Question

Assertion (A): Mitosis maintains the genetic similarity of somatic cells.

Reason (R): Chromosomes do not undergo crossing over.

Options

• Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

• Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

• A is true but R is false.

• A is false but R is true.

Answer 1

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation:

The assertion is true because mitosis is an equational division that produces daughter cells with identical chromosome counts and genetic material as the parent cell. The reason is also true and serves as the correct explanation because the primary source of genetic variation, crossing over, is strictly restricted to meiosis. Since homologous chromosomes do not exchange segments during mitosis, the genetic code remains unaltered, maintaining complete genetic similarity across somatic cells.