Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
How many homologous chromosome pairs are present in most human cells?
A
22 pairs
B
24 pairs
C
23 pairs
D
21 pairs
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that homologous chromosomes are pairs of chromosomes that have the same structure and carry the same genes, although they may have different alleles.
Recognize that in humans, somatic cells (non-reproductive cells) are diploid, meaning they contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
Recall that the human genome consists of 46 chromosomes in total, which are organized into 23 pairs.
Out of these 23 pairs, 22 are autosomes, which are the same in both males and females, and the 23rd pair are the sex chromosomes, which differ between males (XY) and females (XX).
Conclude that the correct number of homologous chromosome pairs in most human cells is 23 pairs, which includes 22 pairs of autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes.