Start learning →

STAAR EOC Biology Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction — practice questions

Explore 20 free Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction questions in STAAR EOC Biology Biology. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

Practise Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction with Quill →

Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–20 of 20.

How many rounds of chromosome duplication and nuclear division does meiosis involve?Read the answer and worked solution →What is the synaptonemal complex made of, and where does it sit?Read the answer and worked solution →Crossing over exchanges segments between which chromatids?Read the answer and worked solution →How many chiasmata does each chromosome need for homologs to separate properly in meiosis I?Read the answer and worked solution →How many chromatids make up a tetrad?Read the answer and worked solution →Independent assortment alone gives a human how many genetically distinct gametes?Read the answer and worked solution →What is pulled apart during anaphase I of meiosis?Read the answer and worked solution →Why is meiosis I described as a reduction division?Read the answer and worked solution →Which phase of a normal interphase is missing from interkinesis between the two meiotic divisions?Read the answer and worked solution →At which stage of meiosis do sister chromatids finally separate?Read the answer and worked solution →For how long does cohesin keep a pair of sister chromatids joined during meiosis?Read the answer and worked solution →Meiosis halves the number of chromosome sets. What restores the full number?Read the answer and worked solution →Which idea explains why sexual reproduction persists even under fairly stable conditions?Read the answer and worked solution →Why might an asexual population, in theory, grow twice as fast as a sexual one?Read the answer and worked solution →Which life cycle do all fungi and some algae follow?Read the answer and worked solution →Which cells in an animal are set aside to produce the gametes?Read the answer and worked solution →A fern gametophyte produces gametes. Which process does it use, and why?Read the answer and worked solution →What does a sporophyte produce by meiosis?Read the answer and worked solution →Drop each event into its divisionRead the answer and worked solution →Spot the false meiosis claimRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

How many rounds of chromosome duplication and nuclear division does meiosis involve?

  1. Two duplications and two divisions
  2. One duplication and one division
  3. One duplication and two divisions
  4. Two duplications and one division
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: C. One duplication and two divisions

1. Meiosis has to cut the number of chromosome sets in half. 2. The DNA is copied once, during the S phase before meiosis begins. 3. Two nuclear divisions then follow that single copying step. 4. One copy shared over two divisions is what halves the chromosome sets and gives four cells. _Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 10 and 11, section 11.1 The Process of Meiosis_

Open this question →

What is the synaptonemal complex made of, and where does it sit?

  1. A protein lattice between the homologs
  2. A lipid sheath around each homolog
  3. A ring of actin around the centromere
  4. A tube of microtubules along the arms
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: A. A protein lattice between the homologs

1. Early in prophase I the two homologs are drawn close together. 2. A lattice of proteins then assembles between them. 3. It starts at specific points and spreads along the full length of the pair. 4. That tight pairing is called synapsis, and it lines the genes up precisely. 5. It is built from protein, not lipid, so a sheath of membrane is the wrong picture. _Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 10 and 11, section 11.1 The Process of Meiosis_

Open this question →

Crossing over exchanges segments between which chromatids?

  1. Non sister chromatids of homologs
  2. Sister chromatids of one homolog
  3. Chromatids of two different tetrads
  4. Chromatids of the sex chromosomes
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: A. Non sister chromatids of homologs

1. Sister chromatids are identical copies, so swapping between them would change nothing. 2. The useful exchange is between chromatids that belong to different homologs. 3. Those are the non sister chromatids of the homologous pair. 4. The swap mixes maternal and paternal segments onto one chromatid. 5. That recombination is the first of the mechanisms that make gametes genetically unique. _Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 10 and 11, section 11.1 The Process of Meiosis_

Open this question →

How to practise

  1. Choose a Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction question and try to work out your answer.
  2. Open the question to check the correct answer and read its worked solution.
  3. Continue in the app for bite-sized lessons, explanations and review with Quill. You can start without creating an account.

More Biology topics

Cell Reproduction