrid generation, where the combination of alleles from both parents is what defines the term. In Mendel’s pea experiments, crossing tall, pure-breeding plants with short, pure-breeding plants yielded hybrids in the first generation. Genetics is the science studying these patterns of inheritance, fertilization is the process that combines the gametes, and a trait is a specific characteristic such as plant height.