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Mitosis is characterized by its role in cell division, where a single cell divides to produce two genetically identical daughter cells. One key feature of mitosis is that it maintains the diploid chromosome number, meaning that if the original cell starts with a certain number of chromosomes (for example, 46 in humans), each of the two daughter cells will also have that same number of chromosomes (46).

This preservation of chromosome number is crucial for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction in multicellular organisms. Unlike meiosis, which is the process that produces gametes (sperm and egg cells) and reduces the chromosome number by half to create haploid cells, mitosis ensures that the genetic material is duplicated and evenly divided so that each new cell has the same genetic information as the parent cell.

In contrast, options suggesting the production of haploid cells or a reduction of chromosome number by half are indicative of meiosis, not mitosis. The mention of producing genetically varied offspring is also more aligned with meiosis, as it introduces genetic variation through processes like crossing over and independent assortment. Thus, the characteristic of mitosis that maintains the diploid chromosome number is fundamental to its function in somatic cell division.