Which term describes having two different alleles at a gene locus?

Which term describes having two different alleles at a gene locus?

• A. Homozygous
• B. Heterozygous
• C. Allele
• D. Genome

Answer: (B)

Two different alleles at a gene locus are called heterozygous. An allele is a variant form of a gene, and the locus is the exact position on a chromosome. When you inherit one allele from each parent, the pair can be identical (homozygous) or different (heterozygous). For example, Aa represents two different alleles at that locus, with A and a being different forms. If both copies were A or both were a, that would be homozygous. A genome is the entire set of genetic material. So, having two different alleles at the locus is heterozygous.

Two different alleles at a gene locus are called heterozygous. An allele is a variant form of a gene, and the locus is the exact position on a chromosome. When you inherit one allele from each parent, the pair can be identical (homozygous) or different (heterozygous). For example, Aa represents two different alleles at that locus, with A and a being different forms. If both copies were A or both were a, that would be homozygous. A genome is the entire set of genetic material. So, having two different alleles at the locus is heterozygous.