Predict traits with a Punnett square
Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
Ari’s class plants 40 seeds from a Tt × Tt pea cross. About how many plants would you expect to be dwarf?
Bo reads about 80 seeds from one Rr × Rr pea cross. About how many would you expect to be round?
Punnett square for pea seed texture (R = round (dominant), r = wrinkled (recessive)). Top parent Rr (letters R and r across the top); side parent Rr (letters R and r down the side). Boxes: top-left RR; top-right Rr; bottom-left Rr; bottom-right rr. Punnett square for pea seed texture (R = round (dominant), r = wrinkled (recessive)). Top parent Rr (letters R and r across the top); side parent Rr (letters R and r down the side). Boxes: top-left RR; top-right Rr; bottom-left Rr; bottom-right rr. R r R RR Rr r Rr rr pea seed texture (R = round (dominant), r = wrinkled (recessive)); top parent Rr; side parent Rr Esme reads about 60 seeds from a Yy × Yy pea cross. About how many would you expect to be green?
Punnett square for pea seed color (Y = yellow (dominant), y = green (recessive)). Top parent Yy (letters Y and y across the top); side parent Yy (letters Y and y down the side). Boxes: top-left YY; top-right Yy; bottom-left Yy; bottom-right yy. Punnett square for pea seed color (Y = yellow (dominant), y = green (recessive)). Top parent Yy (letters Y and y across the top); side parent Yy (letters Y and y down the side). Boxes: top-left YY; top-right Yy; bottom-left Yy; bottom-right yy. pea seed color Y y Y YY Yy y Yy yy Y = yellow (dominant), y = green (recessive) Top parent Yy; side parent Yy. Second-generation pea plants, 705 violet and 224 white. V = violet (dominant), v = white (recessive). Jun reads Mendel’s real counts for pea flower color in the second generation. About what ratio is this, and what were the parents’ letters?
- About 3 to 1, so both parents were pure violet, VV
- About 3 to 1, so both parents were mixed, Vv
- About 1 to 2 to 1, so the colors blended
- About 1 to 1, so the parents were Vv × vv
705 violet, 224 white; ratio about 3.15 to 1. Kira sees that Mendel’s 705 to 224 is about 3.15 to 1, not exactly 3 to 1. Why?
- He miscounted the plants, since the square promises 3 to 1
- Chance decides each plant, so counts vary near 3 to 1
- The Punnett square is wrong for peas
- Some flowers blended into pale violet
Read this first
Results card (model data)
120 plants from a Tt × Tt pea cross: 88 tall, 32 dwarf. A 3 to 1 split of 120 is 90 and 30.
Luz’s class grew 120 plants from a Tt × Tt cross and got 88 tall and 32 dwarf. Do the results fit the square?
- Yes: 88 to 32 is close to 3 to 1
- No: it should be 60 tall and 60 dwarf
- Yes: it shows tall and dwarf blending
- No: it has to be exactly 90 and 30
Pia asks why a test cross pairs the unknown violet plant with a white (vv) plant, not another violet plant. Which answer is best?
Test cross card: violet parent (letters unknown) × white parent (vv), with an empty Punnett square. Test cross card: violet parent (letters unknown) × white parent (vv), with an empty Punnett square. v v violet parent (letters unknown) white parent (vv) - A violet partner would promise an exact count
- vv gives only v, so a hidden v shows up as white
- White plants make more seeds than violet ones
- The white plant blends the colors so the hidden ones show
V = violet (dominant), v = white (recessive). Cross: VV × Vv. Ren’s friend says Vv pea plants have pale violet flowers, a blend of the two colors. Which response is best?
- Agree: each letter adds half its color
- Disagree: Vv flowers are white, since v hides V
- Agree: Vv shows white with a violet edge
- Disagree: Vv looks like VV, because V is dominant
Tala’s friend says a Tt × Tt cross with 4 seedlings will have exactly one dwarf. Which response is best?
Punnett square for pea plant height (T = tall (dominant), t = dwarf (recessive)). Top parent Tt (letters T and t across the top); side parent Tt (letters T and t down the side). Boxes: top-left TT; top-right Tt; bottom-left Tt; bottom-right tt. Punnett square for pea plant height (T = tall (dominant), t = dwarf (recessive)). Top parent Tt (letters T and t across the top); side parent Tt (letters T and t down the side). Boxes: top-left TT; top-right Tt; bottom-left Tt; bottom-right tt. T t T TT Tt t Tt tt T = tall (dominant), t = dwarf (recessive) - Agree: unless two seedlings blend into medium
- Disagree: each has a 1 in 4 chance, so 0 to 4 could be dwarf
- Disagree: tall is dominant, so the seedlings will be tall
- Agree: the square shows one dwarf box
V = violet (dominant), v = white (recessive). Cross: Vv × Vv. Zee’s friend says two violet pea plants cannot have a white offspring. Which response is best?
- Agree: white offspring need white parents
- Disagree: the colors blend and then split apart
- Disagree: two Vv parents can each pass v, giving vv
- Agree: violet is dominant, so violet passes on each time

