NEET (UG) · Botany, Class 11
Cell Cycle and Cell Division: NEET PYQ, 2018–2026
Cell Cycle and Cell Division (Botany, Class 11) has been asked 23 times in the 7 NEET papers from 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026: about 3.3 questions a paper, 7% of all Botany questions. It is the 6th most-asked of 17 Botany chapters. NEET 2026 had 2 from it. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Questions per paper
Year by year.
| Year | Questions |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 |
From 2021 to 2024 each paper had 200 questions (a Section B with a choice); the others had 180.
Inside the chapter
Topics asked most.
- Mitosis12
- Meiosis11
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10 Cell Cycle and Cell Division questions to practise.
Our own questions, written in the NEET pattern and checked, each with an explanation. Pick an option to see the answer.
Q1 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
During telophase of mitosis, what happens to the nuclear envelope around each set of daughter chromosomes at the poles?
Answer: (B)
Principle: the nuclear envelope breaks down in prophase to allow spindle access to chromosomes. In telophase, chromosomes reach the poles, decondense, and the envelope is re-assembled from membrane fragments around each daughter nucleus. The nucleolus reappears at the same time.
Q2 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
A bacterium such as Escherichia coli divides into two daughter cells. Which statement about this process is correct?
Answer: (A)
Binary fission is the asexual division of prokaryotic cells. The circular DNA is replicated, the copies move apart, and the cell splits into two genetically near-identical cells. It is not meiosis, does not involve homologous pairing or crossing over, and lacks the spindle-based machinery of eukaryotic mitosis. Its significance is rapid asexual multiplication with little genetic variation.
Q3 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
In a root tip squash, 500 cells are scored and 25 of them are found to be in mitosis. If the cell cycle of these cells lasts 20 hours, how long, in minutes, does the M phase last for one cell cycle, assuming steady-state division?
Answer: (A)
Principle: the mitotic index is the proportion of cells in a population that are undergoing mitosis at a given time. Assuming the cells divide steadily, that proportion equals the fraction of the cell cycle spent in M phase. Here, index = 25/500 = 0.05. Duration of M phase = 0.05 × 20 h = 1 h = 60 minutes. Keep the units consistent by converting hours to minutes at the end.
Q4 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
During anaphase of mitosis:
Answer: (A)
At the onset of anaphase, each chromosome arranged at the metaphase plate splits simultaneously, and the two daughter chromatids, now called chromosomes, begin their migration towards the two opposite poles, centromere first.
Q5 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
Amoeba reproduces asexually: its nucleus divides by mitosis and the cell then divides into two. What is the biological significance of mitosis in this unicellular organism?
Answer: (B)
Principle: mitosis is equational division. Each chromosome is duplicated in S phase, and the sister chromatids are separated equally, so both daughter cells receive the same complete set of chromosomes as the parent. In asexual reproduction such as binary fission in Amoeba, this means the offspring are clones and the parental genotype is conserved. Alleles are not shuffled, the chromosome number is not halved, and no extra chromosome sets are produced.
Q6 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
In higher plant cells undergoing mitosis, which statement correctly describes the formation of the spindle?
Answer: (B)
The spindle is a bipolar array of microtubules that attaches to kinetochores and separates sister chromatids. In animal cells it is organised by a pair of centrosomes with centrioles and asters. Higher plant cells lack centrioles, so the spindle forms from microtubule organising centres and is called anastral. Its formation in prophase and its function in metaphase and anaphase are the same as in animals. The question tests whether a student knows the plant-specific difference and does not carry the animal model over.
Q7 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
In an animal cell, which structure forms the ring that pinches the cell into two during cytokinesis?
Answer: (A)
Principle: cytokinesis is the division of the cytoplasm. In animal cells it happens by cleavage: a contractile ring of actin microfilaments assembles at the cell equator and constricts the plasma membrane into a furrow, which deepens until the cell splits into two. Plant cells instead build a new cell wall via a cell plate. The spindle moves chromosomes and centrioles organise the spindle, but neither forms the cytokinetic ring.
Q8 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
Which statement correctly describes interkinesis, the phase between meiosis I and meiosis II?
Answer: (C)
Principle: DNA replication is confined to S phase before meiosis I. Interkinesis is a brief rest with no replication, and the chromosomes still have two chromatids each. The cell goes straight into meiosis II, where sister chromatids then separate. Therefore the statement with no DNA replication and chromosomes still duplicated is correct.
Q9 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
A zygote with 2n = 6 undergoes six successive rounds of mitotic division, with no cell death and no change in chromosome number in any cell. What is the number of cells produced, and how many chromosomes does each cell contain?
Answer: (A)
Principle: each mitotic division produces two daughter cells from one parent, so n divisions give 2^n cells. Mitosis separates sister chromatids into daughter cells, so each daughter retains the parental chromosome number. Here 2^6 = 64 cells, each with 2n = 6 chromosomes. Replication doubles DNA within a cycle but is undone by separation, so no net doubling occurs per cell.
Q10 · Botany · Cell Cycle and Cell Division
In adult humans, cells of the skin epidermis and the lining of the intestine are continuously lost and replaced. Which statement best describes the significance of mitotic division in these tissues?
Answer: (A)
Mitosis is a cell division that produces two daughter cells with the same chromosome number and genetic constitution as the parent. In tissues with continuous cell loss, such as skin and gut lining, mitosis supplies new cells that replace dead or worn-out ones, maintaining the tissue. Meiosis, crossing over, and cell growth are separate processes that do not do this job.
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All 23 real NEET questions from Cell Cycle and Cell Division.
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About Cell Cycle and Cell Division in NEET.
How many questions come from Cell Cycle and Cell Division in NEET?
Cell Cycle and Cell Division (Botany, Class 11) has been asked 23 times in the 7 NEET papers from 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026: about 3.3 questions a paper, 7% of all Botany questions. It is the 6th most-asked of 17 Botany chapters. NEET 2026 had 2 from it.
Which topics of Cell Cycle and Cell Division are asked most in NEET?
Mitosis (12), Meiosis (11), counted over the papers from 2018–2026.
Is Cell Cycle and Cell Division important for NEET 2027?
It is in the syllabus in force, so it can be asked. By past papers it ranks 6 of 17 in Botany; use that to decide how much time it gets, not whether to study it.
Where can I solve Cell Cycle and Cell Division NEET previous year questions?
On Nikaalle, free: sign up and practise every past NEET question from Cell Cycle and Cell Division with an explanation for each, or sit the full papers timed. The ten questions on this page are our own, written in the same pattern.
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