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Question
Does the sex of the child depend on the father or it is just a matter of chance? Discuss.
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Solution
The sex of the child depends on the father. The egg contains only one X chromosome, but half of the sperm contain an X chromosome whereas the other half contains a Y chromosome. It is simply a matter of chance as to which category of sperm fuses with the ovum and this determines whether the child will be male or female.
If the egg fuses with X-bearing sperm, the resulting combination is XX and the resulting child is female. If the egg fuses with Y-bearing sperm, the resulting combination is XY and the resulting child is male.

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RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer the following questions related to sex determination in human beings:
i. What is sex chromosome?
ii. How many pairs of chromosomes are present in human beings?
iii. How is the sex of the human offspring determined?
iv. Draw a diagram depicting sex determination in man.
- E is the gene for brown eye colour and e is the gene for blue eye colour. Which gene is (i) recessive, and (ii) dominant?
- Both father and mother have the genes Ee in their cells. What colour are their eyes?
- Which combination of genes in the zygote will produce children with blue eyes?
- Which combinations of genes in the zygote will produce children with brown eyes?
Both father and mother have the genes Ee in their cells. What colour are their eyes?
Write a short note on sex determination in man.
Match the items of Column I with Column II:
| Column I | Column II | ||
| i. | XX-XO method of Sex Determination | a. | Turner syndrome |
| ii. | XX-XY method of Sex Determination | b. | Female heterog ametic |
| iii. | karyotype-45 | c. | Grasshopper |
| iv. | ZW-ZZ method of Sex Determination | d. | Female homogametic |
Chromosomal constitution of normal human females can be written as ______.
Which of the following statements is not true with respect to variation?
Does a male child inherit X chromosome from his father? Justify.
Which of the following group shows ZW-ZZ type of sex determination?
How is the sex of a newborn individual determined in different species of animals? Give three examples to support your answer.
