Which statement about meiosis is true?

• A. Meiosis reduces chromosome number by half.
• B. Meiosis doubles chromosome number.
• C. Meiosis occurs only in somatic cells.
• D. Meiosis produces identical daughter cells.

Answer: (A)

Meiosis is the process that halves the chromosome number to produce gametes, which is essential for sexual reproduction. It involves two rounds of cell division after a single round of DNA replication, yielding four haploid cells rather than two diploid ones. This reduction happens because homologous chromosomes pair and segregate in meiosis I, and then the sister chromatids separate in meiosis II. The result is gametes with half the original chromosome number, ready to restore the diploid set when fertilization occurs.

This is why the statement about meiosis reducing chromosome number by half is the true one. Doubling the chromosome number doesn’t happen in meiosis—it’s the opposite effect. Meiosis does not occur only in somatic cells; it occurs in germ cells to form gametes. And the daughter cells produced are not identical because crossing over and independent assortment during meiosis generate genetic variation among the four products.