Mitosis and Meiosis: Cell Division Worksheet

Question 1

State one main purpose of mitosis in multicellular organisms.

Accepted Answer

One main purpose of mitosis is to produce new body cells for growth, repair, and replacement of damaged or old cells.

Question 2

State one main purpose of meiosis in sexually reproducing organisms.

Accepted Answer

One main purpose of meiosis is to produce gametes, such as sperm or egg cells, with half the usual number of chromosomes.

Question 3

Compare the number of cell divisions in mitosis and meiosis.

Accepted Answer

Mitosis has one cell division, while meiosis has two cell divisions called meiosis I and meiosis II.

Question 4

A diploid cell has 46 chromosomes. After mitosis, how many chromosomes will each daughter cell have?

Accepted Answer

Each daughter cell will have 46 chromosomes because mitosis produces genetically similar diploid cells.

Question 5

A diploid human cell has 46 chromosomes. After meiosis, how many chromosomes will each gamete have?

Accepted Answer

Each gamete will have 23 chromosomes because meiosis reduces the chromosome number by half.

Question 6

Explain the difference between diploid and haploid cells.

Accepted Answer

Diploid cells have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent, while haploid cells have only one set of chromosomes.

Question 7

During which process do homologous chromosomes pair up and exchange genetic material through crossing over?

Accepted Answer

Homologous chromosomes pair up and exchange genetic material through crossing over during meiosis, specifically in prophase I.

Question 8

Describe one reason meiosis leads to genetic variation but mitosis usually does not.

Accepted Answer

Meiosis leads to genetic variation because crossing over and independent assortment create new combinations of alleles, while mitosis usually produces genetically identical cells.

Question 9

Name the stage of mitosis in which sister chromatids separate and move to opposite poles of the cell.

Accepted Answer

The stage is anaphase, when sister chromatids separate and move to opposite ends of the cell.

Question 10

What are the four main stages of mitosis in order?

Accepted Answer

The four main stages of mitosis in order are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Question 11

Compare the final products of mitosis and meiosis in terms of number of cells and genetic similarity.

Accepted Answer

Mitosis produces two genetically similar daughter cells, while meiosis produces four genetically different haploid cells.

Question 12

Why is it important for chromosome number to be reduced before fertilization in sexual reproduction?

Accepted Answer

It is important because reducing the chromosome number in gametes prevents the chromosome number from doubling every generation, so fertilization restores the normal diploid number.

Mitosis and Meiosis: Cell Division

Mitosis and Meiosis: Cell Division

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