Advanced Placement (AP) Biology Practice Exam

Which phase follows the metaphase during mitosis?

1. Prophase

2. Anaphase

3. Telophase

4. Interphase

The correct answer is: Anaphase

The phase that follows metaphase during mitosis is anaphase. During anaphase, the sister chromatids that were aligned at the metaphase plate are pulled apart towards opposite poles of the cell. This separation is driven by the shortening of the spindle fibers attached to the kinetochores of the chromatids. As the chromatids move apart, the cell begins to prepare for division, leading eventually into telophase. Understanding this progression is fundamental to grasping how mitosis ensures each daughter cell receives an accurate and complete set of chromosomes, thereby maintaining genetic consistency across cell generations.