Question

Compare the egg and the sperm in the human reproductive system. Which of the following are true?

Egg (Ovum)	Sperm
1	It is the smallest cell in the human body.	It is the biggest cell in the human body.
2	It does not move much.	It moves actively.
3	It is a female reproductive cell.	It is a male reproductive cell.

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3

Answer 1

Hint: The female reproductive cells remain inside the uterus while the male reproductive cells come across them to fuse.

Complete answer:
Female reproductive organs produce female reproductive cells called ovum or egg cells that are large and non-motile while male reproductive cells produce male reproductive cells called sperm that are small and motile.

Additional information:
-The egg cells are the female gamete while sperm is male gamete which is used in sexual reproduction.
-The fusion of sperm and egg will result in fertilization leading to the formation of zygote.
-The zygote will further undergo divisions to form a new complete organism.
-The process of formation of sperm cells is known as spermatogenesis.
-Oogenesis is termed for the process of formation of an egg cell.
-Sperm is the smallest cell of the human body while in a contrast egg cell is the largest cell of the human body.
The sperm consists of a tail-like structure that helps in the movement while an egg cell is embedded in the uterus and does not move.
-The egg cell is produced from the female gonads called ovaries while the sperm cell is produced from the male gonads called testicles.

So, the correct answer is ‘2 and 3 only'.

Note: The term sperm is derived from the Greek word Sperma meaning ‘seed’. The ovum was discovered in mammals in 1827 by Karl Ernst von Baer. It was proposed in 1578-1657, that every living cell comes from an egg cell by William Harvey. In starfish, the fusion of make and female gametes was first observed in 1876 by Oskar Hertwig.