Which statement best describes the relationship between genes and chromosomes?

Which statement best describes the relationship between genes and chromosomes?

• A. Genes are many chromosomes joined together.
• B. Genes are located on chromosomes but are not themselves chromosomes.
• C. Genes are longer than chromosomes.
• D. Genes are made of lipids.

Answer: (B)

Genes are the functional units of heredity, made of DNA, and they reside on chromosomes. A chromosome is a long DNA molecule packaged with proteins that carries many genes, but a gene is not itself a chromosome. So the statement that genes are located on chromosomes but are not themselves chromosomes is the correct description. This reflects how chromosomes organize and carry genetic information while genes are the individual instructions found within them. The other ideas don’t fit: a gene isn’t multiple chromosomes joined together, a gene isn’t longer than a chromosome, and genes aren’t made of lipids—they’re made of nucleic acids (DNA).

Genes are the functional units of heredity, made of DNA, and they reside on chromosomes. A chromosome is a long DNA molecule packaged with proteins that carries many genes, but a gene is not itself a chromosome. So the statement that genes are located on chromosomes but are not themselves chromosomes is the correct description. This reflects how chromosomes organize and carry genetic information while genes are the individual instructions found within them. The other ideas don’t fit: a gene isn’t multiple chromosomes joined together, a gene isn’t longer than a chromosome, and genes aren’t made of lipids—they’re made of nucleic acids (DNA).