Question

Which of the following is a characteristic of a virus?

a
they develop
b
they undergo cellular respiration
c
they reproduce
d
they have a nuclear membrane
e
all of the above
f
none of the above

Answer 1

The answer is c (they reproduce).

Explanation:

Viruses do not have any organelles including nucleus. They just have a protein coat with genetic material inside them. The main function of viruses is to perform reproduction. Hence, they also don't grow, feed, respire or excrete.

Answer 2

Option `(c)` is correct.

Explanation:

Let's consider each option one by one:

`(a)` Viruses develop?

No! Viruses can't grow in their size or shape or something like that. They don't possess any kinda nutrients and they also don't undergo metabolism & also don't produce energy.

`(b)` Viruses undergo cellular respiration?

No! Viruses don't have any kind of glucose molecules. So that they can break down in order to undergo cellular respiration. Actually they don't have any kind of nutrients. Viruses don't produce any metabolic wastes.

`(c)` Viruses reproduce?

Yes! They do but only inside their living host. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. So they reproduce only within their host. They are inert outside their host. Viruses utilise the biosynthetic machinery of the host to make their replicas. About `25` minutes after initial infection, most viruses form their `200` replicas within their host.

`(d)` Do viruses have nuclear membrane?

No! Viruses have their genome i.e `"DNA or RNA"` enclosed within protein coat called capsid. They don't contain any true nuclear membrane.

Hope it helps...