A scientist adds colchicine, a microtubule polymerization inhibitor, to a cell entering mitosis. At metaphase, the chromosomes of the cell were arranged as shown below. Explain why this arrangement is consistent with the application of colchicine. Predict how colchicine would affect the cell as it attempts mitosis.

Definition Definition Chemical process in which one or more monomers combine to produce a very large chain-like molecule called a polymer. The functional groups present on the monomers and their steric effects are responsible for polymerization through a sequence of reactions that vary in complexity. There exists a stable covalent chemical bond between monomers that sets apart polymerization from other processes.