A zygote is formed by the fusion of a male gamete and a female gamete. The number of chromosomes in the zygote of a human is :

In human beings, the non-reproductive body cells (somatic cells) are diploid and contain $46$ chromosomes ($23$ pairs).

During gametogenesis, specialized germ-cells undergo a reduction division called meiosis to produce haploid gametes (sperm and egg), each containing half the number of chromosomes, which is $23$.

When the male gamete ($23$ chromosomes) fuses with the female gamete ($23$ chromosomes) during fertilization, a diploid zygote is formed. This fusion re-establishes the original chromosome number:

$$\text{Number of chromosomes in zygote} = 23 \text{ (from male gamete)} + 23 \text{ (from female gamete)} = 46$$

• Option C is correct because the zygote contains $46$ chromosomes.
• Option A is incorrect because $23$ is the haploid number of chromosomes found in gametes, not the zygote.
• Option B is incorrect because $44$ is the number of autosomes in a human somatic cell, excluding the sex chromosomes.
• Option D is incorrect because $92$ would be double the diploid number, which is prevented by meiosis during gamete formation.