GCSE Biology: Cell division — mitosis (video)

All questions and answers

Read through the full deck, or practise recalling each answer above.

1. What are the three main stages of the cell cycle?

   Show answer

   Growth, DNA replication, and mitosis and division (cytokinesis).

2. What happens during the growth stage of the cell cycle?

   Show answer

   The cell grows in size and increases the number of subcellular structures such as mitochondria and ribosomes.

3. When a cell prepares for division, its DNA condenses into ?.

   Show answer

   chromosomes

4. How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have?

   Show answer

   23 pairs (46 chromosomes total).

5. Why do eukaryotic cells have two copies of each chromosome?

   Show answer

   One copy is from their mother and the other copy is from their father.

6. What shape do chromosomes form after DNA duplication during cell division?

   Show answer

   An X shape, with the duplicate attached to the original chromosome.

7. What is the relationship between the two arms of an X-shaped chromosome?

   Show answer

   They contain identical DNA; one arm is a duplicate of the other.

8. What is the function of cell fibers during mitosis?

   Show answer

   They attach to each half of the chromosomes and pull the arms to opposite poles of the cell.

9. The process of dividing the cell membrane and cytoplasm to form two daughter cells is called ?.

   Show answer

   cytokinesis

10. How does the DNA content of daughter cells compare to the parent cell after mitosis?

    Show answer

    Each daughter cell has the same DNA as the parent cell; they are genetically identical.

11. Why do multicellular eukaryotic organisms require a continuous supply of new cells?

    Show answer

    For growth, development, and repair. Young organisms need to grow, and older organisms must replace lost cells.