Official Answer Key & Detailed Solution
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Correct Answer: Option (B) — Pleiotropy
Concept & Option Breakdown
Standard Reference VerifiedPleiotropy refers to the genetic phenomenon where a single gene influences multiple, distinct, and seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits (e.g., the sickle-cell gene affecting erythrocyte morphology, malaria resistance, and tissue oxygenation).
Definitions: One gene -> multiple traits = Pleiotropy; Multiple genes -> one trait = Polygenic inheritance.
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