Which statement best describes sexual reproduction?

• A. Involves a single parent producing offspring identical to the parent
• B. Uses spores to reproduce
• C. Involves two parents that combine genetic material to produce a new organism
• D. Occurs only in plants

Answer: (C)

Sexual reproduction involves two parents each contributing genetic material to the offspring. In this process, specialized reproductive cells called gametes carry half the usual number of chromosomes. When two gametes fuse during fertilization, their genetic material combines, producing a new organism with a mix of genes from both parents. This mixing creates genetic variation, which helps populations adapt over time.

That’s why the statement describing two parents that combine genetic material to produce a new organism is the best description of sexual reproduction. It captures the essential idea of two-parent involvement and the combination of genetic material to form a new, unique individual. The other ideas are narrower or misleading: producing offspring from a single parent describes asexual reproduction; relying on spores is not the defining feature of sexual reproduction and can occur in non-sexual contexts; and saying it occurs only in plants ignores animals, fungi, and many other organisms that reproduce sexually.