SAT Subject Test in Biology › Viruses
Viruses can do which of the following?
Carry DNA
Respond to outside stimuli
Reproduce outside of a cell
Metabolize chemical compounds
Produce proteins
All viruses can and must carry either DNA or RNA (but not both). However, viruses cannot reproduce on their own, and must infect a host cell in order to manufacture more copies of itself. They cannot respond to outside stimulus as they do not have any functional parts, such as mitochondria, ribosomes, or a nucleus. For the same reason, viruses also cannot produce proteins or metabolize chemical compounds.
Which of the following is true about viruses?
Viruses are considered to be non-living organisms.
Viruses reproduce via sexual reproduction.
Viruses will immediately infect any living thing, and are unable to be removed.
Viruses consist of a nucleus, cell membrane, and several mitochondria in order to make their own energy.
Viruses are considered non-living organisms because they have no organelles or other cellular machinery, they cannot reproduce without a host cell, and they have no metabolic activity.