During which phase do chromosomes spread into a tangle of chromatin and the nuclear envelope reforms?

• A. Telophase
• B. Metaphase
• C. Anaphase
• D. Prophase

Answer: (A)

During telophase, the chromosomes unwind from their tightly coiled forms back into less condensed chromatin and the nuclear envelope reforms around each set of chromosomes, creating two separate nuclei. This relaxation into thread-like chromatin makes the chromosomes appear as a tangle within the newly forming nuclei, signaling the cell is finishing division and preparing for cytokinesis. In contrast, prophase features condensation and breakdown of the nuclear envelope, metaphase has chromosomes aligned in the center, and anaphase involves separation of sister chromatids to the poles while chromatin remains condensed.