Meiosis produces how many daughter cells and what is their ploidy compared to the parent?

• A. Two diploid daughter cells.
• B. Four diploid daughter cells.
• C. Four haploid daughter cells, each with half the chromosome number.
• D. One haploid cell with doubled chromosomes.

Answer: (C)

Meiosis is a division that halves the chromosome number to create gametes, so it starts with a diploid cell and, after two rounds of division, ends with four cells. The first division separates homologous chromosomes, and the second division separates sister chromatids. The result is four haploid daughter cells, each containing half the original chromosome count. For humans, a 46-chromosome parent yields four cells with 23 chromosomes each. This reduction is why meiosis is essential for sexual reproduction—gametes combine to restore the full chromosome number.