Question

students are looking at an onion root cell to examine the different phases of the cell cycle. they collect data from 100 cells and record which phase the cells are in and place them in the chart below. what conclusion can you make from the data collected?
onion root sample slide (not entire data set):
data collected:

a most cells in the sample are in metaphase
b more cells are undergoing mitosis than are in interphase
c there are more cells in anaphase than prophase and metaphase together
d most cells are currently in the g1, s, or g2 phase

Explanation:

• Analyze each option:
• Option A: From the data, interphase has 78 cells, which is more than any other phase. So “Most cells in the sample are in metaphase” is wrong.
• Option B: Interphase (78 cells) is part of the cell cycle but not mitosis. Mitosis - related phases (prophase: 12, metaphase: 2, anaphase: 4, telophase: 5) sum to \(12 + 2+4 + 5=23\) cells. So “More cells are undergoing mitosis than are in interphase” is wrong.
• Option C: Anaphase has 4 cells. Prophase (12) + Metaphase (2) = 14 cells. So “There are more cells in Anaphase than Prophase and Metaphase together” is wrong.
• Option D: G1, S, and G2 are parts of interphase. Interphase has 78 cells out of 100. So “Most cells are currently in the G1, S, or G2 phase” is correct.

Answer:

D. Most cells are currently in the G1, S, or G2 phase