Biology 30 – Mitosis And Meiosis Practice Test

What distinguishes prometaphase from prophase in mitosis?

Nuclear envelope breaks down; spindle microtubules attach to kinetochores and chromosomes begin moving toward center. Spindle forms outside nucleus; nucleolus disappears. Nuclear envelope remains intact; chromatid replication occurs. Chromosome condensation occurs.

Correct Answer:

Chromosome condensation occurs.

Explanation:

Prometaphase is mainly defined by the breakdown of the nuclear envelope and the start of microtubule attachments to kinetochores, which lets chromosomes begin moving toward the center of the cell. In prophase, chromosomes condense into visible shapes, the nucleolus disappears, and the spindle apparatus begins to form outside the nucleus, but the nuclear envelope is still largely intact during much of this stage. So the key distinction is that prometaphase features the nuclear envelope breaking apart and chromosomes being captured and moved by kinetochores, not chromosome condensation itself.

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