How it works
This mitosis vs meiosis quiz has 33 comparison questions in three sets: which process a feature belongs to, chromosome numbers before and after division, and what each process is for.
Read the full guide
Three sets
Mitosis, meiosis or both names a feature, such as pairing of homologous chromosomes or the number of divisions, and the answer is Mitosis, Meiosis, Both or Neither. Chromosome numbers follows a human cell from 46 to 23 and back. What each is for covers growth, repair, gametes and variation.
A comparison, not the stages
This meiosis and mitosis quiz sets the two processes side by side. It does not ask for prophase to telophase in order: each question is about what goes in, what happens to the chromosomes and what comes out.
- Mitosis: one division, two identical cells, the same chromosome number.
- Meiosis: two divisions, four different cells, half the chromosome number.
Questions and answers
What is the main difference between mitosis and meiosis?
Mitosis divides once and gives two cells with the same chromosomes as the parent cell. Meiosis divides twice and gives four cells with half the chromosome number, each genetically different, which become egg or sperm cells.
How are mitosis and meiosis similar?
Both begin after the DNA has been copied once. Both use spindle fibers, attached at the centromere, to move chromosomes. Both pull sister chromatids apart: mitosis in its single division, meiosis in its second.
How many chromosomes do human cells have after mitosis and after meiosis?
After mitosis each daughter cell has 46, the same as the parent cell. After meiosis each cell has 23. Fertilization joins an egg and a sperm, 23 and 23, and restores 46.
Where do mitosis and meiosis happen in the body?
Mitosis happens throughout the body, wherever cells grow or are replaced, such as the skin and the lining of the digestive tract. In humans meiosis happens only in the ovaries and testes, where egg and sperm cells are made.