Question

A science student argues that viruses are not alive. To provide the strongest support for this argument, which statement should the student cite?
-All living things are made of cells
-All living things are able to reproduce
-all tiny things cause damage and suffering
-all cells are made of tiny nonliving parts

Answer 1

The student should cite the statement: **"All living things are made of cells."** This is a fundamental characteristic of life according to the cell theory, which is one of the foundational principles in biology. Viruses lack a cellular structure; they do not consist of cells and cannot carry out cellular processes independently. This supports the argument that viruses are not considered living organisms.