Which of the following describes an allele whose characteristic phenotype is masked by the presence of a second, different allele?
dominant
recessive
polygenic
codominant

The correct answer is- Recessive.

Allele is described as an alternative form of a gene. There are two forms of a gene that is dominant allele ( represented by capital letter) and recessive allele ( represented by small letter).

Recessive allele does not exhibit its phenotype in presence of dominant allele. In other words, dominant allele masks the expression of recessive allele.

Example of recessive allele- 't' for dwarf height of pea plant. It is masked by dominant allele 'T' that represents tall plant height.

c. would be the answer : )

explanation:

ans.

gregor john mendel is known for study of inheritance in pea plants. he used garden pea plant for his study, having alternative traits for various characters. he performed cross-breeding in pea plants to check how characters are transmitted between parents to offspring, such as cross between pure tall and pure dwarf plant. mendel studied the inheritance patterns in pea plants for various generations.

thus, the correct answer includes options and f).