Question

after meiosis, resulting daughter cells will contain ______. a) the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell b) half the number of chromosomes than the parent cell carries c) twice the number of chromosomes than the parent cell carries d) three times the number of chromosomes than the parent cell carries e) four times the number of chromosomes than the parent cell carries

Explanation:

Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half. This is crucial for sexual reproduction as it ensures that when gametes (sperm and egg) fuse during fertilization, the resulting zygote has the correct diploid number of chromosomes. In meiosis, one diploid parent cell (with two sets of chromosomes) undergoes two rounds of division (meiosis I and meiosis II) to produce four haploid daughter cells (each with one set of chromosomes). So, the daughter cells have half the number of chromosomes compared to the parent cell.

• Option a is incorrect because mitosis (not meiosis) results in daughter cells with the same chromosome number as the parent cell.
• Option c is incorrect as meiosis reduces, not doubles, the chromosome count.
• Options d and e are also incorrect as there is no tripling or quadrupling of chromosome numbers in normal meiosis.

Answer:

B. half the number of chromosomes than the parent cell carries