The passing of traits from parents to offspring is known as:

• A. Heredity
• B. Gene
• C. Chromosome
• D. Trait

Answer: (A)

Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring. It describes how genetic information is transmitted across generations during reproduction, which is why children often resemble their parents in certain features. Traits are the observable characteristics, such as eye color or dimples, that can be inherited. The units that carry these instructions are genes, specific sequences of DNA that code for particular traits. Genes reside on chromosomes, which are the structures that organize DNA inside cells. So heredity focuses on the process of inheritance, while a gene is a unit within that process, a chromosome is the carrier of many genes, and a trait is the expressed feature. This makes heredity the best answer because it directly names the transfer of inherited characteristics from one generation to the next.