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Multiple Choice
How many chromosomes are in each human cell before mitosis begins?
A
46
B
92
C
69
D
23
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that human cells are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
Before mitosis begins, a human cell is in the interphase stage, specifically in the S phase, where DNA replication occurs.
During the S phase, each chromosome is duplicated, resulting in two sister chromatids for each chromosome, but the number of chromosomes remains the same.
In humans, the diploid number of chromosomes is 46, which means there are 46 chromosomes in each human cell before mitosis begins.
Remember that although the DNA content doubles during the S phase, the chromosome count remains at 46 until the cell divides during mitosis.