The observable traits such as eye color are collectively known as?

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

Answer: (B)

Observable traits like eye color are called the phenotype—the outward, visible expression of an organism’s genetic information. The phenotype reflects how the genotype manifests, often shaped by environmental factors as well. The genotype is the actual genetic makeup—the set of genes an individual carries. A gene is a basic unit of heredity that encodes information used to make a product, and an allele is a variant form of that gene that can influence the trait. Since eye color is what you can observe, it falls under the phenotype, while the underlying genetic instructions are the genotype and its alleles.