Advanced Placement (AP) Biology Practice Exam

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What term refers to the body cells in an organism?

Somatic cells
Gametes
Sister chromatids
Autosomes

The correct answer is: Somatic cells

The term that refers to the body cells in an organism is somatic cells. Somatic cells are all the cells that make up the body tissues and organs, excluding the reproductive cells (gametes). These cells undergo mitosis for growth and repair and contain a full set of chromosomes, which in humans is 46. Somatic cells can be differentiated into various types based on their functions, such as muscle cells, nerve cells, and epithelial cells. In contrast, gametes are the reproductive cells (sperm and egg) that are involved in sexual reproduction and carry half the number of chromosomes. Sister chromatids are identical copies of a chromosome connected by a centromere that are formed during DNA replication, and they are specifically associated with the cell division process. Autosomes are the non-sex chromosomes that exist in pairs and carry the majority of an organism's genetic information, but they do not refer exclusively to body cells. Thus, somatic cells specifically denote the body cells that make up the organism as a whole.