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If a child inherits an Y chromosome from the father, what will be the sex of the child?
Female
Male
Hermaphrodite
Cannot be determined
Male
In human genetics, females possess XX chromosomes and males possess XY chromosomes. Since the father determines the child's sex by contributing either an X or a Y chromosome, inheriting a Y chromosome strictly results in a male child.
In human genetics, females possess XX chromosomes and males possess XY chromosomes. Since the father determines the child's sex by contributing either an X or a Y chromosome, inheriting a Y chromosome strictly results in a male child.
Step 1: Understand Human Sex Chromosomes
Human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes, out of which the 23rd pair consists of sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes (XX) and males have one X and one Y chromosome (XY).
Step 2: Gamete Contribution by Parents
The mother always passes on an X chromosome through her egg cells. The father can pass on either an X chromosome or a Y chromosome through his sperm cells.
Step 3: Analyze the Inheritance of the Y Chromosome
If the child inherits a Y chromosome from the father, combined with the X chromosome from the mother, the resulting chromosomal pair is XY. The presence of the Y chromosome determines the male sex.
A: Female is incorrect because a female child requires an XX chromosome combination, not XY. C: Hermaphrodite is incorrect as it is an abnormal condition involving ambiguous genitalia, not normal XY inheritance. D: Cannot be determined is incorrect because the Y chromosome uniquely identifies a male child.
B is correct because the inheritance of a Y chromosome from the father combined with an X from the mother results in the XY genotype, which defines a male child.
Remember that the father is solely responsible for determining the sex of the child in human genetics since he contributes either an X or a Y gamete.