Which chromosome does not determine the sex of an organism?

• A. Allele
• B. Autosome
• C. Carrier
• D. Chromosome

Answer: (B)

The trait of sex is typically determined by the sex chromosomes. Autosomes are the non-sex chromosomes, and they carry many genes but do not decide whether an individual is male or female. In humans, for example, having two X chromosomes usually results in a female, while having an X and a Y chromosome usually results in a male. Autosomes are present in equal pairs in both sexes and do not set the sex of the organism, even though they contain genes that influence many other traits. An allele is just a variant of a gene, not a chromosome, and a carrier refers to someone who carries a recessive allele. A chromosome is a general term that could be either a sex chromosome or an autosome, but the specific chromosome that does not determine sex is the autosome.