Unit of inheritance is called

Question

Unit of inheritance is called

1. A. Nucleus
2. B. Gene (Correct answer)
3. C. Cell
4. D. Tissue

Correct Answer

Option B — Gene

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Gene.

Key Points

• The gene is the unit of inheritance — a segment of DNA carrying the information for a particular trait, passed from parents to offspring.
• The nucleus is the organelle that houses the genetic material, and the cell is the structural and functional unit of life; neither is the unit of *inheritance*.

Additional Information

• The term *gene* was coined by Wilhelm Johannsen in 1909; Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics, had described the underlying "factors" in his pea experiments of 1866.
• Genes sit on chromosomes; humans have 23 pairs, of which one pair determines sex.
• DNA's double-helix structure was described by Watson and Crick in 1953, work for which they shared the Nobel Prize with Maurice Wilkins.