PencilGo

Grade 9 · Science · Biology

9th grade Mitosis and meiosis compared worksheet

6 printable versionsOn Level10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version
Print

Mitosis and meiosis compared

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Model body cell (model data, not to scale)

    2n = 8, drawn as 4 pairs of chromosome cards: pair 1, pair 2, pair 3 and pair 4. Each pair has 1 dark card and 1 light card.

  2. Ari follows a model body cell with 2n = 8 as it divides once by mitosis. How many chromosomes does each daughter cell have?

    • 8 chromosomes
    • 4 chromosomes
    • 16 chromosomes
    • 12 chromosomes
  3. Model germ cell (model data, not to scale)

    2n = 10, drawn as 5 pairs of chromosome cards: pair 1, pair 2, pair 3, pair 4 and pair 5. Each pair has 1 dark card and 1 light card.

  4. Bo follows a model animal cell with 2n = 10 that makes egg or sperm cells by meiosis. How many chromosomes does each finished cell have?

    • 5 chromosomes
    • 20 chromosomes
    • 2 chromosomes
    • 10 chromosomes
  5. Esme follows a model cell with 2n = 4 through meiosis. What is the total number of chromosomes in all the finished cells together?

    • 16 chromosomes
    • 2 chromosomes
    • 4 chromosomes
    • 8 chromosomes
  6. Use this

    Lab note (model data), 5 rows. Columns: step, result. start, 1 body cell, 2n = 8. divisions, 1. cells made, 2. chromosomes in each new cell, 8. new cells, match the parent cell.

  7. Jun reads a lab note about one division. Which choice names it and gives the reason?

    • Meiosis, because 2 cells were made
    • Meiosis, because the new cells match the parent
    • Mitosis, because the new cells match the parent
    • Fertilization, because 2 cells were made
  8. Use this

    Lab note (model data), 5 rows. Columns: step, result. start, 1 germ cell, 2n = 10. divisions, 2. cells made, 4. chromosomes in each new cell, 5. new cells, all different.

  9. Kira reads a lab note about a germ cell dividing. Which choice names the division and gives the reason?

    • Meiosis, because the number was halved
    • Mitosis, because the new cells differ from each other
    • Mitosis, because 4 cells were made
    • Fertilization, because the number changed
  10. Use this

    Two divisions (model data), 2 rows. Columns: division, start and divisions, cells made, chromosomes in each new cell. P, 1 cell with 2n = 12, then 1 division, 2, 12. Q, 1 cell with 2n = 12, then 2 divisions in a row, 4, 6.

  11. Luz reads the table of two divisions, P and Q. Which choice names both correctly?

    • P is meiosis and Q is mitosis, because mitosis halves the number
    • P and Q are both mitosis, because both start with 2n = 12
    • P and Q are both meiosis, because both copy chromosomes first
    • P is mitosis and Q is meiosis, because Q halves the number
  12. Mitosis and meiosis side by side (facts from OpenStax Biology 2e)

    stepmitosismeiosis
    chromosomes copied before dividingonceonce
    divisions12
    cells made24
    chromosomes in each new cellsame as the parenthalf of the parent
    new cellsidenticaldifferent from each other
  13. Milo compares the two columns of the table. Which feature do mitosis and meiosis share?

    • The chromosomes are copied once, before the division starts
    • Both make daughter cells identical to the parent cell
    • Both cut the chromosome number to half
    • Both make four cells from one starting cell
  14. Noah compares the two columns of the table. Which feature belongs to meiosis and not to mitosis?

    • The chromosomes are copied before the division starts
    • Two divisions follow one round of copying
    • One division makes two identical cells
    • The new cells have the parent's chromosome number
  15. Pia compares the two columns of the table. Which feature belongs to mitosis and not to meiosis?

    • The new cells have the parent's chromosome number
    • Two divisions happen in a row
    • The new cells differ from each other
    • The chromosome number is cut to half
  16. Use this

    Two ways to reproduce (facts from OpenStax Biology 2e), 2 rows. Columns: way, starting cells, how offspring begin, offspring. asexual, such as budding yeast, 1 parent, a bud forms and the nucleus divides by mitosis, match the parent. sexual, usually 2 parents, an egg cell and a sperm cell join, differ from each other and from the parents.

  17. Ren reads about a yeast cell and the bud that pinches off from it. How do their chromosomes compare?

    • They match, because the nucleus divided by meiosis
    • The bud has half, because mitosis halves the number
    • They match, because the nucleus divided by mitosis
    • The bud has a mix from two parents
PencilGopencilgo.com

9th grade Mitosis and meiosis compared worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Mitosis and meiosis compared. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read the two-row card table and say that mitosis is 1 division that makes 2 cells (2n to 2n, identical) and meiosis is 2 divisions that make 4 cells (2n to n, different from each other).
  • I can say where each happens in an animal (mitosis in body cells that divide; meiosis in the cells that make egg and sperm cells) and what each is for (growth and repair; making egg and sperm cells).
  • I can work out the chromosomes in a model cell after each process (2n = 8: mitosis gives 8 in each of 2 cells; 2n = 10: meiosis gives 5 in each of 4 cells) and the total in all the cells (2n = 4: meiosis makes 4 cells with 2 each, 8 in all).
  • I can classify a described division from its numbers (1 division, 2 cells, the same chromosomes: mitosis; 2 divisions, 4 cells, half the chromosomes, all different: meiosis).
  • I can say what the two processes share (one round of chromosome copying first) and what only one of them has (two divisions in meiosis; the parent's number in mitosis).
  • I can say that when an egg cell and a sperm cell join, their numbers add back to 2n (3 + 3 = 6), and that this is why meiosis halves the number.

Standard: HS-LS3-2

Words to know

mitosis: One division of a cell's nucleus that makes two cells identical to the parent cell

meiosis: Two divisions in a row that make four cells with half the chromosomes

chromosome: A long piece of DNA with its proteins; each species has a set number

diploid (2n): Having two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent

haploid (n): Having one set of chromosomes, as egg and sperm cells do

body cell: A cell of the body that is not an egg or sperm cell

germ cell: A cell that can divide by mitosis or make egg and sperm cells by meiosis

gamete: An egg cell or a sperm cell

Common mistakes

Your child said mitosis halves the chromosome number. Mitosis keeps the number, and meiosis is the division that halves it. Ask your child what 2n becomes in each process.

Your child said the cells made by meiosis are identical. Meiosis makes cells that differ from each other, and mitosis makes cells that match. Ask your child which process makes cells that match the parent.

Your child said mitosis makes four cells. Mitosis makes two cells in one division, and meiosis makes four cells in two divisions. Ask your child how many divisions each process takes.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with mitosis and meiosis compared?

Your child said mitosis halves the chromosome number. Mitosis keeps the number, and meiosis is the division that halves it. Ask your child what 2n becomes in each process.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More biology

See all Biology

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records