What term describes the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism?

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

Answer: (A)

Phenotype is the observable physical or biochemical expression of an organism, such as eye color, height, or enzyme activity. It reflects how genes are expressed in the body and can be influenced by the environment. This distinguishes it from genotype, which is the actual genetic makeup or set of alleles present. An allele is a specific variant of a gene, while a trait is a general term for a characteristic. The term phenotype specifically describes the expressed features you can observe or measure, which is why it’s the best fit here.