Question

A particle can infect humans and make them sick. It attaches to a host cell and injects its RNA, which the host uses to make proteins for the particle. This particle cannot reproduce on its own and can only copy itself by using the machinery of the host.
Which explains whether the particle described is a virus or a cell?

A. The particle is a virus because it does not use energy and cannot reproduce by itself.
B. The particle is a virus because it has genetic information and can infect humans.
C. The particle is a cell because it has genetic information and attaches to other cells.
D. The particle is a cell because it does not make proteins and cannot reproduce by itself.

Answer 1

Answer:

The most appropriate answer would be A. The particle is a virus because it does not use energy and cannot reproduce by itself.  

Virus is defined as a small infectious agent that carry its own genetic material (DNA or RNA) but divides only in the living cells of other organisms (bacteria, human, animals, plants etc).

They are acellular in nature and thus are not able to reproduce on their own. They use the metabolism and machinery of the host cell in order to produce and assemble multiple copies of themselves in a cell.

They attach to the specific binding site of their target cells and inject their genetic material into the cell. The host cell's machinery is then used to replicate, transcribe and translate viral genetic material.

The viral genome produced are assembled in the protein cascade. They are then released by causing bursting of the infected cell.