Meiosis involves two cell divisions. During the first division, pairs of homologous chromosomes align at the center of the cell and are separated into two daughter cells. During the second division, single chromosomes align at the cell center (as they would during mitosis) and sister chromatids are separated into the daughter cells.

When homologous chromosomes align during the first division there are a total of four chromatids in each set, forming a tetrad. The alignment of chromosomes at the equatorial plate takes place during metaphase. Since we are looking at the alignment of chromosomes during the first meiotic division, the correct answer will be metaphase I.

In prophase I, a process called synapsis involves the pairing of chromosomes. Chromosome pairs are referred to as a tetrad, homologous pair, or as bivalents.

There are two events that occur in prophase I that do not occur in any other stage: chiasmata (crossing over) and synapsis (pairing of the chromosomes). Note that chiasmata does not occur during prophase of mitosis, but synapsis does occur.

The separation of sister chromatids is the only item of the answer choices that occurs in both mitosis and meiosis. Prophase II and metaphase II only occur in meiosis, as does recombination between homologous chromosomes. Recombination between sister chromatids does not occur (they are identical).

Since the cell has 44 autosomes and two sex chromosomes it must be a somatic cell (2n=46). Two X chromosomes corresponds to a female so it must a somatic cell from a female. Sperm, and ova are the male and female gametes, which are haploid.

Meiosis is the form of cell division that results in gametes and so meiosis takes place in both ovaries and testes, which are the primary sex organs. Somatic cells undergo mitosis for cell division, which yields identical daughter cells that are diploid.  

Gametes are haploid cells that produced via meiosis. During meiosis, diploid cells divide into four nonidentical haploid daughter cells. Mitosis produces two identical diploid somatic cells from one parent cell.  

Meiosis results in cells with 23 chromosomes (22 autosomes and 1 sex chromosome). Note that these cells are haploid since n=23, and nonidentical, due to crossing over during prophase I.

Gametes are made via meiosis which produces cells with n=23 instead of diploid cells. If gametes were produced instead by mitosis each gamete would be diploid not haploid. During fertilization of diploid gametes, the zygote would become 4n=92. With each new generation the number of chromosomes would double.  

In biology, the term “ploidy” refers to the number of chromosome sets per cell. Haploid cells have half of the number of chromosomes as parent cells, meaning that they only carry a single copy of each gene. Haploid cells are formed during meiosis and, in humans, produce gametes, which mature into sperm and egg cells.