Think about what happens when a sperm meets an egg. Each one carries half the number of chromosomes of a normal body cell. When they fuse, the full number is restored. If sperm and egg were made by ordinary cell division (mitosis), each would have the full set — and fusion would double it every generation. That would be a disaster.
So nature invented a special division that cuts the chromosome number in half. That is meiosis.
The core idea in one sentence
Meiosis is a two-step division process that converts one diploid cell (2n) into four haploid cells (n), each genetically different from the parent and from each other.
The "two-step" part is crucial. Unlike mitosis, which is a single division, meiosis happens in two consecutive rounds: Meiosis I and Meiosis II.
Why two rounds?
The first round, Meiosis I, is the reductional division. Here, homologous chromosomes (one from each parent) pair up and then separate. The chromosome number drops from diploid to haploid. Each daughter cell after Meiosis I has one copy of each chromosome — but each chromosome still consists of two sister chromatids.
The second round, Meiosis II, is the equational division. It looks very much like mitosis. The sister chromatids finally separate. Each of the two cells from Meiosis I divides again, giving four haploid cells in total.
Note
The key difference between the two rounds: in Meiosis I, homologous chromosomes separate; in Meiosis II, sister chromatids separate.
What happens to the chromosomes?
Start with a diploid cell. For a human, that means 46 chromosomes — 23 pairs. Each pair consists of one chromosome from your mother and one from your father. These are homologous chromosomes.
Before meiosis begins, DNA replication happens once, just like before mitosis. So each chromosome now has two identical sister chromatids. But the chromosome number is still 46 (each chromosome, even with two chromatids, counts as one chromosome).
Meiosis I — the homologous pairs line up together, exchange segments (crossing over), and then get pulled to opposite poles. The cell divides. Now you have two cells, each with 23 chromosomes. But each of those 23 chromosomes still has two chromatids. The number has been halved: from 46 to 23.
Meiosis II — no further DNA replication. The chromosomes line up again, and this time the sister chromatids separate. Each of the two cells divides, giving four cells. Each has 23 chromosomes, and each chromosome is now a single chromatid.
2nMeiosis I2 cells (n, each chromosome with 2 chromatids)Meiosis II4 cells (n, each chromosome with 1 chromatid)
Why does this matter for exams?
Two things make meiosis different from mitosis, and both happen in Meiosis I:
Reduction of chromosome number — from 2n to n.
Genetic recombination — crossing over between homologous chromosomes shuffles the genetic material.
The result is four genetically unique haploid cells. In males, all four become sperm. In females, only one becomes a functional egg; the other three become polar bodies that degenerate.
The precise statement
Meiosis is a specialised type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half through two successive divisions: a reductional division (Meiosis I) in which homologous chromosomes separate, followed by an equational division (Meiosis II) in which sister chromatids separate, producing four genetically distinct haploid daughter cells from one diploid parent cell.
This concept is part of the Cell Cycle and Cell Division chapter in the CBSE Class 11 Biology syllabus and is frequently tested in NEET and state-level medical entrance exams. Many learners search "Meiosis Overview notes class 11" or "Meiosis Overview explained with diagram" while preparing for this unit.
Meiosis is the division that produces gametes, and gametes only have a role in sexual reproduction, where two of them fuse at fertilisation to form a new individual.
Meiosis is encountered during gametogenesis, the formation of gametes, in both plants and animals.
It reduces the chromosome number to the haploid level precisely so that, when two gametes fuse, the original diploid number is restored rather than doubled.
Vegetative reproduction, by contrast, produces new individuals from ordinary body cells without forming gametes at all, so it has no need for a chromosome-halving division.
✓Final answer
The correct choice is (A) Sexual reproduction — meiosis occurs specifically to form the gametes that sexual reproduction depends on.
Meiosis is tied to sexual reproduction because its entire purpose is to produce the haploid gametes that fuse at fertilisation.
Sexual reproduction depends on the fusion of two gametes, each carrying a complete haploid set of chromosomes. Gametes are not produced directly by ordinary cell division; instead, specialised diploid cells set aside for this purpose undergo meiosis, a division that halves the chromosome number and yields haploid daughter cells. This is why meiosis is specifically described as being encountered during gametogenesis, the formation of gametes, in both plants and animals.
Vegetative reproduction works on an entirely different principle. New individuals arise from ordinary somatic parts of the parent — stems, roots, buds and similar structures — without the formation or fusion of gametes at all. Because no gamete is being made, there is no need for a chromosome-halving division; ordinary equational (mitotic) division, which keeps the chromosome number unchanged, is what maintains these tissues and allows them to regenerate a whole new plant.
Note
The reason meiosis is essential specifically for sexual reproduction is the arithmetic of fertilisation: if gametes were diploid, fusing two of them would double the chromosome number every generation. Halving it first in meiosis, then restoring it at fertilisation, is what keeps a species' chromosome number constant across generations.
✓Final answer
In short, meiosis occurs during (A) Sexual reproduction, since it is the process that specifically produces the haploid gametes sexual reproduction requires.
Same / Similar Concept — real previous-year questions on the same or a closely similar concept, not this exact question.
Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur (Higher Secondary 1st Year) 2023Set ANNUAL5 marks
Q.Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis by giving five points.
OR
Distinguish between prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells by giving five points.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Mitosis is a single equational division in somatic cells producing 2 identical diploid cells; meiosis is a two-step reductional division in germ cells producing 4 genetically varied haploid cells.
Mitosis and meiosis differ in several fundamental respects:
Site of occurrence: Mitosis occurs in somatic (body) cells, contributing to growth, repair, and asexual reproduction. Meiosis occurs only in specialised germ cells (during gamete formation) in sexually reproducing organisms.
Number of divisions: Mitosis involves a single round of division (one round of chromosome separation). Meiosis involves two successive divisions — meiosis I (reductional division) followed by meiosis II (equational division) — from a single round of DNA replication.
Number of daughter cells: Mitosis produces 2 daughter cells from one parent cell. Meiosis produces 4 daughter cells from one parent cell.
Chromosome number and genetic identity of daughter cells: In mitosis, each daughter cell retains the same diploid (2n) chromosome number as the parent cell and is genetically identical to it (barring rare mutations). In meiosis, each daughter cell has a haploid (n) chromosome number — half that of the parent cell — and the daughter cells are genetically different from one another and from the parent, due to recombination.
Pairing and crossing over of homologous chromosomes: Mitosis does not involve pairing (synapsis) of homologous chromosomes, so no crossing over/genetic recombination occurs. In meiosis, during prophase I, homologous chromosomes pair up (synapsis, forming bivalents/tetrads) and undergo crossing over, exchanging segments of genetic material — this is a major source of genetic variation in offspring.
Because of these differences, mitosis maintains a constant chromosome number for growth and repair, while meiosis halves the chromosome number and introduces genetic variation, both essential for sexual reproduction.
✓Final answer
Mitosis: occurs in somatic cells, one division, 2 diploid genetically-identical daughter cells, no crossing over. Meiosis: occurs in germ cells, two divisions, 4 haploid genetically-variable daughter cells, with homologous chromosome pairing and crossing over in prophase I.
Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur (Higher Secondary 1st Year) 2021Set ANNUAL5 marks
Q.Distinguish between Mitosis and Meiosis by giving five points.
OR
Differentiate between DNA and RNA by giving five points.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Mitosis (one division, in body cells, 2 identical diploid daughters, no recombination) maintains chromosome number for growth and repair, while meiosis (two divisions, in germ cells, 4 genetically varied haploid daughters, with crossing over) halves chromosome number to enable sexual reproduction.
Site of occurrence: Mitosis takes place in somatic (body) cells, contributing to growth, tissue repair, and asexual reproduction. Meiosis takes place only in specialised germ (reproductive) cells, during the formation of gametes (or spores in plants).
Number of divisions: Mitosis involves a single round of nuclear and cell division. Meiosis involves two successive divisions — meiosis I and meiosis II — following just one round of DNA replication.
Number and nature of daughter cells: Mitosis produces two daughter cells, each diploid (2n) and genetically identical to the parent cell and to each other. Meiosis produces four daughter cells, each haploid (n), and genetically distinct both from the parent cell and from one another.
Genetic recombination: Mitosis does not involve crossing over or genetic recombination; the daughter cells are essentially clones of the parent. Meiosis I includes pairing of homologous chromosomes and crossing over during prophase I, which shuffles genetic material and is a major source of genetic variation among offspring.
Effect on chromosome number: Mitosis maintains the chromosome number constant between parent and daughter cells (2n → 2n each). Meiosis reduces the chromosome number by half (2n → n), which is essential so that fertilisation between two haploid gametes restores the normal diploid number, keeping the chromosome number constant across generations in sexually reproducing organisms.
✓Final answer
Mitosis: one division, somatic cells, 2 identical diploid daughters, no recombination, chromosome number unchanged. Meiosis: two divisions, germ cells, 4 genetically distinct haploid daughters, includes crossing over, chromosome number halved.