Which term describes half the diploid chromosome set?

Which term describes half the diploid chromosome set?

• A. Haploid
• B. Diploid
• C. Tetraploid
• D. Polyploid

Answer: (A)

In diploid organisms, chromosomes come in paired sets, so half of that paired number is a single set. A cell with one complete set of chromosomes is described as haploid (n). This is what gametes—sperm and egg in animals, pollen and ovules in many plants—carry. When two haploid gametes fuse during fertilization, they form a diploid zygote with two complete sets (2n), restoring the paired condition. The other terms describe different realities: diploid means two complete sets, tetraploid means four sets, and polyploid refers to any multiple of the haploid set beyond two (such as triploid, tetraploid, etc.). So half of the diploid chromosome set is described by haploid.

In diploid organisms, chromosomes come in paired sets, so half of that paired number is a single set. A cell with one complete set of chromosomes is described as haploid (n). This is what gametes—sperm and egg in animals, pollen and ovules in many plants—carry. When two haploid gametes fuse during fertilization, they form a diploid zygote with two complete sets (2n), restoring the paired condition.

The other terms describe different realities: diploid means two complete sets, tetraploid means four sets, and polyploid refers to any multiple of the haploid set beyond two (such as triploid, tetraploid, etc.). So half of the diploid chromosome set is described by haploid.