Question

Human somatic cells contain ___ chromosomes. a. 16 b. 26 c. 46 d. 56

Answer 1

The answer is c. 46

In a human diploid somatic cell (2n), there are 22 chromosomes present in two copies and 1 pair of sex chromosomes. This means there are 23 pairs of chromosomes - 22 pairs of autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes. There are in total 46 chromosomes (23 pairs in 2 copies: 23 × 2 = 46).