Significance of Mitosis — NEET Biology MCQs with Solutions
Free NEET Biology Significance of Mitosis MCQs with step-by-step solutions (27 questions). Part of Cell Cycle and Cell Division. Practise online on Prepizo — no login needed.
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Questions with solutions
Q1 — Significance of Mitosis · easy · theory
Mitosis is also called ______ division because the daughter cells have the same chromosome number as the parent:
A. Equational ✓ Correct
B. Meiotic
C. Amitotic
D. Reductional
Solution: Mitosis is equational — chromosome number is conserved (2n → 2n).
Q2 — Significance of Mitosis · easy · theory
In multicellular organisms, mitosis is essential for:
A. Formation of gametes
B. Genetic recombination
C. Reduction of chromosome number
D. Growth and repair (replacement of cells) ✓ Correct
Solution: Mitosis produces genetically identical cells for growth, repair and, in some organisms, asexual reproduction.
Q3 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · theory
Mitosis maintains genetic constancy across cell generations because:
A. Cells fuse
B. Chromosome number is halved
C. Crossing over shuffles genes
D. Each daughter cell receives an identical set of chromosomes ✓ Correct
Solution: Exact DNA replication + equal distribution keeps the chromosome number and genotype constant.
Q4 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · theory
In plants, continuous mitotic divisions in ______ account for growth throughout life:
A. Meristematic tissues ✓ Correct
B. Xylem vessels
C. Phloem
D. Cork
Solution: Apical and lateral meristems keep dividing (mitosis), enabling indeterminate plant growth.
Q5 — Significance of Mitosis · hard · theory
Restoration of the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio is a significance of mitosis because:
A. Cells never divide
B. A growing cell divides to keep its cytoplasm proportional to its nuclear (DNA) content ✓ Correct
C. The nucleus enlarges indefinitely
D. DNA content increases without limit
Solution: As a cell grows the nucleus can control only a limited cytoplasm; mitosis restores an efficient nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio.
Q6 — Significance of Mitosis · hard · theory
Mitosis, being equational, cannot by itself introduce ______, which is essential for evolution:
A. Cell repair
B. DNA replication
C. Growth
D. Genetic variation ✓ Correct
Solution: Mitosis produces genetically identical cells and does not generate variation; meiosis and sexual reproduction do.
Q7 — Significance of Mitosis · easy · numerical
Mitosis produces two daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell. This makes mitosis essential for which of the following?
A. Recombination of alleles through crossing over
B. Growth and repair of tissues while maintaining a constant chromosome number ✓ Correct
C. Halving the chromosome number for gamete formation
D. Generation of genetic variation among offspring
Solution: Because mitosis is equational and produces genetically identical cells, it underlies growth, tissue repair and cell replacement while keeping the chromosome number constant.
Q8 — Significance of Mitosis · easy · numerical
In animals, worn-out cells of the epidermis and the lining of the gut are continually replaced. This replacement depends on:
A. Binary fission of nucleated cells without DNA replication
B. Fusion of two somatic cells to regenerate tissue
C. Mitotic divisions in the actively dividing (meristematic-equivalent) cell populations ✓ Correct
D. Meiotic divisions producing haploid replacement cells
Solution: Continuous replacement of surface and lining cells is achieved by mitosis, which produces identical diploid cells to replace those lost.
Q9 — Significance of Mitosis · easy · numerical
In plants, mitosis that continues throughout life is largely confined to which regions?
A. The mature cortical cells
B. The vessel elements of xylem
C. The apical and lateral meristems ✓ Correct
D. The guard cells of stomata
Solution: Plant growth continues through life because meristematic tissues (apical and lateral meristems) keep dividing by mitosis.
Q10 — Significance of Mitosis · easy · numerical
A key significance of mitosis is the restoration of the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio. This is achieved because a cell that has grown too large:
A. Divides so that each daughter regains a balanced ratio of nuclear material to cytoplasm ✓ Correct
B. Stops all metabolic activity until it shrinks
C. Doubles its nucleus without dividing the cytoplasm
D. Reduces its chromosome number to balance the cytoplasm
Solution: As a cell grows, its cytoplasm increases relative to the nucleus; mitosis restores a favourable nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio by producing smaller daughter cells.
Q11 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · numerical
Which of the following statements about the significance of mitosis is INCORRECT?
A. Mitosis in the meristems allows plants to grow throughout their life
B. Mitotic cell division is the basis of healing and regeneration of damaged tissue
C. Mitosis maintains genetic constancy of daughter cells with the parent cell
D. Mitosis introduces new combinations of genes through crossing over, driving evolution ✓ Correct
Solution: Mitosis produces genetically identical cells and does not involve crossing over; genetic variation and recombination are features of meiosis, not mitosis.
Q12 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · numerical
Some fully differentiated cells of the human body, such as heart muscle cells, generally do not divide. In the context of mitosis, this illustrates that:
A. All specialised cells continuously undergo mitosis to remain functional
B. Cardiac cells divide faster than any other cell type in the body
C. Differentiated cells always undergo meiosis instead of mitosis
D. Mitotic capacity is often lost when cells become highly specialised and enter G0 ✓ Correct
Solution: Many highly differentiated cells (e.g. cardiac muscle, neurons) exit into G0 and lose the ability to divide, which is why such tissues have poor regenerative capacity.
Q13 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · numerical
Assertion (A): Mitosis alone cannot serve as the basis of sexual reproduction.
Reason (R): Mitosis is an equational division that neither halves the chromosome number nor generates genetic variation.
A. A is true but R is false
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
C. A is false but R is true
D. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A ✓ Correct
Solution: Sexual reproduction needs halving of chromosome number and variation, which mitosis cannot provide because it is equational; hence R correctly explains A.
Q14 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · numerical
Why does mitosis maintain genetic constancy across successive cell generations?
A. DNA is replicated once during S phase and the identical copies are equally distributed to the two daughter cells ✓ Correct
B. Homologous chromosomes are separated so each daughter gets a different set
C. DNA is replicated twice but distributed to only one daughter cell
D. Crossing over reshuffles alleles equally between the two daughter cells
Solution: A single round of DNA replication followed by equal segregation of sister chromatids ensures both daughter cells receive identical genetic material.
Q15 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · numerical
In a diploid organism with 2n = 24, an actively growing tissue produces a large population of cells by repeated mitosis from a single founder cell. The chromosome number of these cells will be:
A. 12 in every cell, half that of the founder
B. 24 in every cell, identical to the founder cell ✓ Correct
C. Variable, ranging from 12 to 48 among the cells
D. 48 in every cell, double that of the founder
Solution: Mitosis is equational and conserves chromosome number, so every mitotically produced cell retains 2n = 24, identical to the founder.
Q16 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · numerical
A gardener propagates a rose variety by cuttings so that all new plants are genetically identical to the parent. The cellular basis that guarantees this genetic uniformity is:
A. Random assortment of homologous chromosomes during division
B. Mitotic division, which produces cells genetically identical to the parent ✓ Correct
C. Fertilisation between gametes of the same plant
D. Meiotic division, which introduces variation among the new plants
Solution: Vegetative propagation relies on mitosis, which yields genetically identical daughter cells and hence clones of the parent plant.
Q17 — Significance of Mitosis · easy
What is the significance of mitosis?
A. Replacement
B. Growth
C. Repair
D. All of the above ✓ Correct
Solution: Mitosis is significant for growth, repair and replacement of cells.
Q18 — Significance of Mitosis · medium
A very significant contribution of mitosis is cell repair. Repair takes place in our body in
A. All of the above ✓ Correct
B. Blood cells
C. Upper layer of epidermis
D. Cells of the lining of the gut
Solution: Cell replacement/repair by mitosis occurs in blood cells, epidermis and gut lining.
Q19 — Significance of Mitosis · easy
The growth of multicellular organisms is due to
A. Meiosis
B. Both (1) and (2)
C. Mitosis ✓ Correct
D. Reductional division
Solution: Growth of multicellular organisms is due to mitosis.
Q20 — Significance of Mitosis · easy
Which of the following human cells are constantly replaced?
A. Blood cells
B. The upper layer of epidermis
C. Cells of the lining of the gut
D. All of the above ✓ Correct
Solution: Epidermis, gut lining and blood cells are constantly replaced by mitosis.
Q21 — Significance of Mitosis · medium
Cell growth results in disturbing the ratio between the
A. Nucleus and nucleolus
B. Nucleus and the cytoplasm ✓ Correct
C. Cytoplasm and number of chromosomes
D. Nucleus and the other organelles
Solution: Growth disturbs the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, restored by mitosis.
Q22 — Significance of Mitosis · medium
Mitotic divisions in the meristematic tissues, i.e., the apical and lateral cambium, result in
A. Continuous growth of plants throughout their life ✓ Correct
B. Growth of plants only up to a certain age
C. Growth of plants only during flowering period
D. Continuous growth of plants and animals throughout their life
Solution: Meristematic mitosis gives plants continuous growth throughout life.
Q23 — Significance of Mitosis · medium
Read the following statements and choose the incorrect option.
A. Equational division is usually restricted to the diploid cells only.
B. None of the above ✓ Correct
C. The cell divides to restore the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio.
D. Mitosis is also known as equational division.
Solution: All statements are correct, so 'None of the above' is the incorrect option to choose.
Q24 — Significance of Mitosis · easy
In a diploid organism, mitosis usually results in the production of
A. Haploid daughter cells with identical genetic complement
B. Haploid daughter cells with different genetic complement
C. Diploid daughter cells with identical genetic complement ✓ Correct
D. Diploid daughter cells with different genetic complement
Solution: Mitosis in a diploid organism produces diploid, genetically identical daughter cells.
Q25 — Significance of Mitosis · medium
A very significant contribution of mitosis is
A. Gametogenesis in diploid organisms
B. Sperm and ova formation in humans
C. Cell repair ✓ Correct
D. All of the above
Solution: Mitosis significantly contributes to cell repair (gamete formation is meiosis).
Q26 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · theory
Assertion (A): Mitosis occurs in apical meristems and lateral meristem. Reason (R): Apical and lateral meristems are responsible for growth of plants.
A. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A ✓ Correct
B. A is false but R is true
C. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
D. A is true but R is false
Solution: Both statements are true; meristems do grow by mitosis, but R states the role of meristems rather than explaining why mitosis occurs there.
Q27 — Significance of Mitosis · medium · theory
Assertion (A): Mitosis restores the nucleocytoplasmic ratio. Reason (R): It is significant in the life of an organism, especially in the growth of multicellular organism.
A. A is true but R is false
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A ✓ Correct
C. A is false but R is true
D. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Solution: Both are true significances of mitosis, but growth being significant does not explain how mitosis restores the nucleocytoplasmic ratio.