Here is a concise answer to the interview question:
You would use git clone over git clone --mirror when you want to create a regular working copy of the repository for development purposes, rather than a complete mirror. The key differences are:
git clone creates a working directory with a .git subdirectory, while --mirror creates a bare repository with no working directory[1][3].
git clone sets up remote-tracking branches (e.g. origin/master), while --mirror directly maps remote branches to local branches[3].
git clone is suitable for developers who need to make local edits, while --mirror is intended for full replication of the repository for backup or migration purposes[1].
