Question

a young goat has downward - curved horns. its father has upward - curved horns while its mother has downward - curved horns. which of these statements explains why the young goat has downward - curved horns?
the young goat inherited one copy of the gene for horn shape from its mother and one copy from its father. that gene combination instructs for proteins that connect in ways that make downward - curved horns
the young goat inherited its copies of the gene for horn shape from its mother and not from its father. just like its mother’s genes, those genes instruct for proteins that connect in ways that make its downward - curved horns.
the young goat inherited its copies of the gene for horn shape from its mother and not from its father. those genes connect together to make its downward - curved horns.
the young goat inherited one copy of the gene for horn shape from its mother and one copy from its father. those genes connect together to make its downward - curved horns.

Explanation:

To determine the correct statement, we analyze the principles of genetics. Offspring inherit one copy of each gene from each parent (mother and father). Genes code for proteins, and the combination of genes (alleles) from both parents determines the trait expression.

• The second and third options are incorrect because they claim the young goat inherited genes only from the mother, which goes against the basic genetic inheritance rule (offspring get genes from both parents).
• The fourth option is incorrect as it says "genes connect together" which is not accurate; genes code for proteins, and the protein interactions (instructed by the gene combination) lead to the trait, not the genes physically connecting.
• The first option is correct: the young goat gets one gene copy for horn shape from each parent, and the gene combination (alleles) codes for proteins that interact to produce downward - curved horns.

Answer:

The young goat inherited one copy of the gene for horn shape from its mother and one copy from its father. That gene combination instructs for proteins that connect in ways that make downward - curved horns