New cells are produced through which process?

• A. Binary fission
• B. Budding
• C. Mitosis
• D. Synthesis

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that new cells come from the cell cycle, and a key preparatory step is copying the cell’s DNA so both daughter cells will have a full genome. This copying happens during the synthesis phase, which duplicates the genetic material. Once DNA replication is complete, the cell can proceed to mitosis and cytokinesis to divide into two cells. Without this synthesis step, division can’t yield two viable daughter cells, so synthesis is essential for producing new cells. The other options describe whole methods of producing new organisms (binary fission, budding) or the actual division process itself (mitosis), rather than the preparation that makes new cells possible.