The passing of traits from one generation to the next using genes is known as

• A. Heredity (genetic inheritance)
• B. Gene expression
• C. Allele
• D. Genome

Answer: (A)

Heredity is the passing of genetic information from parents to offspring across generations. Genes located on chromosomes carry instructions for traits, and during reproduction, gametes deliver a set of these genes to the new individual. Through meiosis, alleles segregate and recombine, so offspring inherit a combination of genetic material that can determine their traits. This is why traits can appear in the next generation.

Gene expression, by contrast, is about how those genetic instructions are used inside a cell to make proteins and influence phenotype at a given time, not about passing traits to the next generation. An allele is a variant form of a gene, a piece of the puzzle in heredity, but not the process itself. A genome is the complete set of an organism’s genetic material, the storehouse of heredity, not the mechanism of transmission.