Which term refers to the complete set of genetic information in an organism?

• A. Chromosome
• B. Nucleic Acids
• C. Genes
• D. Genome

Answer: (D)

The concept here is the scope of an organism’s genetic material. The genome is the entire set of genetic information—every DNA sequence or RNA genome present in the organism, including all genes, regulatory regions, and noncoding sequences across all chromosomes and, in some cells, organelle DNA like mitochondria. A chromosome is just one of the many structures that package part of the genome; there can be many chromosomes. Nucleic acids refer to the molecules themselves (DNA and RNA), not the complete genetic content. Genes are specific units that code for proteins or functions, not the whole set. So the term that means the complete genetic information of an organism is the genome.