Question

Select the statement(s) that accurately describe mitosis.


Single-celled organisms may reproduce through mitosis or a process similar to it called binary fission.


Cells in multicellular organisms use mitosis for growth and repair.


Mitosis only occurs in single-celled organisms.


Organisms that reproduce through mitosis are genetically identical to the parent and each other. This creates populations that are all vulnerable to the same diseases.


Mitosis creates offspring or cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell they came from.

Mitosis vs Meiosis (Achieving) Screen 6.1

Answer 1

Correct statements: 1, 2, 4, and 5. Statement 3 is incorrect.

Brief justification:
- 1. True — many single-celled eukaryotes reproduce by mitosis; prokaryotes reproduce by binary fission, a similar process.
- 2. True — multicellular organisms use mitosis for growth, tissue maintenance, and repair.
- 3. False — mitosis occurs in multicellular organisms as well as some single-celled eukaryotes.
- 4. True (with caveat) — asexual reproduction by mitosis produces genetically identical offspring (except for new mutations), which can reduce population genetic diversity and increase shared vulnerability to disease.
- 5. True — mitotic division produces daughter cells genetically identical to the parent cell (barring mutation).