The splitting of the centromere and the movement of sister chromatids to opposite poles occurs in
- A.prophase
- B.metaphase
- C.anaphase
- D.telophase
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, anaphase. Once the chromosomes are aligned on the metaphase plate and every kinetochore is attached to a spindle fibre, the centromere holding the two sister chromatids together splits. Each chromatid now counts as an independent daughter chromosome and is drawn towards the pole its fibre comes from, so the chromosome number in the cell momentarily doubles before the cell divides. Anaphase is the shortest stage of mitosis. A, prophase involves condensation of chromatin and formation of the spindle, not separation. B, metaphase is the arrangement of chromosomes on the equatorial plate, with the centromeres still intact. D, telophase begins only after the chromatids have reached the poles, and in it they uncoil and are enclosed in new nuclear envelopes. Remember also that the chromatids move because the kinetochore fibres shorten while the pole-to-pole fibres lengthen and push the poles apart.
Read the full article: Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis Explained for Exams
Practice Questions
View allIn which phase of the cell cycle does DNA replication take place?
- A.G1 phase
- B.S phase
- C.G2 phase
- D.M phase
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During this phase the DNA of the cell is copied so that the amount of DNA in the nucleus doubles, while the number of chromosomes remains unchanged because each chromosome now simply consists of two identical sister chromatids joined at the centromere.
Read the full explanation →Mitosis is called the equational division because
- A.it produces four daughter cells
- B.the chromosome number of the daughter cells is the same as that of the parent cell
- C.it halves the chromosome number
- D.it occurs only in reproductive cells
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In mitosis each centromere splits in anaphase and one chromatid of every chromosome goes to each pole, so the two daughter cells receive exactly the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell had, and exactly the same genetic information.
Read the full explanation →At which stage of mitosis do the chromosomes line up at the equator of the cell?
- A.Prophase
- B.Metaphase
- C.Anaphase
- D.Telophase
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In this stage the condensed chromosomes, each consisting of two sister chromatids, are moved by the spindle fibres until their centromeres lie in one plane across the middle of the cell, known as the metaphase plate or equatorial plate.
Read the full explanation →Cytokinesis in a plant cell differs from that in an animal cell because
- A.a cleavage furrow forms in the plant cell
- B.a cell plate forms in the plant cell
- C.the plant cell does not divide its cytoplasm
- D.the plant cell divides its nucleus twice
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An animal cell divides its cytoplasm by a cleavage furrow, in which the plasma membrane is pulled inward around the middle until the cell is pinched into two.
Read the full explanation →How many daughter cells are produced at the end of meiosis in one parent cell, and of what kind?
- A.Two diploid cells
- B.Two haploid cells
- C.Four haploid cells
- D.Four diploid cells
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Meiosis begins with a single round of DNA replication and is then followed by two successive nuclear divisions. Meiosis I is the reduction division, in which homologous chromosomes separate and the two cells formed already carry half the parental chromosome number.
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