What is the hereditary material in cells abbreviated by three letters?

• A. Ribonucleic acid
• B. Deoxyribonucleic acid
• C. Protein
• D. Lipid

Answer: (B)

The material that stores and passes genetic information from one generation to the next is DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid is the molecule that contains genes—the instructions for building and maintaining an organism. It’s made of nucleotides with bases A, T, G, and C, arranged in sequences that determine traits. During cell division, DNA is copied so the new cells receive the same genetic information, which is why heredity works. RNA, while essential for using those instructions to make proteins, is not the stored hereditary material itself. Proteins and lipids have important roles in structure and function but do not carry hereditary information. So the three-letter abbreviation for the hereditary material is DNA.