Here's the breakdown:

* Gametes (sperm and egg cells) are haploid, meaning they carry one allele for each trait.

* Organisms are diploid, meaning they carry two alleles for each trait, one inherited from each parent.

Think of it this way:

* Gametes are like single building blocks, each carrying one piece of genetic information.

* Organisms are like complete structures built from two building blocks (one from each parent).

For example, let's consider eye color. A person might have the alleles "blue" and "brown" for eye color. When they produce gametes, each gamete will only carry one of these alleles, either "blue" or "brown". When these gametes combine, the offspring will inherit one allele from each parent, resulting in a combination of alleles that determines their eye color.