Final Answer:
1. To replace dead or damaged cells, help organisms grow, and enable asexual reproduction.
2. Once
3. Two identical daughter cells
4. Two identical chromatids joined at the centromere (formed after DNA replication)
5. Chromosomes condense, nuclear envelope breaks down, centrosomes move to opposite poles, spindle fibers form, sister chromatids become visible
6. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
7. Spindle fibers attach to centromeres; chromosomes line up single-file at the metaphase plate (equator)
8. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
9. Sister chromatids separate and are pulled toward opposite poles by spindle fibers; cell elongates
10. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
11. Nuclear envelope reforms, chromosomes decondense, nucleoli reappear, spindle breaks down
12. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
13. No — cytokinesis is the division of the cytoplasm and follows mitosis; it is not part of mitosis itself
14. Parent cell divides into two identical daughter cells; cytoplasm, organelles, and other materials divide equally; cleavage furrow forms in animal cells; contractile ring pinches cell
15. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
16. Allows sexual reproduction, produces gametes, creates genetic diversity, reduces chromosome number by half
17. Twice
18. Four haploid daughter cells that are genetically different
19. In prophase I: homologous chromosomes pair up (synapsis), crossing over occurs. In prophase II: no pairing or crossing over; similar to mitotic prophase
20. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
21. In metaphase I: homologous pairs (tetrads) line up at equator; in metaphase II: individual chromosomes line up (like mitosis)
22. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
23. In anaphase I: homologous chromosomes separate (sister chromatids stay together); in anaphase II: sister chromatids separate
24. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
25. In telophase I: two cells form, each with one set of duplicated chromosomes (still 2 chromatids each); in telophase II: four cells form, each with one set of unduplicated chromosomes
26. [Drawing not provided — student to draw on back]
27. Cell division would not occur — no new daughter cells would form, and the cell could die
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of mitosis versus meiosis worksheet answer key.
