Question

Assertion: Though the chromosome content of the daughter cells is halved by the end of meiosis I, meiosis II is essential for generation of haploid cells.

Reason: During meiosis II, the duplicated sister chromatids separate from each other and are distributed into the haploid daughter cells.

• A. Both assertion and the reason are false
• B. The assertion is true but the reason is false
• C. Both the assertion and reason are true but the reason is not the correct explanation for the assertion
• D. Both the assertion and reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion

Answer 1

The correct option is D Both the assertion and reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion

Meiosis involves 2 cycles of division, meiosis I and meiosis II.

Meiosis I: During meiosis I, the homologous chromosomes of the cell separate and the parent cell divides into two daughter cells. Each of the two daughter cells receives only half the number of chromosomes and hence the chromosome content is reduced to half in the daughter cells. Hence, meiosis I is known as reduction division.

Meiosis II: The haploid daughter cells formed after meiosis I undergo another round of division called meiosis II. During meiosis II, the sister chromatids of each chromosome separate and four haploid daughter cells are formed by the end of meiosis II.

Thus, even though the diploid parent cell undergoes reduction division during meiosis I itself, meiosis II is important to separate the sister chromatids of each chromosome to generate four haploid daughter cells.

Therefore, the assertion and the reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.