Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2023

First exams 2025

|

Cell & Nuclear Division (SL IB Biology)

Exam Questions

5 hours75 questions
11 mark

Which of the individuals below is represented by the following karyogram?

fPz8KBpJ_e-5

  • A male with a chromosomal abnormality

  • A genetically normal female

  • A male with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)

  • A female with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)

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2
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1 mark

Which of the following processes involve mitosis?

  • growth, repair, semi-conservative replication

  • repair, growth, asexual reproduction

  • reduction division, asexual reproduction, growth

  • repair, reduction division, asexual reproduction

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3
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1 mark

The micrograph below show cells that are in various stages of the cell cycle.

1-4-easy-q3

Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which of the following correctly identifies the stages of mitosis for cells P, Q and R?

  P Q R
A. Prophase Metaphase Anaphase
B. Metaphase Telophase Anaphase
C. Telophase Metaphase Anaphase
D. Prophase Anaphase Metaphase

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    4
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    1 mark

    Which of the following statements apply to the process of crossing over in meiosis?

    1. Crossing over occurs between non-homologous sister chromatids
    2. Crossing over occurs between non-sister homologous chromatids
    3. Crossing over results in genetic recombination
    4. Unequal-length sections of DNA routinely cross from one strand to another during crossing-over
    • I, III, and IV only

    • II and III only

    • II and IV only

    • II, III, and IV only

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    5
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    1 mark

    Which row of A - D shows the correct names of the phases of meiosis I pictured below?

    10-1_q5e

      1 2 3 4 5
    A. anaphase telophase prophase metaphase interphase
    B. metaphase  interphase telophase prophase anaphase
    C. metaphase telophase interphase prophase anaphase
    D. anaphase interphase prophase telophase metaphase

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      6
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      1 mark

      Which stage of meiosis I is displayed in the image?

      jOu4uZeu_e-1

      • Metaphase

      • Prophase

      • Anaphase

      • Telophase

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      7
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      1 mark

      Which of the following materials and pieces of laboratory equipment can be used to develop and refine our understanding of meiosis?

      1. light microscopes
      2. staining compounds
      3. animal body cells
      4. plant sex organs
      • I. and III.

      • I. II. and IV.

      • I. and IV.

      • II. III. and IV.

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      8
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      1 mark

      Five events that take place during meiosis are listed.

      Which is the correct chronological order (1 - 5) of those events?

      • 1. crossing over
        2. haploid gametes form
        3. formation of bivalents
        4. reduction division
        5. replication of DNA
      • 1. haploid gametes form 
        2. reduction division 
        3. formation of bivalents 
        4. crossing over
        5. replication of DNA
      • 1. replication of DNA
        2. formation of bivalents 
        3. crossing over
        4. haploid gametes
        5. form reduction division
      • 1. replication of DNA
        2. formation of bivalents 
        3. crossing over
        4. reduction division
        5. haploid gametes form

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      9
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      1 mark

      If an organism has 11 pairs of chromosomes, which mathematical equation will calculate the number of combinations in which homologous chromosomes can orientate themselves during meiosis I?

      The calculations shown in the choices are all mathematically correct. 

      • 211 = 2 048 combinations

      • 222 = 484 combinations

      • 222 = 4 194 304 combinations

      • 112 = 121 combinations

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      10
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      1 mark

      Which is the best explanation for the term reduction division as it relates to meiosis?

      • The mass of DNA in each cell has been reduced. 

      • The overall amount of DNA has been reduced during meiosis.

      • The chromosome number has been reduced.

      • DNA is chemically reduced during the process of meiosis. 

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      111 mark

      Exchange of alleles is an important feature of meiosis.

      During which precise stage of meiosis does the exchange of alleles take place?

      • When crossing over occurs between two non-sister chromatids

      • When homologous chromosomes are oriented at the cell equator

      • When new nuclei form

      • During gene linkage

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      121 mark

      Which statement best describes the cells produced as a result of meiosis?

      • Haploid and genetically identical.

      • Diploid and genetically identical.

      • Haploid and genetically different.

      • Diploid and genetically different.

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      13
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      1 mark

      The image shows a human karyotype of cells taken from amniocentesis in the later stages of the first half of a pregnancy. ~pGVzkjq_h-2

      What conclusion can be drawn from this karyotype?

      • The foetus's karyotype is entirely normal.

      • The foetus has Down syndrome.

      • The foetus has trisomy 18 (Edward's syndrome) and is unlikely to survive beyond the age of 12 months. 

      • The foetus is female.

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      11 mark

      The photomicrograph shows cells in different stages of mitosis.

      q1-1-4-cells-division-medium-ib-hl-biology

      In which order do these stages occur?

      • 4 → 1 → 3 → 2 → 5

      • 4 → 1 → 2 → 3 → 5

      • 4 → 3 → 5 → 1 → 2

      • 4 → 5 → 1 → 2 → 3

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      21 mark

      Which of the following do(es) not happen during an animal cell cycle?

      1. DNA is transcribed and translated
      2. The spindle is formed from microtubules
      3. A cell plate forms to divide daughter cells
      4. Plasma membrane is pulled inwards around the cell equator to form a cleavage furrow
      • III only

      • I and III only

      • II only

      • IV only

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      31 mark

      Each of the following events takes place during mitosis:

      1 Chromosomes decondense
      2 Chromatids move to opposite poles of the cell
      3 Centromeres divide
      4 Chromosomes line up along the equator
      5 The nuclear membrane breaks down


      In which order do the events take place?

        First          →          →          →          Last
      A. 1 2 4 5 3
      B. 3 1 2 4 5
      C. 4 5 3 1 2
      D. 5 4 3 2 1

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        41 mark

        The diagram shows the chromosomes of a squashed cell during mitosis.

        q10-1-4-cells-division-medium-ib-hl-biology

        What is the stage of mitosis and the haploid chromosome number for this cell?

          Stage of mitosis Haploid chromosome number
        A. Early prophase 10
        B. Late prophase 5
        C. Metaphase 10
        D. Anaphase 5

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          51 mark

          The diagram below shows a plant life cycle. It includes unfamiliar stages such as ‘sporophyte’ and ‘gametophyte’ that are not found in human life cycles.

          biology-3-1-q7-ib-hl

          What process is taking place at the stage marked X on the diagram? 

          • Fertilisation

          • Meiosis

          • Fusion 

          • Mitosis

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          61 mark

          Which of the individuals described below does the following karyogram represent?

          biology-3-1-q9-ib-hl

          • A male with Down syndrome.

          • A male with a chromosome abnormality.

          • A healthy male.

          • A female with Down syndrome.

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          71 mark

          Which of the following gives an accurate definition of genetic recombination?

          • The orientation of homologous chromosomes as they align during metaphase I of meiosis

          • The development of new alleles within a population through mutation

          • The breaking and rejoining of DNA to create new combinations

          • The loss of DNA telomeres through multiple cycles of replication

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          81 mark

          Which of the following most accurately describes the events that occur in meiosis I?    

          A. Chromatids separate Crossing over occurs in prophase I
          B. Chromatids separate Crossing over occurs in metaphase I
          C. Homologous chromosomes separate Crossing over occurs in prophase I
          D. Homologous chromosomes separate Crossing over occurs in metaphase I

           

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            91 mark

            The diagram shows a pair of homologous chromosomes at the beginning of prophase I of meiosis, and four possible examples of crossing over, A - D

            q1_10-1_meiosis_ib_biology_hl_mcq

            Which of the four representations of crossing over cannot occur in meiosis I?

            • ma1a_10-1_meiosis_ib_biology_hl_mcq

            • ma1b_10-1_meiosis_ib_biology_hl_mcq

            • ma1c_10-1_meiosis_ib_biology_hl_mcq

            • ma1d_10-1_meiosis_ib_biology_hl_mcq

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            101 mark

            For a eukaryotic organism with a diploid number of 14, which option gives the number of chromosome combinations that can occur as a result of random orientation in meiosis?

            Note that all the equations below are mathematically correct.

            •  14

            • 128

            • 16 384

            •  2 097 152

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            111 mark

            Which of the following statements correctly describes meiosis?

            • It is a mechanism of nuclear division that occurs in all cells.

            • It produces haploid cells during the first nuclear division.

            • It involves interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.

            • It is the only process that generates genetic variation.

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            121 mark

            The diagram below shows the life cycle of a fern. The term 2n is used to represent diploid cells and the term n is used to represent haploid cells.

            biology-3-2-q3-ib-hl

            Which stage represents meiosis?

            • W

            • X

            • Y

            • Z

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            131 mark

            Which events are taking place at stages 1, 2, and 3 in the diagram of meiosis below?

            biology-3-2-q4-ib-hl

              1 2 3
            A DNA replication Random fertilisation Sister chromatids become chromosomes
            B Mitosis Separation of homologous pairs Separation of sister chromatids
            C DNA replication Random orientation Separation of homologous pairs
            D DNA replication Crossing over  Separation of sister chromatids

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              141 mark

              Which of the following statements about genetic variation and meiosis are correct? 

              1. Meiosis generates genetic variation through crossing over, random orientation, and random fusion of gametes.
              2. The number of different combinations of chromosomes that are possible as a result of random orientation is 2n, where n is the number of chromosomes in a diploid cell.
              3. Crossing over can take place at any location along a chromosome
              • I only

              • I and III only

              • II and III only

              • I, II, and III

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              151 mark

              A group of scientists carried out a study looking at the relationship between the number of crossing over events taking place during meiosis and the distance between the crossing over events and the centromere in male trout (a species of fish).  Some of their results are shown in the graph below.

              biology-3-2-q7-ib-hl

              What can be concluded from the graph?

              • There are significantly more crossing over events further away from the centromere.

              • 30 % of crossing over events occur at a relative distance of 0.6.

              • A higher percentage of crossing over events take place as distance from the centromere increases in male trout.

              • A higher percentage of crossing over events take place as distance from the centromere increases in fish species.

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              161 mark

              Chromosome non-disjunction in the sex chromosomes can result in gametes that contain more than one sex chromosome. 

              The graph below shows the results of a study looking at the impact of age on sex chromosome non-disjunction in men.

              biology-q8-3-2-ib-hl

              How many XY sperm would be predicted in a sample of 1 000 000 sperm from a 45 year old man?

              • 1 250

              • 12.5

              • 125

              • 12 500

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              1
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              1 mark

              Some scientists were investigating mitosis in plant cells. They applied a chemical agent called colchicine which interferes with tubulin proteins in the cytoplasm. An image of some chromosomes from a treated cell can be seen below.

              1-4-h-q5-paper-1

              How does treatment with colchicine prevent the progression of cell division in plant cells?

              • Cells cannot progress past interphase as the chromosomes are decondensed

              • Cells cannot progress into prophase as spindle fibres have not formed

              • Cells cannot progress into anaphase as spindle fibres have not formed

              • Cells cannot progress past metaphase as chromosomes are decondensed

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              2
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              1 mark

              Which of the following is the best explanation of why the lengths of DNA exchanged during crossing-over tend to be the same length as each other?

              • Breakages occur where distinct alleles fail to line up accurately with each other in the formation of a tetrad

              • If uneven lengths of DNA are crossed over, restriction enzymes will trim off the unnecessary DNA from the longer chromatid

              • There is a lack of space in the tightly-packed ball of condensed chromosomes in prophase I, so only short lengths of DNA can cross over

              • Breaks occur in the same base sequences on each non-sister chromatid

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              31 mark

              The micrographs below show cells undergoing meiosis.

              biology-3-2-q5-ib-hl

              Which sequence correctly identifies the stage of meiosis in each micrograph from left to right?

              • Metaphase I, anaphase I, prophase I, telophase I

              • Metaphase II, anaphase II, prophase II, telophase II

              • Prophase II, anaphase II, metaphase II, telophase II

              • Prophase I, anaphase I, metaphase I, telophase I

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              41 mark

              The micrograph below shows an image of a cell undergoing meiosis.

              biology-q10-3-2-ib-hl-

              Which stage of meiosis can be seen in the image, and why?

                Stage of meiosis Reason
              A Prophase II Chromosomes are condensed and randomly arranged in the cell
              B Prophase I Chromosomes are condensed and randomly arranged in the cell
              C Prophase I Chromosomes are condensed in a haploid cell
              D Metaphase I Chromosomes are lined up down the centre of a cell

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                5
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                1 mark

                The following choices each show a bivalent. 

                Along the length of the bivalent are some values of probability.

                Which choice reflects the most likely probabilities of a chiasma forming at each of the positions shown?

                hdo0Sn4a_h-1

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                  6
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                  1 mark

                  Which row best describes an organism whose diploid number is 16 and whose body cells have an amount of DNA, x?

                    Number of chromosomes per body cell Number of centromeres Amount of DNA per cell at the beginning of meiosis I
                  A. 16 16 2x
                  B. 8 16 2x
                  C. 16 8 4x
                  D. 8 8 x

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                    7
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                    1 mark

                    The fungus Sordaria fimicola is an excellent organism for observing the effects of meiosis because its gametes (spores) are coloured and can be observed under a microscope. 

                    Wild-type fungus has black spores. Another variety has tan spores.

                    The allele for black spores is B and the allele for tan spores is b.

                    These can be crossed to produce a diploid zygote, which can then undergo meiosis to produce spores. In this species, a final mitotic division results in 8 spores produced as shown below. sXVQy7N__h-4

                    Each zygote produces its eight spores in a structure called an ascus, in which the eight spores line up to reveal the alignment of homologous chromosomes during the meiotic division that led to their formation. 

                    A microscope image of some asci is shown below. h-42

                    Which asci, labelled 1 - 4 in the microscope view above, show evidence that crossing over has taken place?

                    • All of them

                    • 2 and 3

                    • 1 and 3

                    • 2 and 4

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