Q. Hereditary characteristics are passed on from parent to the offspring chiefly through ____:
Answer: Genes
Notes: Hereditary characteristics are passed on from parent to the offspring chiefly through genes. Genes are the working subunits of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the chemical information database that carries the complete set of instructions for the cell as to the nature of the proteins produced by it, its life span, maturity, function and death. The transmission of genes to an organism’s offspring is the basis of the inheritance of phenotypic traits.