Which is the most likely explanation for a child exhibiting a heritable trait that neither parent exhibits?

Question

Responses

The trait is recessive, and the child inherited a recessive allele from each parent.
The trait is recessive, and the child inherited a recessive allele from each parent.

A grandparent exhibits the trait, and the child inherited it directly from that person.
A grandparent exhibits the trait, and the child inherited it directly from that person.

A mutation occurred, and the child exhibits a new trait due to the mutation.
A mutation occurred, and the child exhibits a new trait due to the mutation.

The parents have recessive alleles, and the child inherited a dominant allele.
The parents have recessive alleles, and the child inherited a dominant allele.

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for a child exhibiting a heritable trait that neither parent exhibits is:

The trait is recessive, and the child inherited a recessive allele from each parent.

In this scenario, both parents could be carriers of a recessive allele (they each have one recessive allele and one dominant allele), meaning they do not exhibit the trait themselves but can pass the recessive allele to their child. If the child inherits the recessive allele from both parents, they will express the trait.