CBSE Class 10 Science 2020 · Paper 31/4/3 · Question 20(b)
List two distinguishing features between inherited and acquired characters. Also give one example for each type.
Answer
Inherited characters, such as eye colour, are passed on through germ-cell DNA; acquired ones, such as a dancing skill, are not.
1. Inherited characters are passed on from parents to offspring, from one generation to the next; acquired characters are developed by an individual during its own lifetime and are not passed on to its offspring.
2. Inherited characters are coded in the DNA of the germ (reproductive) cells; acquired characters are changes in the body (non-reproductive) cells that leave the DNA of the germ cells unchanged. (So inherited characters can bring about evolution, while acquired characters play no role in it.)
Examples: inherited character, eye colour; acquired character, a skill such as dancing. Other correct examples earn the same credit.
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