What happens to the cytoplasm during cytokinesis?

• A. It becomes part of a single larger cell
• B. It divides, producing two separate cells
• C. It remains unchanged
• D. It is degraded

Answer: (B)

During cytokinesis, the cytoplasm is physically divided so that each new cell receives its own share of cytosol, organelles, and other cellular components. This completes cell division after the nucleus has already divided in mitosis or meiosis. In animal cells, a contractile ring of actin tightens to form a cleavage furrow that pinches the cytoplasm inward, splitting the cell into two daughter cells. In plant cells, vesicles derived from the Golgi cohere at the center to form a cell plate, which eventually divides the cytoplasm and builds a separating cell wall. So the cytoplasm is partitioned into two separate cells, not kept in one cell, degraded, or merged into a larger cell.