The observable characteristics of an organism, such as height or color, are called?

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

Answer: (C)

The observable characteristics are called the phenotype. This is the trait information you can see or measure, like height or color, and it reflects how the organism’s genes are expressed, often shaped by environmental factors. The underlying genetic information that contributes to those traits is the genotype, which includes genes and their variants called alleles. So the phenotype is the outward expression you observe, while genotype is the genetic basis behind it.