During meiosis, the chromosome number in the resulting cells does what compared with the parent cell?

• A. It increases by one set of chromosomes due to crossing over.
• B. It is reduced by half, producing haploid cells.
• C. It stays the same, producing diploid cells identical in chromosome number to the parent cell.
• D. It doubles, producing cells with twice as many chromosomes as the parent cell.

Answer: (B)