Heredity
Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to their children through genes.
Practice This ConceptMain explanation
Teacher explanation
Heredity is the basic reason family members often look similar. A child receives genetic information from both parents, so some features such as eye colour, hair type, or seed shape can be passed on. Heredity does not make children exact copies of their parents; it passes the basic instructions, while variation still appears among individuals.
Example
A pea plant producing offspring with the same flower colour pattern is an example of heredity. In humans, a child may inherit dimples or attached earlobes from a parent.
Simple analogy
Heredity means family traits travel forward.
Common confusion
Students often think heredity means the child must look exactly like one parent. That is wrong because inherited traits can combine with variation.
Exam tip
In answers, mention both inheritance and parent to offspring transfer. If the question asks for resemblance, connect it directly to genes.
Answer writing and exam use
1-mark use
Write the exact meaning of heredity in one clean line.
2-mark use
Define heredity and add one example or condition.
3-mark use
Explain heredity, show the method or example, and mention the common mistake.
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