Which of the following is the best explanation for a child who is phenotypically short and born of two tall parents
Answer Details
If a child is phenotypically short and both parents are tall, the most likely explanation is that both parents carry a recessive gene for shortness. When both parents are heterozygous for a recessive trait, there is a 25% chance that their child will inherit two copies of the recessive allele and express the trait. In this case, the trait is shortness. Therefore, it is most likely that both parents possess the gene for shortness, but it is only expressed in the child because they inherited two copies of the recessive allele.