A human skin cell contains 46 chromosomes. How many chromosomes are present in a human egg cell after meiosis?

• A. 69 chromosomes
• B. 92 chromosomes
• C. 23 chromosomes
• D. 46 chromosomes

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that human cells are typically diploid, meaning they contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. In humans, this is 46 chromosomes in total.
2. Recognize that meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in haploid cells. This is crucial for sexual reproduction.
3. During meiosis, a diploid cell undergoes two rounds of division: meiosis I and meiosis II. The purpose of these divisions is to produce gametes (sperm and egg cells) with half the number of chromosomes.
4. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes are separated, reducing the chromosome number from 46 to 23. This is the key step where the chromosome number is halved.
5. After meiosis II, the cells remain haploid, each containing 23 chromosomes. Therefore, a human egg cell, after meiosis, contains 23 chromosomes.