Correct answer is (b) It is not similar to the distance phylogenetic tree-building method
Explanation: A hierarchical clustering method is in principle similar to the distance phylogenetic tree-building method. When genes with similar expression profiles are grouped in such a way, functions for unknown genes can often be inferred. Hierarchical clustering uses the agglomerative approach that works in much the same way as the UPGMA method, in which the most similar data pairs are joined first to form a cluster.