Stages of Mitosis: Prophase to Cytokinesis (ICSE Class 10 Biology)
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Mitosis divides the nucleus into two identical nuclei in four stages. In prophase chromosomes condense and the nuclear membrane disappears; in metaphase they line up at the equator; in anaphase centromeres split and chromatids move to opposite poles; in telophase nuclei re-form and the spindle disappears. Cytokinesis then divides the cytoplasm.
Follow the purple chromosomes: they condense, line up in the middle, are pulled apart to the poles, then two new nuclei form.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand Stages of Mitosis
Where mitosis fits. A dividing cell spends most of its life in interphase (G1, S, G2). By the end of the S phase every chromosome has copied its DNA and consists of two sister chromatids held together at the centromere. Mitosis (karyokinesis) then shares these copies equally between two daughter nuclei, and cytokinesis divides the cytoplasm. Mitosis keeps the chromosome number the same (2n → 2n), so it is also called equational division.
1. Prophase (the 'preparing' stage)
- The long, thin chromatin threads coil and condense, so chromosomes become visible; each shows two chromatids joined at a centromere.
- The nucleolus fades and the nuclear membrane breaks down by the end of prophase.
- In an animal cell the centrosome (already duplicated in interphase) separates; the two pairs of centrioles move to opposite poles, with star-like asters around them, and spindle fibres begin to form between them.
- A plant cell has no centrioles; its spindle forms without asters.
2. Metaphase (the 'middle' stage)
- Spindle fibres attach to each chromosome at its centromere.
- The chromosomes arrange themselves in one plane across the middle of the cell, the equatorial plate (metaphase plate).
- Chromosomes are at their shortest and thickest, so this is the best stage to count and study them.
3. Anaphase (the 'apart' stage)
- The centromere of each chromosome splits, so the two sister chromatids separate. Each chromatid is now an independent daughter chromosome.
- Spindle fibres shorten and pull the daughter chromosomes towards opposite poles, centromere first, so the arms trail behind and the chromosomes look V-, J- or I-shaped.
- For a short time the cell holds twice the normal number of chromosomes (4 in a 2n = 4 cell), shared equally between the two poles.
4. Telophase (the 'end' stage)
- The daughter chromosomes reach the poles and uncoil back into chromatin.
- A nuclear membrane forms round each group and the nucleolus reappears, giving two daughter nuclei.
- The spindle fibres disappear.
5. Cytokinesis (division of cytoplasm)
- Animal cell: a furrow (cleavage) appears in the cell membrane at the equator and deepens inwards until the cell is pinched into two.
- Plant cell: the rigid cell wall cannot be pinched, so a cell plate forms in the centre from small vesicles and grows outwards until it meets the side walls; it becomes the middle lamella of the new wall.
- Organelles such as mitochondria and plastids are shared between the two cells.
Flow chart. Interphase (DNA doubled) → Prophase (condense, membrane gone, spindle forms) → Metaphase (line up at equator) → Anaphase (centromeres split, chromatids to poles) → Telophase (nuclei re-form, spindle gone) → Cytokinesis (two identical cells).
How to identify a stage in a diagram (the skill ICSE tests most often):
| What you see | Stage |
|---|---|
| Thread-like chromosomes inside a nucleus that is breaking down; centrioles moving apart | Prophase |
| X-shaped chromosomes in one straight row across the middle; no nuclear membrane | Metaphase |
| Two sets of V-shaped single chromosomes moving to opposite poles | Anaphase |
| Two groups of thin chromatin at the poles, new nuclear membranes, furrow or cell plate starting | Telophase |
Counting rule. Count centromeres to count chromosomes. In metaphase each chromosome has 2 chromatids, so a 2n = 4 cell shows 4 chromosomes and 8 chromatids. In anaphase every chromatid has its own centromere, so the same cell shows 8 chromosomes (4 moving to each pole). Each daughter cell ends with 4, the same as the parent.
Where mitosis happens. In the somatic (body) cells of animals, for example skin, the lining of the gut and the bone marrow that makes blood cells; and in the meristems of plants (root tip and shoot tip). An onion root tip is the usual material for observing mitosis under the microscope.
Draw and label: metaphase in an animal cell with four chromosomes. Checklist: round cell outline with cell membrane only (no cell wall); no nuclear membrane; a pair of centrioles with short aster rays at each pole; spindle fibres from pole to pole; four double-chromatid chromosomes lying across the middle on one line, each attached to a spindle fibre at its centromere. Labels: cell membrane, centriole, aster, spindle fibre, chromatid, centromere, equatorial plate.
Draw and label: anaphase. Checklist: same outline, centrioles and spindle; two groups of four single V-shaped chromosomes, one group moving to each pole, the bend (centromere) leading and the arms trailing towards the equator. Labels: daughter chromosome, centromere, spindle fibre, centriole, pole.
Stages of Mitosis: key facts
- The four stages in one line each
Prophase chromatin condenses, nuclear membrane and nucleolus disappear, spindle forms Metaphase chromosomes line up on the equatorial plate, spindle fibres attached at centromeres Anaphase centromeres split, sister chromatids pulled to opposite poles Telophase chromosomes uncoil, nuclear membrane and nucleolus reappear, spindle disappears - The order spells PMAT.
- Counts in a cell with 2n chromosomes
- Prophase and metaphase: 2n chromosomes, 4n chromatids
- Anaphase: 4n chromosomes in the whole cell, 2n moving to each pole
- Each daughter cell after telophase and cytokinesis: 2n chromosomes
- Count centromeres to count chromosomes.
- Cytokinesis compared
Animal cell furrow in the cell membrane, deepens inwards Plant cell cell plate from vesicles in the centre, grows outwards Reason plant cell wall is rigid and cannot be pinched - A favourite 2-mark difference.
- Animal and plant mitosis
Centrioles and asters present in animal cells, absent in plant cells Spindle formed from centrioles in animals, without centrioles in plants Cytokinesis furrowing in animals, cell plate in plants - Use when asked how plant mitosis differs.
How to answer Stages of Mitosis questions
ICSE asks you to identify a stage from a diagram, give a reason, count chromosomes, draw metaphase or anaphase, or arrange stages in order. Each needs a fixed routine.
- 1Look first for the nuclear membrane: present and intact means interphase; breaking down means prophase; absent means metaphase or anaphase; re-forming means telophase.
- 2Then look at the chromosomes: a single straight row across the middle is metaphase; two groups moving apart is anaphase.
- 3Give the reason in the examiner's words: 'chromosomes are arranged at the equatorial plate' or 'sister chromatids are being pulled towards opposite poles'.
- 4To count, count centromeres. Then use the stage: in anaphase the cell holds double the number, but each daughter nucleus gets the original number.
- 5For a diagram, draw an animal cell as a circle with centrioles; never draw a cell wall or a nucleus at metaphase; label at least five parts with straight, non-crossing label lines.
- 6In 'what happens in' questions write two events per stage, each with a bold key word (condense, equator, split, poles, re-form).
Stages of Mitosis in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Mitosis in wound healing
Suppose Riya scrapes her knee while cycling. In about ten days the scrape has closed and new skin covers it.
Which type of division produced the new skin cells, and why must the new cells have the same chromosomes as the old ones?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Skin is made of somatic (body) cells; cells at the edge of the wound divide to fill the gap.
- Repair and replacement of body cells is done by mitosis.
- In mitosis the sister chromatids of every chromosome are shared equally, so each daughter cell gets an exact copy of all 46 chromosomes.
- If the new cells had fewer or extra chromosomes they could not work like normal skin cells, so identical copies are essential.
Answer: Mitosis; it gives daughter cells with the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent, so the new skin works exactly like the old.
Memory hook: Mitosis mends: same cell, same copy.
Why a plant cell uses a cell plate
Suppose Kabir watches a time-lapse video of an animal cell dividing: it pinches in the middle like a balloon being squeezed. He wonders why an onion root-tip cell under the school microscope never shows this pinching.
Explain how cytokinesis happens in the onion cell and why it cannot pinch.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The onion cell is surrounded by a rigid cellulose cell wall outside its membrane.
- A rigid wall cannot be drawn inwards as a furrow.
- Instead, vesicles collect at the centre and fuse to form a cell plate.
- The plate grows outwards until it joins the side walls and divides the cell into two.
Answer: A cell plate forms in the centre and grows outwards, because the rigid cell wall cannot be pinched inwards by a furrow.
Memory hook: Animals pinch in; plants build out.
Tricks to remember Stages of Mitosis
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
PMAT and its key words
Prophase: Pack (chromosomes condense). Metaphase: Middle. Anaphase: Apart. Telophase: Two nuclei.
Use it when: Ordering stages and recalling one event for each.
Spindle comes and goes
The spindle is built in prophase, used in metaphase and anaphase, and taken down in telophase.
Use it when: 'In which phase do spindle fibres disappear?' Telophase, not anaphase.
Centromere, not centrosome
Centro-MERE is where the chromatids MEet; centro-SOME holds SOME centrioles.
Use it when: Labelling the point that joins sister chromatids.
Stages of Mitosis: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: One event per stage · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
State one event that is unique to each of the following stages of mitosis: (a) metaphase, (b) anaphase.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- (a) Metaphase: chromosomes arrange themselves on the equatorial plate, attached to spindle fibres at their centromeres (1 mark).
- (b) Anaphase: the centromere of each chromosome splits and the sister chromatids are pulled towards opposite poles (1 mark).
Answer: (a) Chromosomes line up at the equatorial plate. (b) Centromeres split and chromatids move to opposite poles.
Example 2: Identify and count · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
A diagram shows an animal cell with no nuclear membrane and two groups of six V-shaped chromosomes moving towards opposite poles. (a) Name the stage and give a reason. (b) How many chromosomes did the parent cell have? (c) How many chromatids were present in this cell at metaphase?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- (a) Anaphase, because the daughter chromosomes (separated sister chromatids) are moving towards opposite poles (1 mark).
- (b) Each pole receives the same number as the parent: 6 chromosomes, so 2n = 6 (1 mark).
- (c) At metaphase 6 chromosomes each had 2 chromatids: 6 × 2 = 12 chromatids (1 mark).
Answer: (a) Anaphase: chromatids moving to opposite poles. (b) 6. (c) 12.
Example 3: Two kinds of cytokinesis · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Distinguish between cytokinesis in an animal cell and in a plant cell, and give the reason for the difference.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Animal cell: a furrow forms in the cell membrane at the equator and deepens inwards until the cell divides (1 mark).
- Plant cell: a cell plate forms in the centre and grows outwards to meet the lateral walls (1 mark).
- Reason: the plant cell has a rigid cell wall which cannot be constricted (1 mark).
Answer: Animal: furrowing inwards. Plant: cell plate outwards. Because the plant cell wall is rigid.
Example 4: Sequence and reasoning · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Arrange the following events in the correct order and name the stage in which each occurs: (i) the spindle fibres disappear, (ii) chromatin condenses into chromosomes, (iii) centromeres split, (iv) chromosomes lie at the equator.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- (ii) chromatin condenses: prophase; (iv) chromosomes at the equator: metaphase (1 mark).
- (iii) centromeres split: anaphase; (i) spindle disappears: telophase (1 mark).
Answer: (ii) prophase → (iv) metaphase → (iii) anaphase → (i) telophase.
Example 5: Anaphase diagram · 3 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Draw a neat, labelled diagram of an animal cell (2n = 4) in anaphase. Label: centriole, spindle fibre, daughter chromosome, centromere and pole.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Draw a circular cell (cell membrane only) with no nucleus or nuclear membrane (½ mark).
- Draw a pair of centrioles with short aster rays at each pole and spindle fibres between the poles (1 mark).
- Draw two groups of four single V-shaped daughter chromosomes, one group moving towards each pole, with the centromere leading and the arms trailing towards the equator (½ mark).
- Label the five parts with ruled label lines that do not cross (1 mark).
Answer: A round animal cell with centrioles at both poles, spindle fibres, and two groups of four V-shaped daughter chromosomes moving to opposite poles, centromeres leading; five labels.
Example 6: A drug that blocks the spindle · 3 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency
Suppose a chemical X prevents spindle fibres from forming in dividing root-tip cells. (a) Up to which stage will mitosis proceed normally? (b) Predict the chromosome number of the nucleus that finally forms if a cell with 16 chromosomes copies its DNA but cannot pull its chromatids to two poles. (c) Why might such a chemical be useful to scientists who want to count chromosomes?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- (a) Prophase proceeds (condensation, loss of nuclear membrane), but chromosomes cannot be lined up at the equator, so the cell is held at the metaphase stage (1 mark).
- (b) DNA has been copied, so each of 16 chromosomes has two chromatids; if the chromatids separate but are not pulled to two poles, all 32 end up in one nucleus: 32 chromosomes (1 mark).
- (c) Cells pile up at the metaphase stage, when chromosomes are shortest and thickest, so they are easiest to count (1 mark).
Answer: (a) Up to prophase; the cell is held at metaphase. (b) 32 (doubled). (c) More cells are held at metaphase, when chromosomes are clearest to count.
Where students lose marks in Stages of Mitosis
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Naming anaphase as metaphase or prophase
CISCE examiners' comments (2024): for a diagram of anaphase, candidates wrote metaphase or prophase, did not say that chromatids are pulled towards the poles, and gave wrong chromosome counts.
Wrong working
Stage: metaphase, because chromosomes are visible.
Right working
Anaphase, because sister chromatids are being pulled towards opposite poles.
Do this: Decide the stage from the position of chromosomes, then write the reason with 'poles' or 'equatorial plate'.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Saying the spindle disappears in anaphase
CISCE examiners' comments (2025): candidates wrote anaphase instead of telophase for the phase in which spindle fibres disappear.
Do this: Anaphase still needs the spindle to pull chromatids; it is removed in telophase.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: A wrong or incomplete metaphase diagram
CISCE examiners' comments (2025): candidates drew a plant cell instead of an animal cell, did not show duplicated chromosomes at the equator, omitted centrosome or centrioles and labels, or drew anaphase.
Wrong working
Rectangular cell with single-stranded chromosomes scattered inside a nucleus.
Right working
Round animal cell, centrioles at poles, spindle, four double-chromatid chromosomes on one line at the equator.
Do this: Follow the draw-and-label checklist; no wall, no nucleus at metaphase.
Usually costs: Up to 3 marks.
Mistake: Writing centrosome for centromere
CISCE examiners' comments (2024): candidates wrote centrosome for the point at which duplicated chromosomes are joined.
Do this: Centromere joins chromatids; centrosome contains the centrioles.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Exam tips
- In identification questions, the reason carries a mark: always add one 'because' line.
- Draw an animal cell (circle with centrioles) unless a plant cell is asked for.
- Use the exact terms equatorial plate, sister chromatids, centromere, spindle fibres and poles.
- Count chromosomes by centromeres; double them only in anaphase.
- Interphase is not a stage of mitosis; do not include it when asked for the stages of mitosis.
Practice questions on Stages of Mitosis
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The phase of mitosis in which chromosomes are best counted is:
(a) Prophase (b) Metaphase (c) Anaphase (d) TelophaseHint
Shortest and thickest, in one row.
Answer
(b) Metaphase.
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
In which phase of mitosis does the nuclear membrane reappear? (A question on the phase in which the spindle disappears was asked in 2025.)
Hint
The end stage.
Answer
Telophase.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): In anaphase the number of chromosomes in the cell is temporarily doubled.
Reason (R): The centromere of each chromosome splits and each chromatid becomes a separate chromosome.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.Hint
Count centromeres.
Answer
(a).
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
A cell of a fruit fly has 8 chromosomes. How many chromatids are present at metaphase, how many chromosomes are present in the whole cell at anaphase, and how many chromosomes does each daughter cell receive?
Hint
Metaphase 2 chromatids each; anaphase doubles; daughters equal parent.
Answer
Metaphase: 8 × 2 = 16 chromatids. Anaphase: 16 chromosomes (8 moving to each pole). Each daughter cell: 8 chromosomes.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Give two differences between metaphase and anaphase.
Hint
Position of chromosomes; state of centromere.
Answer
Metaphase: chromosomes lie at the equatorial plate; each still has two chromatids joined at an undivided centromere. Anaphase: chromosomes move towards the poles; centromeres have split, so each moving chromosome is a single chromatid.
Q6 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why do chromosomes appear V- or J-shaped during anaphase?
Hint
Where is the spindle fibre attached?
Answer
The spindle fibre is attached at the centromere and pulls the chromosome by that point, so the centromere leads towards the pole and the two arms trail behind, giving a V shape (or J if the centromere is near one end).
Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a single cell divides by mitosis every 30 minutes and every daughter cell keeps dividing at the same rate. How many cells will be present after 3 hours, and how many chromosomes will each have if the first cell had 14?
Hint
3 hours = 6 rounds; mitosis keeps the number.
Answer
6 rounds of division: 2⁶ = 64 cells, each with 14 chromosomes (mitosis keeps the chromosome number constant).
Q8 · 3 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency
Read and answer.
Suppose Meena prepares a squash of an onion root tip and sees a cell with a cell plate across its middle and a group of thin chromatin threads at each end, surrounded by a membrane.
(a) Which stage of mitosis has just ended? (1)
(b) Which process is taking place now? (1)
(c) Why will she never see centrioles in these cells? (1)Hint
Nuclei re-formed; plate forming.
Answer
(a) Telophase (nuclear membranes have re-formed round the chromatin at each pole). (b) Cytokinesis by cell plate formation. (c) Cells of flowering plants such as onion have no centrioles; their spindle forms without them.
Q9 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Name the structure that: (a) joins two sister chromatids; (b) forms asters at the poles in an animal cell.
Hint
Two similar-sounding words.
Answer
(a) Centromere. (b) Centrioles (of the centrosome).
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.In which stage do chromatids separate?Show answer
Anaphase.
2.In which stage do chromosomes lie on the equatorial plate?Show answer
Metaphase.
3.Name the process of division of the cytoplasm.Show answer
Cytokinesis.
4.What forms between two daughter plant cells during cytokinesis?Show answer
A cell plate.
5.How many chromatids does a cell with 2n = 4 have at metaphase?Show answer
8.
6.Which plant part is commonly used to observe mitosis?Show answer
The onion root tip (a meristem).
Stages of Mitosis: frequently asked questions
What are the four stages of mitosis?
Prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase, followed by cytokinesis, which divides the cytoplasm.
Why is mitosis called equational division?
Because each daughter cell receives the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent cell (2n → 2n).
What is the difference between karyokinesis and cytokinesis?
Karyokinesis is the division of the nucleus (mitosis proper); cytokinesis is the division of the cytoplasm that follows it.
Is interphase a stage of mitosis?
No. Interphase is the period between two divisions when the cell grows and copies its DNA; mitosis begins with prophase.
Why do plant cells not have asters?
Asters are rays around centrioles; cells of flowering plants have no centrioles, so their spindle forms without asters.