In incomplete dominance, a heterozygote shows which type of phenotype?

• A. A phenotype identical to the red parent
• B. An intermediate phenotype between the two parental phenotypes
• C. A phenotype identical to the white parent
• D. No phenotype

Answer: (B)

In incomplete dominance, neither allele is fully dominant, so the heterozygote expresses a phenotype that sits between the two parental traits. This means the offspring don’t look exactly like either parent but show a blended trait. A classic example is red and white flowers: crossing red (RR) with white (rr) yields pink (Rr) offspring. So the heterozygote has an intermediate phenotype between the two parental phenotypes. If a heterozygote looked exactly like one parent, that would reflect complete dominance, not incomplete dominance, and “no phenotype” isn’t applicable here since organisms always have some observable trait.