If an individual shows both normal and mutant bands, the genotype is described as

If an individual shows both normal and mutant bands, the genotype is described as

• A. Homozygous
• B. Heterozygous
• C. Hemizygous
• D. Compound heterozygous

Answer: (B)

Seeing both a normal band and a mutant band means the gene has two different alleles present, one normal and one mutant. This is called a heterozygous genotype. If both copies were the same—both normal or both mutant—the genotype would be homozygous for that allele. Hemizygous describes having only one allele for a gene (as in males for many X-linked genes), so you’d typically see a single band. Compound heterozygous refers to having two different mutant alleles with no normal allele, so you’d expect two mutant bands that are distinct from each other rather than a mix of normal and mutant.

Seeing both a normal band and a mutant band means the gene has two different alleles present, one normal and one mutant. This is called a heterozygous genotype. If both copies were the same—both normal or both mutant—the genotype would be homozygous for that allele. Hemizygous describes having only one allele for a gene (as in males for many X-linked genes), so you’d typically see a single band. Compound heterozygous refers to having two different mutant alleles with no normal allele, so you’d expect two mutant bands that are distinct from each other rather than a mix of normal and mutant.