Question

all of the statements except one are true about mutations. which statement is false?
a mutations must be present in parents and then passed to offspring.
b mutations can be positive and produce organisms with improved traits.
c mutations can be fatal to the organism that has a mutation, if the mutation is in a critical gene.
d mutations can be silent, and not affect the organism that has them, if the mutation is in a non - critical area

Explanation:

Mutations can occur de novo (newly) in offspring without being present in parents (e.g., spontaneous mutations in gametes or early development). Positive mutations (B) enhance traits, critical gene mutations (C) can be fatal, and non-critical area mutations (D) can be silent—all these are true. Only statement A is false.

Answer:

A. Mutations must be present in parents and then passed to offspring.