A scientist is comparing two types of cell division: mitosis and meiosis. She observes that mitosis results in two daughter cells, while meiosis results in four daughter cells. Additionally, she notices that the cells produced by meiosis contain half the number of chromosomes compared to the original cell.

Question

Which statement best explains the difference between mitosis and meiosis?
(5 Points)

Mitosis creates four genetically identical daughter cells, while meiosis creates two genetically identical daughter cells.

Mitosis creates two genetically identical daughter cells, while meiosis creates four genetically diverse daughter cells with half the chromosome number.

Mitosis and meiosis both create four genetically identical daughter cells, but meiosis produces cells with half the chromosome number.

Mitosis creates four genetically diverse daughter cells, while meiosis creates two genetically identical daughter cells.
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Answer 1

The best statement that explains the difference between mitosis and meiosis is:

Mitosis creates two genetically identical daughter cells, while meiosis creates four genetically diverse daughter cells with half the chromosome number.

This accurately describes the outcomes of both processes—mitosis results in two identical daughter cells, whereas meiosis results in four daughter cells that have half the number of chromosomes and are genetically diverse due to genetic recombination and independent assortment.