Inheritance is a method for creating hierarchies of objects wherein one class, called a subclass, is based on another class, called a base class.

In the context of .NET programming, inheritance is a fundamental object-oriented programming (OOP) concept that allows a class (called the derived or child class) to inherit properties, methods, and other members from another class (called the base or parent class).

Here’s a concise answer you might provide in a .NET interview:

“Inheritance in .NET is a mechanism that allows a class to acquire the characteristics (such as fields, methods, properties) of another class. The class that inherits is called a derived class or subclass, and the class from which it inherits is called a base class or superclass. Inheritance facilitates code reuse, enhances maintainability, and supports the concept of polymorphism, where objects of the derived class can be treated as objects of the base class.”

You can expand upon this answer by discussing different types of inheritance in .NET, such as single inheritance, multiple inheritance through interfaces, hierarchical inheritance, etc. Additionally, you can mention how inheritance supports the principle of code reusability and how it helps in building more modular and extensible applications.