Mitosis is responsible for growth, repair, and maintenance in an organism because
a) it occurs at a faster rate than meiosis.
b) the chromosome number is reduced by half.
c) exact duplicates of each mother cell are produced.
d) it is the only process that involves replication of genetic material.

The correct answer is option C.

Explanation:

The procedure of cell differentiation, which leads to the development of two novel daughter cells is termed as mitosis. The newly produced daughter cells are genetically similar to the parent cell and to each other. It plays an essential function in the life cycle of a living species.  

One of the essential function of mitosis is to regenerate and replace the worn-out and the destructed tissues in the living species. As mitosis helps in the generation of similar cell copies and thus assists in repairing the destructed tissues or substituting the worn-out cells. Thus, it can be said that mitosis is accountable for the growth, repair, and maintenance of an organism.