What term describes two identical genes at a particular locus?

What term describes two identical genes at a particular locus?

• A. Heterozygous
• B. Homozygous
• C. Hemizygous
• D. Polygenic

Answer: (B)

Having two identical copies of a gene at the same position on the chromosomes means you are homozygous for that gene. In a diploid organism, you inherit one allele from each parent; when those two alleles are the same, the genotype is homozygous, whereas different alleles would be heterozygous. Hemizygous refers to having only a single allele at a locus (as with many X-linked genes in males), and polygenic describes a trait influenced by many genes rather than the state at a single locus. So the term for two identical genes at a particular locus is homozygous.

Having two identical copies of a gene at the same position on the chromosomes means you are homozygous for that gene. In a diploid organism, you inherit one allele from each parent; when those two alleles are the same, the genotype is homozygous, whereas different alleles would be heterozygous. Hemizygous refers to having only a single allele at a locus (as with many X-linked genes in males), and polygenic describes a trait influenced by many genes rather than the state at a single locus. So the term for two identical genes at a particular locus is homozygous.