Which term best describes the entire process including growth, DNA replication, and division?

• A. Binary fission
• B. The Cell Cycle
• C. Meiosis
• D. Mitosis

Answer: (B)

The cell cycle describes the full sequence from a cell’s formation through growth, DNA replication, and eventual division. During interphase the cell grows and copies DNA (S phase), followed by preparation for division in G2, and then division occurs through mitosis (nuclear separation) and cytokinesis (cytoplasm division) to form two daughter cells. Binary fission refers to a simpler, largely plasmic division process seen in prokaryotes, not the complete cycle in most eukaryotic cells. Meiosis is a specialized division that halves chromosome number for sexual reproduction, and mitosis covers only the nuclear division step. Because the question asks for the process that encompasses growth, DNA replication, and division as a whole, the term that fits best is the cell cycle.