Final answer:
An individual carrying two identical copies (alleles) of the same gene is said to be homozygous (option D). In genetics, an allele is one of the variant forms of a gene that can exist at a specific location on a chromosome.
Step-by-step explanation:
An individual carrying two identical copies (alleles) of the same gene is said to be homozygous. In genetics, an allele is one of the variant forms of a gene that can exist at a specific location on a chromosome. When an organism is homozygous for a gene, it means that both copies of the gene are the same.
For example, if an individual carries two dominant alleles for a gene, it would be homozygous dominant (AA). On the other hand, if an individual carries two recessive alleles for a gene, it would be homozygous recessive (aa).
Therefore, the correct answer is D) homozygous.