Selective breeding is defined as which?

• A. the process of crossing plants with desirable traits
• B. the process of selecting organisms with desired traits to be parents of the next generation
• C. the process of modifying DNA in a lab
• D. the process of cloning organisms

Answer: (B)

Selective breeding focuses on human choice in reproduction to enhance traits over generations. The defining idea is selecting individuals with desirable traits to be the parents of the next generation, so those traits are more likely to appear in offspring. This emphasizes heredity and deliberate mating to accumulate favorable characteristics.

Crossing plants with desirable traits is a method used in selective breeding, but it describes a technique rather than the defining concept. Modifying DNA in a lab is genetic engineering, not selective breeding. Cloning creates genetically identical copies, which is different from selecting which traits to pass on through natural reproduction.