Humber Admissions Practice Test

In what type of cell division do haploids arise?

1. Mitosis

2. Meiosis

3. Cytokinesis

4. Binary fission

The correct answer is: Meiosis

Haploid cells arise during meiosis, a specialized form of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half. This process is crucial for the formation of gametes (sperm and eggs) in sexually reproducing organisms. During meiosis, a diploid cell undergoes two successive divisions called meiosis I and meiosis II. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes are separated into two different cells, leading to a reduction in chromosome number from diploid (2n) to haploid (n). Each of the resulting cells then undergoes meiosis II, which resembles a typical mitotic division, but the imperative point is that by the end of the second division, four haploid cells are produced from a single diploid cell. This reduction is essential for maintaining the species' chromosome number across generations when gametes fuse during fertilization. Thus, the formation of haploid cells is a direct outcome of the meiotic process, making it the correct answer.