Which term describes the genetic composition of an organism?

Which term describes the genetic composition of an organism?

• A. Phenotype
• B. Chloroplast
• C. Genotype
• D. Nucleus

Answer: (C)

Genotype is the genetic makeup—the specific alleles an organism carries for its genes. It describes the actual set of genes inherited from the parents, not how they appear. The phenotype is what you can observe or measure, the visible traits that result from gene expression and can be influenced by the environment. So the term that describes the genetic composition is genotype. For example, a gene with a dominant and recessive allele can have genotypes like AA, Aa, or aa; the phenotype might show a particular trait (like height or color) depending on dominance and other factors, but the genotype is the allele combination itself. The nucleus is the cell’s organelle that contains DNA, and chloroplast is a plant cell organelle; neither defines the organism’s genetic makeup.

Genotype is the genetic makeup—the specific alleles an organism carries for its genes. It describes the actual set of genes inherited from the parents, not how they appear. The phenotype is what you can observe or measure, the visible traits that result from gene expression and can be influenced by the environment. So the term that describes the genetic composition is genotype. For example, a gene with a dominant and recessive allele can have genotypes like AA, Aa, or aa; the phenotype might show a particular trait (like height or color) depending on dominance and other factors, but the genotype is the allele combination itself. The nucleus is the cell’s organelle that contains DNA, and chloroplast is a plant cell organelle; neither defines the organism’s genetic makeup.