Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Mendel conducted experiments on pea plants using two traits simultaneously (dihybrid cross). He crossed tall plants with round seeds with short plants with wrinkled seeds. The F1 progeny were all tall with round seeds. When F1 plants were self-pollinated, the F2 generation showed new combinations — tall with wrinkled seeds and short with round seeds — in addition to the original combinations.

This proved that the tall/short trait and round/wrinkled seed trait were inherited independently of each other, as genes controlling different traits recombine independently during reproduction to form new combinations in offspring.

Source: Chapter 8, Section 8.2.2

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• The key concept examiners look for is the dihybrid cross and the appearance of new trait combinations in F2.
• Use the exact phrase "independently inherited" as it appears in the textbook.
• Mention F1 and F2 generations clearly — this shows you understand the experimental design.
• Do not confuse this with the monohybrid cross (tall/short only); the question specifically asks about independent inheritance, which requires two traits.