Reproduction types: which statement correctly contrasts sexual and asexual reproduction?

• A. Asexual reproduction requires two parents.
• B. Sexual reproduction produces offspring with identical genetic material.
• C. Both produce identical offspring.
• D. Asexual reproduction produces genetically identical offspring; sexual reproduction involves two parents and genetic variation.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is how traits are passed to offspring. Asexual reproduction uses one parent, so the offspring are genetically identical to that parent, like a copy of the parent’s genes. Sexual reproduction uses two parents, and each contributes genes, creating offspring with new gene combinations and variation rather than exact copies. That contrast—one parent producing identical genetic copies, versus two parents producing genetically diverse offspring—is why the statement describing identical offspring in asexual reproduction and two parents with genetic variation in sexual reproduction is the best fit. The other ideas mix up how many parents are involved or what happens to genes, so they don’t align with what actually happens in these two types of reproduction.