Telophase I results in which cellular event?

• A. Cytoplasm divides and two new cells form with one duplicated chromosome from each pair
• B. Four haploid cells are formed
• C. Nuclear envelope reforms and spindle disappears
• D. DNA replication occurs

Answer: (A)

Telophase I is the stage where the two homologous chromosomes that separated move to opposite poles and the cell begins to divide its cytoplasm. The key outcome is two haploid daughter cells, each containing one chromosome from every original pair, and those chromosomes are still duplicated (two sister chromatids). This halving of the chromosome number is the defining feature of meiosis I, so forming two cells with one duplicated chromosome from each pair best captures what telophase I accomplishes.

Four haploid cells come from meiosis II, not I. DNA replication happens earlier, during S phase, before meiosis begins. Nuclear envelope reformation and spindle disassembly also occur around this time, but the most distinctive result of telophase I is the production of two haploid cells through cytokinesis.