AQA · Biology · 8461
GCSE Biology: Sex determination
Inheritance, variation and evolution · AQA GCSE Biology (8461), specification point 4.6.1.8. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "Sex determination", and every card links back to the page it came from. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.
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How many pairs of chromosomes do ordinary human body cells contain?
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23 pairs (46 chromosomes in total).
How many pairs of human chromosomes control characteristics only, not sex?
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22 pairs. The remaining pair carries the genes that determine sex.
How many pairs of human chromosomes carry the genes that determine sex?
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One pair — the sex chromosomes (X and Y).
In human females the sex chromosomes are the same: ?.
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XX
In human males the sex chromosomes are different: ?.
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XY
Which parent determines the sex of a human offspring, and why?
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The father — the egg always carries an X, so whether the sperm carries an X or a Y decides the offspring's sex.
What is the expected ratio of male to female offspring in a human genetic cross?
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1 : 1 — equal numbers of XX and XY combinations are produced.
What sex chromosome does every human egg cell carry?
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An X chromosome (all eggs are X, because the mother is XX).
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