Which term describes the observable trait expressed by the genotype?

Which term describes the observable trait expressed by the genotype?

• A. Allele
• B. Genotype
• C. Gene
• D. Phenotype

Answer: (D)

Genotype describes the organism’s genetic makeup, the specific alleles it carries. The trait you can actually see or measure—such as color, height, or other characteristics—is the phenotype, which results from how those genes are expressed and can be influenced by the environment. So the observable trait expressed by the genotype is the phenotype. The other terms refer to different things: an allele is one variant of a gene, a gene is a basic unit of heredity, and genotype is the combination of alleles an organism has.

Genotype describes the organism’s genetic makeup, the specific alleles it carries. The trait you can actually see or measure—such as color, height, or other characteristics—is the phenotype, which results from how those genes are expressed and can be influenced by the environment. So the observable trait expressed by the genotype is the phenotype. The other terms refer to different things: an allele is one variant of a gene, a gene is a basic unit of heredity, and genotype is the combination of alleles an organism has.