A rock is not considered a living thing primarily because it lacks the characteristics that define living organisms. Among the options you provided, the most relevant reason is:
It does not contain the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and pass this information to its offspring.
Living organisms are characterized by their ability to grow, reproduce, respond to stimuli, and carry out metabolic processes, all of which are associated with having genetic material (DNA) that is passed to offspring. While rocks can break into pieces and change through processes like weathering, these actions do not confer life or living characteristics. Rocks are inorganic materials that do not exhibit the biological processes associated with living things.