Question

The egg (ovum) of a rabbit contains 22 chromosomes. How many chromosomes are in the somatic (body) cells of a rabbit?

A. 11
B. 22
C. 44
D. 88
E. 132

Answer 1

Answer: C, 44

Reasoning:
Ovum cells are gametes. Gametes are haploid meaning they only have half the number of chromosomes a somatic cell (any cell other than a gamete) should have.

The reason for this is to merge generic information at conception.

So, to get the full number of chromosomes for somatic/diploid cells, we need to multiply the number of chromosomes in the gamete/haploid cell by 2