How many haploid cells does meiosis produce?

Meiosis is a specialized form of cell division that occurs in sexually reproducing organisms, leading to the production of gametes—sperm and egg cells. In this process, a single diploid cell undergoes two rounds of division: meiosis I and meiosis II.

During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes are separated, resulting in two cells that each have half the number of chromosomes as the original cell; these cells are haploid, meaning they contain one set of chromosomes. Then, in meiosis II, each of those two haploid cells divides again, separating the sister chromatids. At the end of meiosis II, four haploid cells are formed from the original diploid cell.

Thus, the correct answer is that meiosis produces four haploid cells, as each of the two cells produced in meiosis I divides into two, ultimately resulting in a total of four haploid cells. This reduction in chromosome number is essential for sexual reproduction, as it ensures that when two gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting zygote restores the diploid chromosome number.