During which phase of the cell cycle would a particular cell have half as much DNA as a cell in the G2 phase?

• A. M phase
• B. G1 phase
• C. S phase
• D. G2 phase

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the cell cycle consists of several phases: G1, S, G2, and M. Each phase has a characteristic amount of DNA content in the cell.
2. Understand that during the G1 phase, the cell has a normal diploid amount of DNA (1x), meaning it has not yet replicated its DNA.
3. During the S phase, DNA replication occurs, so the amount of DNA increases from 1x to 2x as the cell synthesizes new DNA.
4. By the time the cell reaches the G2 phase, DNA replication is complete, so the cell contains twice the amount of DNA (2x) compared to G1.
5. Therefore, the phase where the cell has half as much DNA as in G2 (which is 2x) is the G1 phase, where the DNA content is 1x.