Another name for a fertilized egg is a

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for another name for a fertilized egg, which is the cell formed right after fertilization.

Step 2: Explain the concept During sexual reproduction, the male gamete (sperm) fuses with the female gamete (ovum or egg) in a process called fertilization. The cell produced is diploid (2n) because it carries chromosomes from both parents.

Here is the sequence of development:

• Ovum → the unfertilized female gamete (haploid, n)
• Zygote → the fertilized egg (diploid, 2n)
• Embryo → forms after the zygote divides repeatedly
• Foetus → the later stage of development in the womb (in humans, from about 8 weeks onward)

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Placenta: an organ in the uterus that exchanges nutrients, oxygen, and wastes between mother and baby. It is not a cell. ✗
• B. Zygote: the cell formed when the sperm fuses with the ovum. ✓
• C. Foetus: a developing baby at a later stage, not a single fertilized cell. ✗
• D. Ovum: the egg cell before fertilization. ✗

Step 4: Answer The correct option is B. Zygote.

Tip: Remember the order O-Z-E-F: Ovum → Zygote → Embryo → Foetus. The "Z" in zygote reminds you of "Zipped together", because the sperm and egg have joined as one.