Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam Practice 2025 – Comprehensive Prep

Meiosis is the correct answer because it is specifically the type of cell division that takes place in the reproductive organs to produce gametes, which are the sperm in males and the eggs in females. This process reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in cells that are genetically distinct from each other and from the parent cell. This reduction is crucial for sexual reproduction, as it allows for the restoration of the diploid chromosome number when the sperm and egg unite during fertilization.

In contrast, mitosis occurs in somatic cells and is responsible for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction by generating identical daughter cells with the same chromosome number as the parent cell. Binary fission is a form of asexual reproduction primarily seen in prokaryotes, such as bacteria, where a single organism divides into two separate entities. Segregation refers to a process in genetics where alleles separate during the formation of gametes, but it is not a type of cell division. Each of these other processes serves distinct purposes that do not involve the production of gametes necessary for reproduction in sexually reproducing organisms.