Given below are two statements about embryonic development in human. Statement (I): There is no growth phase between cleavages and the size of blastomeres is reduced. Statement (II): As the size is reduced, the subsequent cleavages are faster than earlier ones. In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.

Step-by-step solution

Statement (I) is correct: Cleavage refers to the series of rapid mitotic divisions that a zygote undergoes. During these divisions, the interphase is very short and lacks the growth phases ( G₁ and G₂ ). Because there is no growth phase between the divisions, the total volume of the embryo remains constant, and the large zygote is partitioned into increasingly smaller cells called blastomeres. Statement (II) is incorrect: The rate of cleavage does not continuously increase as the size of the blastomeres reduces. In