Identifying missing mitosis stage from diagram features

Steps:

• Recall prophase: chromosomes condense, nuclear envelope breaks down, spindle forms.
• Recall metaphase: chromosomes align at equator, attached to spindle fibers.
• Recall anaphase: sister chromatids separate and move to opposite poles.
• Recall telophase: chromosomes decondense, nuclear envelopes reform, cytokinesis begins.
• Compare diagram stages to definitions; anaphase lacks separation of chromatids.

Why C is correct:

• Anaphase is defined by sister chromatids pulling apart to poles, absent in the shown diagrams.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: Prophase shown by condensed chromosomes and vanishing nuclear envelope.
• B: Metaphase shown by chromosomes lined up at cell center.
• D: Telophase shown by reforming nuclei and cleaving cell.

Final answer: C