Compared to genus, which of the following is less general in characters?

The correct option is Species.

To understand why "Species" is less general in characters compared to "Genus", let us look at the taxonomic hierarchy in biological classification.

The taxonomic hierarchy is arranged in a descending order as follows:
Kingdom ⇒ Phylum (or Division) ⇒ Class ⇒ Order ⇒ Family ⇒ Genus ⇒ Species

As we move down the taxonomic hierarchy from Kingdom to Species:
1. The number of common characteristics shared by the organisms increases.
2. The classification becomes more specific (less general).
3. Organisms placed in lower categories share a higher degree of similarity and specific characteristics.

Conversely, as we go up the hierarchy from Species to Kingdom:
1. The number of shared common characteristics decreases.
2. The classification becomes broader and more general.

Since Species is the taxonomic category that lies directly below Genus, the members of a species share more specific, detailed, and common features with each other than the members of a genus. Thus, a species is less general (more specific) in its characteristics compared to a genus.

Let's compare the positions of all the options relative to Genus:
- Division and Class are much higher in the hierarchy and are therefore highly general.
- Family is also higher in the hierarchy than Genus and is more general.
- Species is lower in the hierarchy than Genus, making it the only category listed that is less general (more specific) than Genus.