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Subjects · Leaving Cert Agricultural Science

Leaving Cert Agricultural Science: Animal genetics & improvement

How often Animal genetics & improvement comes up on the Agricultural Science papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 4 of the last 5 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

OL Asked on 4 of the last 5 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Animal genetics & improvement, Higher Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Animal genetics & improvement.

(a)What is hybrid vigour (heterosis)?
  1. Purebreds outperform crossbreds of the same breeds
  2. Crossbreds outperform the average of their parents
  3. Offspring are identical to both of their parents
(b)A pure Aberdeen Angus bull on horned cows gives all polled calves. What does this show?
  1. Polled is sex-linked
  2. Horned is dominant to polled
  3. Polled is dominant to horned
(c)What is progeny testing?
  1. Judging a bull by his offspring's performance
  2. Checking a bull's semen quality before use
  3. Testing a bull's own weight gain on a set ration
Show the answers

(a) Crossbreds outperform the average of their parents

(b) Polled is dominant to horned

(c) Judging a bull by his offspring's performance

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Animal genetics & improvement.

Higher Level

Asked on 4 of the last 5 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q1, Q10, Q12, Q13
2024Q18
2023Q1a, Q4
2022Not asked
2021Q9

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Animal genetics & improvement questions

Animal genetics & improvement, 3 marks

What does the reliability figure on an AI bull's index show?

  1. His semen fertility
  2. The ease of calving his calves
  3. How confident we can be in the index
Show the answer

How confident we can be in the index

Reliability rises as more information is added, such as genomics and daughter records. A low reliability index may change a lot.

Animal genetics & improvement, 3 marks

In ICBF beef star ratings, what does 5 stars mean?

  1. Exactly average for the breed
  2. Among the top 20% for that index
  3. Among the bottom 20%
Show the answer

Among the top 20% for that index

Stars rank animals in fifths within the breed or across breeds; 5 stars is the top 20% and 1 star the bottom 20%.

Animal genetics & improvement, 3 marks

Why is inbreeding avoided in livestock?

  1. It increases harmful recessive traits
  2. It raises hybrid vigour too much
  3. It makes all traits dominant
Show the answer

It increases harmful recessive traits

Mating close relatives raises the chance that offspring inherit two copies of a harmful recessive allele, lowering fertility and vigour.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 4 of the last 5 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q10
2024Q11a, Q11b
2023Q18
2022Not asked
2021Q18

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Animal genetics & improvement questions

Animal genetics & improvement, 2 marks

The genetic make-up of an animal is called its?

  1. Phenotype
  2. Pedigree
  3. Genotype
Show the answer

Genotype

Genotype is the genes it carries. Phenotype is how it looks or performs, which depends on both its genes and its environment.

Animal genetics & improvement, 3 marks

A pure-bred polled Angus bull on horned cows gives all polled calves. So polled is?

  1. Sex-linked
  2. Dominant
  3. Recessive
Show the answer

Dominant

One copy of the dominant polled gene is enough to stop horns growing. Polled cattle avoid dehorning and are safer to handle.

Animal genetics & improvement, 2 marks

Hybrid vigour means that crossbred offspring?

  1. Perform better than the average of their parents
  2. Are always identical to one of their parents
  3. Cannot breed or have offspring of their own
Show the answer

Perform better than the average of their parents

Crossing two breeds often gives better fertility, growth and survival. Crossbred suckler cows and crossbred ewes both benefit from it.

Other Agricultural Science topics

All of Leaving Cert Agricultural Science