Question

How can you tell if a child has reached the onset of puberty?

A. The child has secondary sex characteristics.
B. The child is over 18 years of age.
C. The child is taller than 5 and 1/2 feet.
D. The child is over 12 years of age.

Answer 1

A. The child has secondary sex characteristics

Step-by-step explanation:

The onset of puberty is marked by "secondary sex characteristics." This characteristics appear when the person is already sexually mature. Examples of secondary characteristics are:

1. breast enlargement (in females)

2. pubic hair (both males and females)

3. Adam's apple (in males)

4. widening of hips (in females)

5. increased muscle mass (in males)

The onset of puberty is not the same for everyone. However, it usually occurs from 8 years old to 14 years old. This makes choice B and choice D incorrect. Although the growth speeds up during puberty, the height of males and females vary. So we cannot assume that a child taller than 5 1/2 feet is at the onset of puberty. Some people are naturally born tall and may even be taller than 5 1/2 feet before puberty stage.