Oogenesis is the production of which gamete?

• A. Formation of sperm
• B. Fertilization
• C. Egg production
• D. Cell division of somatic cells

Answer: (C)

Oogenesis is the process that produces the female gamete, the egg, in the ovaries. It uses meiosis to generate haploid eggs with a lot of cytoplasm to support early development, and typically results in one large egg with polar bodies that are discarded. This is different from spermatogenesis, which makes sperm, and from fertilization, which is the moment the egg and sperm unite. It’s also distinct from somatic cell division, which is mitosis. So the correct description of oogenesis is egg production.