Why do organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA?(1 point)

Question

Responses

DNA is used to code for proteins, which these organelles synthesize.
DNA is used to code for proteins, which these organelles synthesize.
They are responsible for their own replication and division inside the cell.
They are responsible for their own replication and division inside the cell.
All organelles have their own DNA, and these two demonstrate that property.
All organelles have their own DNA, and these two demonstrate that property.
They used to be free-living prokaryotes that functioned as unicellular organisms.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

They used to be free-living prokaryotes that functioned as unicellular organisms.

This is based on the endosymbiotic theory, which suggests that mitochondria and chloroplasts are derived from ancient prokaryotic cells that were engulfed by ancestral eukaryotic cells. As a result, they retained some of their own DNA necessary for their functions.