The chromosomal theory of inheritance was proposed by:

The correct answer is Option (3) → Sutton and Boveri

The chromosomal theory of inheritance says that Mendel’s factors (genes) are carried on chromosomes. It came from the observation that chromosomes behave in the same way as genes: both occur in pairs, both separate at gamete formation, and both pairs sort out independently of other pairs.

(1) Thomas Hunt Morgan — Incorrect. Morgan did not propose the theory. He tested it experimentally on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and his work led to the discovery of linkage and recombination.

(2) Gregor Mendel — Incorrect. Mendel gave the laws of inheritance in 1865, when the behaviour of chromosomes was not yet known.

(3) Sutton and Boveri — Correct. Walter Sutton and Theodore Boveri saw that the behaviour of chromosomes was parallel to the behaviour of genes. Sutton joined this with Mendel’s principles and called it the chromosomal theory of inheritance.

(4) Reginald C. Punnett — Incorrect. Punnett made the Punnett square, a chart used to work out the offspring of a genetic cross.

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NCERT Extract:
Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance – …