What is the primary purpose of meiosis?

• A. To produce identical diploid somatic cells.
• B. To reduce the chromosome number from diploid to haploid.
• C. To repair DNA damage.
• D. To duplicate chromosomes prior to cell division.

Answer: (B)

Meiosis aims to produce gametes with half the chromosome number, so fertilization restores the species’ diploid set. After one round of DNA replication, meiosis has two divisions: homologous chromosomes pair and separate in the first division (with crossing over to mix genes), then the sister chromatids separate in the second division. The result is four genetically diverse haploid cells. This reduction from diploid to haploid is the key purpose, enabling sexual reproduction to maintain chromosome number across generations. Producing identical diploid somatic cells describes mitosis, DNA repair isn’t the primary goal, and chromosome duplication happens before both divisions as a preparatory step rather than the main purpose.