Which statement about somatic cells is true?

• A. They are produced by meiosis II only.
• B. They always contain one set of chromosomes.
• C. They form the body of an organism and are not gametes.
• D. They are the sex cells (gametes).

Answer: (C)

Somatic cells are the body's non-reproductive cells, and their defining feature is how they are produced and what they contain. They arise by mitotic division, not by meiosis, so they maintain the full chromosome complement of the organism. In humans this means they are diploid, with two complete sets of chromosomes for each type of chromosome. Their role is to form the tissues and organs of the body, not to participate in sexual reproduction. That’s why the statement that somatic cells form the body and are not gametes is true.

The other ideas don’t fit because meiosis II produces gametes, not typical body cells; somatic cells do not have just one chromosome set (they have two in diploid organisms); and somatic cells are not the sex cells (gametes are).