Which term describes the different conditions in which a character can exist, such as "hair present" vs. "hair absent"?

The term that correctly describes the different conditions in which a character can exist, such as "hair present" versus "hair absent," is known as character states. In the context of biology and anthropology, character states refer to the observable phenotypic variations for a particular trait within a population or among individuals. For example, in examining the trait of hair, the presence or absence of hair constitutes two distinct character states.

Character changes would imply a transition from one state to another, but the question focuses on the static options (the states) available for a trait. Character traits typically denote the specific attributes themselves, rather than the variations, and character features could refer more broadly to any aspect of an organism, not specifically the variations within a single trait. Thus, character states precisely captures the idea of the differing conditions an attribute may demonstrate, making it the appropriate term in this context.