Why is a dominant allele called dominant?

A. There is always at least one dominant allele.

B. There are always more dominant alleles in a genotype.

C. The dominant alleles are the only kind that determine phenotype.

D. It dominates the phenotype.

The correct option is D. It dominates the phenotype.

Explanation:

A dominant allele can be described as the allele which suppresses the effect of a recessive allele. A recessive allele can be described as the allele which gets masked by the dominant allele.

If the gene for a particular trait in an organism is heterozygous, then the organism will show the physical characteristic of the dominant trait. The recessive trait becomes suppressed and might be visible in the next generation if possible.