Certified Professional Food Safety (CP-FS) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the Certified Professional Food Safety Exam with comprehensive quizzes. Prepare with multiple choice questions featuring hints and explanations. Get the confidence you need to succeed!

Start Multiple Choice Practice Test
Start Flash Cards

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Which of the following statements about viruses is true?

  1. They can reproduce outside of living cells

  2. They have a cell wall

  3. They require living cells to reproduce

  4. They are larger than bacteria

The correct answer is: They require living cells to reproduce

Viruses are unique microorganisms that cannot reproduce independently. They lack the cellular machinery necessary for replication and must invade a living host cell to replicate themselves. Inside the host, viruses hijack the cellular processes to create copies of themselves, which then can go on to infect more cells. This dependency on living cells for reproduction is a defining characteristic of viruses. Regarding the other options, viruses do not have the ability to reproduce outside of living cells, as they lack a metabolic system and cellular structure. They also do not possess a cell wall; instead, their structure includes a protein coat (capsid) and, in some cases, a lipid envelope. Additionally, viruses are typically much smaller than bacteria, which are living cells capable of independent reproduction. Thus, the choice that accurately reflects the nature of viruses is their requirement for living cells to reproduce.

More Questions Like This