Diploid describes...

• A. Having four complete sets of chromosomes.
• B. Containing one complete set of chromosomes.
• C. Containing two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
• D. Having no chromosomes.

Answer: (C)

Diploid describes having two complete sets of chromosomes, with one set inherited from each parent, so the chromosomes come in homologous pairs. In humans, most body (somatic) cells are diploid (2n = 46). This two-set arrangement is maintained during mitosis, ensuring each daughter cell stays diploid, while meiosis reduces the chromosome number to haploid gametes (n) for sexual reproduction. So the idea of diploid is exactly two complete chromosome sets, one from each parent. Having four sets would be tetraploid, a single set would be haploid, and having no chromosomes isn’t a diploid state.