Final answer:
The correct characteristics of gas exchange surfaces in the lungs are a large surface area, decreased membrane thickness, and the presence of surfactant. Multiple cell layers would hinder, not help, gas exchange, so the correct answer is f) Answers a, c, and d are correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
Characteristics that apply to gas exchange surfaces in the lungs include: a) large surface area, which is essential to increase the amount of gas that can diffuse into and out of the lungs; c) decreased membrane thickness, which allows for more efficient gas exchange due to the close proximity of air in the alveoli to the blood in the capillaries; and d) surfactant, which is a substance secreted by type II alveolar cells that reduces the surface tension of the alveoli, preventing them from collapsing and aiding in gas exchange. The correct answer to the question is f) Answers a, c, and d are correct.
Multilayered cell structures would hinder efficient gas exchange rather than facilitate it, so multiple cell layers (b) multiple cell layers) is not a characteristic of efficient gas exchange surfaces in the lungs.