Which of the following describes the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which term describes the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring. The key idea is passing on characteristics from one generation to the next.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• A. Adaptation: A feature or behaviour that helps an organism survive in its environment (e.g., a camel's hump for storing fat). It is not about passing traits on.
• B. Evolution: The gradual change in the characteristics of populations over many generations. It depends on inheritance but is not the inheritance itself.
• C. Natural selection: The process by which organisms better suited to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully. It is a mechanism of evolution.
• D. Genetics: The branch of biology that studies heredity, meaning how traits are passed from parents to offspring through genes and chromosomes, and how variation arises.

Step 3: Match the definition "Inheritance of traits from parents to offspring" is the definition of heredity, and the field that studies heredity is genetics. Among the options, only Genetics fits this description directly.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. Genetics.

Exam tip: Link keywords to terms:

• Inheritance or heredity → Genetics
• Survival in an environment → Adaptation
• Change over generations → Evolution
• Survival of the fittest → Natural selection

Eliminating options this way can save you time in JAMB.