The Number of Possible Chromosome Combinations in a Gamete of a Human

Question

The number of possible chromosome combinations in a gamete of a human is
A)800.
B)8,000.
C)80,000.
D)8 million.

Accepted Answer

A human gamete contains 23 chromosomes, and each chromosome can have different versions (alleles) of genes. As a result, the total number of possible chromosome combinations in a human gamete is 2^23, which equals approximately 8 million. Therefore, choice D is the most accurate answer. The other choices significantly underestimate the number of possible combinations.