The diagram below shows the structure of a bacterial cell.

Question

Which of the following distinguishes this bacterial cell from eukaryotes?

a
The bacterial cell is a unicellular organism, and all eukaryotes are multicellular.
b
The bacterial cell has both a cell membrane and a cell wall, and eukaryotes have only cell membranes.
c
Ribosomes are found in the cytoplasm of the bacterial cell, and eukaryotes do not have ribosomes.
d
DNA in the bacterial cell is always in contact with the cytoplasm, and all eukaryotes have DNA located inside a nucleus.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

d DNA in the bacterial cell is always in contact with the cytoplasm, and all eukaryotes have DNA located inside a nucleus.

This option accurately describes a key difference between bacterial cells and eukaryotic cells: bacteria have their DNA in a region called the nucleoid that is not membrane-bound, while eukaryotic cells contain their DNA within a membrane-bound nucleus.

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

a. While most eukaryotes are multicellular, there are also unicellular eukaryotes (such as protists). b. Both bacterial and eukaryotic cells can have cell membranes and cell walls (though not all eukaryotes have cell walls). c. Ribosomes are indeed found in both prokaryotic (bacterial) and eukaryotic cells; it is not true that eukaryotes do not have ribosomes.