Cell Division: Mitosis is one of 9 topics in the Grade 10 Life Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Mitosis produces daughter cells that are:
Genetically identical to each other and to the parent cell
Genetically varied and haploid
Always non-functional
Missing half the chromosomes of the parent cell
Answer: Genetically identical to each other and to the parent cell — Mitosis produces two daughter cells that are exact genetic copies of the original diploid parent cell, unlike meiosis, which produces genetically varied haploid gametes.
Easy
2. Which of the following is a purpose of mitosis in multicellular organisms?
Growth from a single fertilised cell into a multicellular body
Producing gametes with half the chromosome number
Creating genetic variation among offspring
Reducing the chromosome number from diploid to haploid
Answer: Growth from a single fertilised cell into a multicellular body — Mitosis is the basis of growth: repeated mitotic divisions of a single fertilised cell (zygote) produce the trillions of cells of a developed multicellular organism.
Medium
3. When a person cuts their skin, new skin cells that heal the wound are produced by which process?
Mitosis, replacing damaged cells with identical new cells
Meiosis, producing genetically varied gametes
Osmosis, drawing water into the wound
Diffusion of new cells from elsewhere in the body
Answer: Mitosis, replacing damaged cells with identical new cells — Tissue repair relies on mitosis, where surrounding cells divide to produce new, genetically identical cells that replace the damaged ones.
