How many linkage groups are present in human male?
(a) 24
(b) 23
(c) 46
(d) 22

Options

A. 24
B. 23
C. 46
D. 22

Answer

To determine how many linkage groups are present in a human male, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Concept of Linkage Groups
Linkage groups refer to a set of genes that are located on the same chromosome and tend to be inherited together. In humans, the number of linkage groups corresponds to the number of chromosome pairs.

**Hint:** Remember that each chromosome pair represents a linkage group.

### Step 2: Identify the Chromosomal Composition in Humans
Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes, which are organized into 23 pairs. These include:
- 22 pairs of autosomes (non-sex chromosomes)
- 1 pair of sex chromosomes (XX in females and XY in males)

**Hint:** Count the autosomes and sex chromosomes separately to understand their contribution to linkage groups.

### Step 3: Analyze the Male Chromosomal Composition
In human males, the chromosomal composition is as follows:
- 22 pairs of autosomes (22 linkage groups)
- 1 X chromosome and 1 Y chromosome (1 linkage group)

Thus, the total number of linkage groups in males is:
22 (from autosomes) + 1 (from sex chromosomes) = 23 linkage groups.

**Hint:** Remember that the sex chromosomes also contribute to the total count of linkage groups.

### Step 4: Conclusion
Based on the analysis, the total number of linkage groups present in a human male is 23.

### Final Answer
The correct option is (b) 23.

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