Science (086) — AI-generated practice question

A gene contains instructions for making a specific protein (enzyme). If a gene undergoes a change (mutation), the enzyme it codes for may become non-functional or altered. In pea plants, if the gene controlling the enzyme needed to produce a growth hormone is changed, that enzyme may not form correctly. As a result, the growth hormone is not produced or is produced in insufficient amounts. Without the hormone, the plant cannot grow to its normal height, and a dwarf (short) phenotype is observed instead of the tall phenotype — showing how a gene change directly alters physical characteristics.

Source: Chapter 8, Heredity (Mendel's Contributions / gene–trait relationship)

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• Examiners expect a gene → enzyme → hormone → phenotype chain of reasoning — all four links must be present for full marks.
• Use the words gene, enzyme, hormone, and phenotype explicitly.
• The example from the question (growth hormone in pea plants) should be referenced — don't give a generic answer.
• A common mistake is stopping at "the enzyme doesn't work" without connecting it to the visible change in the plant.