Ease Into Prep with an MCAT^® Question of the Day

The centrioles are organelles that are involved in spindle fiber formation in preparation for cell division. They migrate to opposite ends of the cell during prophase, (A).

Expert Approach:
Here I'm being asked to match the definition of a phase in mitosis to the phase itself. I can get through this question quickly by making a prediction (prophase) based on the stem, identifying (A) as the option that matches that prediction, and moving on. I don't even need to scan through the other answer choices - there's only one correct answer to an MCAT question, and the other options are all other mitotic phases anyway.If I didn't immediately recognize the events described in the question stem as prophase, I could nonetheless infer that the phase described is near the beginning of cell division - the question stem mentions the formation of the pole along which chromosomes will align, and I know that chromosome alignment is an early step in the process of division. Moreover if I could remember that chromosome alignment is part of metaphase, I would know that the answer must be (A) because prophase is the only phase prior to metaphase.

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