Adopted children are often interested in determining their ___ parentage.

Adopted children are often interested in determining their ___ parentage.

• A. Genetic
• B. Biological
• C. Adoptive
• D. Legal

Answer: (A)

Understanding the different forms of parentage helps here. Adopted children often seek information about their genetic origin—the individuals who contributed their genes—because that reveals hereditary traits, family medical history, and ancestry. This is distinct from adoptive parentage, who raised the child, and from legal parentage, who is recognized by law as a parent with rights and responsibilities. While the term biological is sometimes used interchangeably with genetic, in this context the emphasis is on heredity through genes. So the best fit is genetic, reflecting the interest in who provided their genetic material rather than who cared for them or what the law says about parenthood.

Understanding the different forms of parentage helps here. Adopted children often seek information about their genetic origin—the individuals who contributed their genes—because that reveals hereditary traits, family medical history, and ancestry. This is distinct from adoptive parentage, who raised the child, and from legal parentage, who is recognized by law as a parent with rights and responsibilities. While the term biological is sometimes used interchangeably with genetic, in this context the emphasis is on heredity through genes. So the best fit is genetic, reflecting the interest in who provided their genetic material rather than who cared for them or what the law says about parenthood.