Name: ____________________________________ Date: ________ Period: ___

IB Biology – Meiosis Multiple Choice Practice Questions

1. What are homologous chromosomes?

A. Two chromosomes with differing sets of genes, in the same sequence, with the same
alleles

B. Two chromosomes with the same set of genes, in a different sequence, with the same
alleles

C. Two chromosomes with a different set of genes, in the same sequence, with different
alleles

D. Two chromosomes with the same set of genes, in the same sequence, sometimes with
different alleles

2. In what way are eukaryotic chromosomes different from prokaryotic chromosomes?

Eukaryotic chromosomes Prokaryotic chromosomes

A. Protein is present Protein is absent
B. DNA is present DNA is absent
C. RNA is present RNA is absent
D. RNA is absent RNA is present

3. If the amount of DNA in a haploid gamete is represented by , what is the net quantity of
DNA in a cell from the same organism at the start of meiosis?

A. 0.5  C. 2

B.  D. 4

4. Which processes result in the greatest amount of genetic variation in a population?

A. Natural selection and meiosis C. Mutation and mitosis

B. Meiosis and mutation D. Mitosis and natural selection

5. Which response describes the behavior of chromosomes in metaphase I and anaphase II of

meiosis?

Metaphase I Anaphase II
A. Chromosomes line up at the equator Separation of homologous chromosomes
B. Tetrads (bivalents) line up at the equator Separation of homologous chromosomes
C. Chromosomes line up at the equator Separation of sister chromatids
D. Tetrads (bivalents) line up at the equator Separation of sister chromatids

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6. The diagram below shows a cell undergoing meiosis. What is this stage of meiosis?

A. Anaphase I

B. Prophase I

C. Anaphase II

D. Telophase II

7. Which processes always occur in meiosis but not normally in mitosis?

I. Chiasmata formation

II. Recombination of genes

III. Separation of homologous chromosomes

A. I and II only C. I and III only

B. II and III only D. I, II and III

8. A cell with a diploid number of 12 chromosomes undergoes meiosis. What will be the product
at the end of meiosis?

A. 2 cells each with 12 chromosomes

B. 4 cells each with 6 chromosomes

C. 2 cells each with 6 chromosomes

D. 4 cells each with 12 chromosomes

9. A diploid cell in a gorilla has 48 chromosomes. How many chromosomes will be present in a
haploid gorilla cell?

A. 96 C. 24

B. 48 D. 12

10. The diagram below shows a cell during meiosis.

How many chromosomes would each daughter cell have at the end of meiosis?

A. 1

B. 2
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 C. 4

D. 8

11. The diagram below shows chromosomes during prophase I of meiosis. How many
chromosomes and chiasmata are visible?

Number of Number of chiasmata

chromosomes
A. 2 2
B. 4 2
C. 2 4
D. 4 4

12. What is a difference between autosomes and sex chromosomes?

A. Autosomes are not found in gametes but sex chromosomes are.

B. Sex chromosomes are found in animal cells and autosomes are found in plant cells.

C. Autosomes are diploid and sex chromosomes are haploid.

D. Sex chromosomes determine gender and autosomes do not.

13. The diagram below shows a cell in meiosis. What can be deduced from this diagram?

Stage of meiosis shown Haploid number of

chromosomes in this cell
A. Metaphase I 6
B. Prophase I 3
C. Prophase I 6
D. Metaphase I 3

14. What is a possible consequence of two base substitution mutations occurring in the same
gene?

A. Two amino acids coded for by the gene are changed.

B. Amino acids in two polypeptides coded for by the gene are changed.

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 C. All of the codons between the two mutations are changed.

D. All of the codons from the first mutation onward are changed.

15. What is the cause of sickle cell anemia?

A. Errors in the translation of mRNA

B. A base substitution mutation in DNA

C. A transcription error that replaces A with U

D. A mutation that leads to glutamic acid instead of valine

16. Which characteristics are used to identify chromosomes when constructing a karyotype?

I. The length of the chromosome.

II. The position of the centromere on the chromosome.

III. The pattern of bands on the chromosome.

IV. The position of the chromosome on the spindle.

A. I only C. I, II and III only

B. I and II only D. I, II, III and IV

17. What is a karyotype?

A. Maternal and paternal autosomes arranged in pairs.

B. Chromosomes arranged in pairs according to the number of their genes.

C. Chromosomes arranged in pairs according to their size and shape.

D. Chromosomes arranged in pairs according to their size.

18. Which fluid is sampled to try to detect chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus?

A. Placental C. Amniotic

B. Umbilical D. Spinal

19. What procedure is used to determine whether a chromosome is in excess or missing in an

organism?

A. X-ray C. Centrifugation

B. Karyotyping D. DNA fingerprinting

20. What is the aim of the Human Genome Project?

A. Identify human infectious diseases

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 B. Make improvements to the human genome

C. Allow transfer of genes from other species to humans

D. Sequence genetic information in humans

21. What can be concluded on the basis of the following karyotype?

A. Female with a normal set of chromosomes

B. Male with Down syndrome

C. Female with Down syndrome

D. Male with a normal set of chromosomes