Question

the metaphase plate is an imaginary plane along which the centromeres of sister chromatids line up during the early stages of mitosis. a condition called failed alignment occurs when a pair of sister chromatids do not line up on this plate. what is the most likely result of failed alignment during mitosis?

a. the daughter cells will each be one half of their expected size.

b. the daughter cells will each have several chromosomes that the parent cell did not have.

c. one daughter cell will be functional, and one will be nonfunctional.

d. one daughter cell will have an extra chromosome, and one will have an absent chromosome.

Explanation:

During mitosis, sister - chromatids should separate equally to form two genetically identical daughter cells. If there is a failed alignment at the metaphase plate, one daughter cell will receive an extra chromosome and the other will be missing a chromosome due to improper separation. Option A is incorrect as cell size is not directly related to alignment. Option B is wrong because daughter cells should have the same chromosomes as the parent cell in normal mitosis and failed alignment doesn't cause new chromosomes to appear. Option C is not the most likely result; the main consequence is an abnormal chromosome number rather than functionality based on alignment alone.

Answer:

D. One daughter cell will have an extra chromosome, and one will have an absent chromosome