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Quizzes > Science

Mitosis Phases Quiz: Test Each Stage of Cell Division

Quick, free mitosis stages quiz with scored feedback and explanations. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Michael GandyUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for mitosis stages quiz on teal background

This quiz helps you master the stages of mitosis, from prophase to telophase, with clear questions and instant feedback. For more practice, check the mitosis and cytokinesis quiz, sharpen skills with a quick mitosis practice quiz, or compare processes in the meiosis practice test.

What is the primary purpose of mitosis in eukaryotic cells?
To generate genetic diversity
To distribute identical sets of chromosomes to daughter cells
To replicate organelles
To synthesize proteins
Mitosis is the process by which a eukaryotic cell separates its replicated chromosomes into two identical sets, ensuring each daughter cell receives a full complement of chromosomes. It does not create genetic variation - that occurs in meiosis - nor is its main function protein synthesis or organelle replication. Accurate chromosome distribution is critical for tissue growth and repair. See for more details.
During which phase of mitosis do chromosomes condense and become visible under a light microscope?
Prophase
Anaphase
Metaphase
Telophase
In prophase, chromatin fibers condense into discrete chromosomes that can be observed under a light microscope. This condensation is driven by condensin complexes that help package the DNA. Following condensation, other mitotic events such as spindle formation proceed. Read more at .
Which structure organizes microtubules and initiates spindle formation in animal cells?
Nucleolus
Centrosome
Kinetochore
Golgi apparatus
The centrosome serves as the main microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) in animal cells, nucleating and anchoring spindle microtubules during mitosis. Each centrosome contains a pair of centrioles that assist in bipolar spindle assembly. Kinetochores are protein complexes on chromosomes, not organizers of microtubules. See for more.
What separates sister chromatids during anaphase?
Condensation of chromatin
Disassembly of nuclear envelope
Severing of cohesin proteins by separase
Splitting of centrioles
At the onset of anaphase, the protease separase cleaves cohesin complexes holding sister chromatids together, allowing them to be pulled apart by the spindle. Cohesin removal is a key regulatory step that triggers chromosome segregation. Centriole behavior and nuclear envelope disassembly occur at other stages. More details at .
In which phase do sister chromatids align at the metaphase plate?
Metaphase
Anaphase
Prophase
Telophase
During metaphase, microtubules from opposite spindle poles attach to kinetochores on sister chromatids and align them along the cell's equatorial plane, known as the metaphase plate. Proper alignment ensures accurate segregation. See for an illustration.
What process immediately follows telophase in cell division?
Prophase
S phase checkpoint
DNA replication
Cytokinesis
Cytokinesis is the physical division of the cytoplasm into two daughter cells and usually overlaps with telophase. It completes cell division after the chromosomes have been segregated. DNA replication occurs prior to mitosis during S phase. For more, see .
Which protein complex ensures that all chromosomes are properly attached to the spindle before anaphase begins?
Spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC)
Condensin complex
Cyclin D-CDK4 complex
Anaphase-promoting complex (APC)
The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) delays anaphase onset until all kinetochores are properly attached to spindle microtubules, preventing chromosome missegregation. The APC drives progression once the checkpoint is satisfied. Condensin compacts chromosomes, and Cyclin D-CDK4 functions in G1. See .
How many daughter cells result from one round of mitosis followed by cytokinesis?
Two
Four
Eight
One
Mitosis followed by cytokinesis yields two genetically identical daughter cells from one parent cell. Each inherits the same chromosome number and DNA content. Meiosis, not mitosis, produces four cells. More info at .
What role do centrosomes play during mitosis?
They nucleate spindle microtubules
They form the contractile ring
They condense chromatin
They attach chromosomes at the kinetochore
Centrosomes function as microtubule-organizing centers that nucleate and anchor spindle fibers essential for chromosome segregation. Kinetochores attach to microtubules, condensins condense chromatin, and the contractile ring forms during cytokinesis. For more detail see .
What is the kinetochore?
The cell's metaphase plate
A type of motor protein that moves chromosomes
A microtubule organizing center
A protein complex on centromeric DNA that binds spindle fibers
The kinetochore is a specialized multiprotein complex assembled on centromeric DNA that mediates attachment of spindle microtubules to chromosomes. Motor proteins interact with kinetochores but are distinct from them. Centrosomes organize microtubules, and the metaphase plate is an imaginary plane. More at .
What happens to the nuclear envelope during prometaphase?
It reforms around each set of chromatids
It thickens around chromosomes
It remains intact but condenses
It fragments into vesicles
In prometaphase, the nuclear envelope breaks down into vesicles to allow microtubules to access chromosomes. It reassembles only during telophase. It never thickens or remains intact in mitosis. See .
Which motor proteins pull chromosomes toward spindle poles during anaphase?
Dyneins and kinesin-13
Tubulins
Myosins
Actins
Dynein motors move toward microtubule minus ends at spindle poles, and kinesin-13 destabilizes microtubules to help pull chromatids apart. Myosins act in cytokinesis, actin forms filaments, and tubulin is the building block of microtubules, not a motor. For more, see .
How does cytokinesis differ between plant and animal cells?
Plants form a cell plate; animals form a contractile ring
Both use contractile rings
Plants use contractile rings; animals form cell plates
Both use cell plates
In plant cells, vesicles coalesce at the center to form a cell plate that develops into a new cell wall. Animal cells employ a contractile ring of actin and myosin to pinch the cell in two. These are distinct mechanisms adapted to cell structure. See .
Which checkpoint verifies DNA integrity before entry into mitosis?
G1/S checkpoint
Metaphase checkpoint
Spindle checkpoint
G2/M checkpoint
The G2/M checkpoint ensures that DNA has been fully replicated and is free of damage before the cell commits to mitosis. The spindle checkpoint (a.k.a. metaphase checkpoint) monitors chromosome attachment, and the G1/S checkpoint oversees entry into DNA synthesis. For more, see .
What ensures that homologous chromosomes do not pair during mitosis?
Presence of sister chromatid cohesion only
Homologous recombination
Crossing over
Synaptonemal complex formation
During mitosis, cohesion is established between sister chromatids, not homologous chromosomes, preventing homolog pairing. Synaptonemal complexes and crossing over occur specifically in meiosis. Homologous recombination also takes place in meiotic prophase. See .
What is the primary function of polar microtubules during mitosis?
They reorganize the nuclear envelope
They overlap at the spindle midzone to push poles apart
They sever cohesin complexes
They bind chromosomes at kinetochores
Polar microtubules extend from each spindle pole and interdigitate at the midzone, where motor proteins slide them to push spindle poles apart, aiding elongation in anaphase B. They do not directly bind kinetochores or sever cohesins. For more, see .
How does Aurora B kinase contribute to correct chromosome alignment?
By phosphorylating kinetochore substrates to detach incorrect attachments
By degrading cyclin B
By assembling the contractile ring
By sequestering separase
Aurora B kinase phosphorylates incorrect kinetochore-microtubule attachments, reducing their stability and allowing reattachment until tension is correct. It does not degrade cyclin B or sequester separase, and it has no role in contractile ring assembly. See .
What triggers the removal of cohesin complexes from chromosome arms during prophase?
Phosphorylation by Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1)
Proteolysis by caspases
Dephosphorylation by Cdc25
Ubiquitination by SCF complex
Plk1 phosphorylates cohesin subunits during prophase, leading to their removal from chromosome arms in the 'prophase pathway'. Cohesin at centromeres remains until anaphase. Cdc25 activates CDKs, SCF targets proteins for degradation in G1, and caspases function in apoptosis. More at .
How does the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) inhibit the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)?
By forming the mitotic checkpoint complex that binds and inhibits APC/C
By stabilizing cohesin on chromosome arms
By phosphorylating cyclin B directly
By degrading securin prematurely
When kinetochores are unattached, the SAC assembles the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), which binds APC/C and prevents it from targeting securin and cyclin B for degradation. This inhibition delays anaphase onset. SAC does not phosphorylate cyclin B or degrade securin prematurely, nor does it stabilize cohesin. See .
What is the role of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) in mitosis?
It ubiquitinates securin and cyclin B to trigger anaphase and exit
It severs microtubules at the poles
It phosphorylates histones to condense chromosomes
It forms the spindle midzone
APC/C is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that marks securin and cyclin B for proteasomal degradation, enabling separase activation and mitotic exit. It does not phosphorylate histones or sever microtubules. For deeper insight, see .
How is the spindle midzone formed during telophase?
Assembly of the actin network around the nucleus
Overlap of antiparallel microtubules stabilized by PRC1 and centralspindlin
Condensation of chromatin at the equator
Cleavage of cohesin on chromosome arms
During telophase, antiparallel microtubules overlap at the spindle midzone and are crosslinked by proteins like PRC1 and centralspindlin, organizing the structure required for cytokinesis. Chromatin condensation and cohesin cleavage occur earlier, and actin assembles at the cortex. See .
What molecular event directly triggers the metaphase-to-anaphase transition?
Degradation of securin by the APC/C
Phosphorylation of Aurora A
Nucleation of additional microtubules
Activation of cohesin loading
The APC/C targets securin for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, releasing separase to cleave cohesin and initiate anaphase. Aurora A phosphorylation and microtubule nucleation are involved in earlier spindle events, and cohesin loading occurs during S phase. More at .
How is sister chromatid cohesion established during S phase?
By Aurora B - mediated phosphorylation of histones
By cohesin loading onto replicated DNA and acetylation by Eco1/Ctf7
By microtubule capture at kinetochores
By securin binding to separase
Cohesin complexes are loaded onto DNA during S phase and stabilized by Eco1/Ctf7?mediated acetylation, establishing sister chromatid cohesion. Securin binds separase in mitosis, not S phase. Microtubules and histone phosphorylation are unrelated to cohesion establishment. See .
What mechanism allows kinetochores to sense tension and ensure proper biorientation?
Spindle pole body separation
Increased cohesin loading at centromeres
Histone H3 methylation at pericentromeres
Stretch-induced dephosphorylation by PP1 and recruitment of stable microtubule attachments
Under tension, kinetochores undergo conformational changes that promote PP1 recruitment and dephosphorylation of kinetochore substrates, stabilizing correct microtubule attachments. Cohesin loading and histone methylation are not direct tension sensors. See .
How does the RanGTP gradient contribute to spindle assembly around chromosomes?
RanGDP recruits cohesin to pericentromeric regions
High RanGTP near chromatin releases spindle assembly factors from importins
RanGTP directly crosslinks microtubules
RanGTP hydrolyzes tubulin to promote polymerization
A gradient of RanGTP around chromatin liberates spindle assembly factors from importins, promoting localized microtubule nucleation and spindle formation. RanGTP does not hydrolyze tubulin or crosslink microtubules, nor does RanGDP recruit cohesin. For a detailed review see .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Mitosis Phases -

    Recognize and name each stage of mitosis, from prophase through cytokinesis, to build a solid foundation for the mitosis stages quiz.

  2. Distinguish Cellular Events -

    Analyze the key morphological changes in the nucleus, spindle, and chromosomes during each mitosis phase to answer mitosis questions accurately.

  3. Interpret Chromosome Behavior -

    Understand the alignment, separation, and movement of chromosomes to predict outcomes during metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

  4. Apply Knowledge in Quiz Scenarios -

    Use your understanding of cell division processes to tackle diverse question formats in the mitosis phases quiz with confidence.

  5. Assess Mastery and Reinforce Learning -

    Evaluate your performance through scored feedback and targeted explanations to identify areas for review and improvement.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Mnemonic for Stage Order -

    Use the classic "PMAT" (Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase) or the fun phrase "Please Make Another Taco" to lock in sequence for your mitosis stages quiz. According to Khan Academy, a strong mnemonic cuts study time and boosts recall during cell division quiz questions.

  2. Key Events in Prophase -

    During prophase, chromatin condenses into visible chromosomes and the nuclear envelope begins to break down, setting the stage for spindle attachment. The centrosomes move to opposite poles, forming the mitotic spindle fibers that you'll need to identify on any mitosis phases quiz.

  3. Chromosome Alignment in Metaphase -

    Metaphase is defined by chromosomes lining up at the cell's equatorial plane; this alignment ensures equal segregation and is monitored by the spindle checkpoint (source: Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology). Spotting the metaphase plate under the microscope is a classic cell division quiz favorite.

  4. Sister Chromatid Separation in Anaphase -

    Anaphase begins when cohesin proteins are cleaved by the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C), allowing motor proteins to pull sister chromatids toward opposite poles. Understanding this step, as described in Campbell Biology, is crucial for answering advanced mitosis questions about regulation and timing.

  5. Telophase and Cytokinesis Dynamics -

    In telophase, nuclear envelopes re-form around each set of chromosomes and they decondense back into chromatin, while cytokinesis physically divides the cytoplasm via a cleavage furrow (animal cells) or cell plate (plant cells). Reviewing diagrams from NCBI's cell division resources will help you ace end-of-mitosis questions.

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