CBSE Class 10 Science 2017 · Paper 31/1/1/C · Question 15

Inherited traits are passed from parents to offspring through the genes (DNA) in the germ cells; they come from the genetic make-up of the individual and can appear in the next generation. Example: eye colour (or free and attached earlobes). Acquired traits are developed by an individual during its own lifetime, through experience, surroundings, use or training; they change only the body tissues and are not passed on. Example: the low weight of a beetle that has been starved (or a skill such as swimming). Reason: an acquired trait is a change in the non-reproductive (body) tissues. It does not change the DNA of the germ cells, and in sexual reproduction only the DNA of the germ cells is passed on to the next generation, so the trait is not inherited.