The protein coat that encloses the genetic material of a virus is called the
Correct answer: A. capsid
- A. capsid
- B. capsomere
- C. envelope
- D. nucleoid
Explanation
The capsid is the complete protein shell around the viral nucleic acid, and it protects the genome and helps the virus attach to the host cell. A capsomere is only one of the repeating protein subunits from which that shell is assembled, so it is a part and not the whole. The envelope is an extra lipid layer present only in some viruses, and a nucleoid is the DNA region of a prokaryotic cell.
Report an error
The more specific you are, the faster it gets fixed. A source beats an opinion.
Prefer email? support@testustad.com
About Viruses
Viruses are acellular infectious particles made of genetic material enclosed by a protein capsid, sometimes with a lipid envelope. Their replication depends on a host cell and may follow lytic or lysogenic cycles, so viral structure and reproduction differ fundamentally from those of cellular organisms such as bacteria.
Practise Acellular Life
342 free Acellular Life MCQs from Biology, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Discussion
Stuck on an option, or know a faster way to get there? Ask or explain it here.
No comments yet. Be the first to explain this one.
Exams that ask Biology questions like this
Biology is on 8 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.
More Viruses questions
Viruses are described as obligate intracellular parasites because they
The genetic material of tobacco mosaic virus is
A bacteriophage recognises and attaches to a specific bacterial cell by means of its
Which event occurs in the lysogenic cycle but never in the lytic cycle?
Viral DNA that has become integrated into the chromosome of a bacterium is called a