Final answer:
Viruses are not similar to prokaryotic cells because they are not cells, cannot replicate on their own, and lack the cellular structures that are essential for life, which prokaryotic cells possess.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked if viruses are similar to prokaryotic cells. The answer is false. Viruses are fundamentally different from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells because they are not considered alive. They do not have cell structures such as a cell membrane, cytoplasm, or ribosomes. An individual virus is called a virion. Viruses cannot replicate or synthesize proteins on their own; they depend on a host cell to do so. While they do have genetic material and can evolve, these traits are not sufficient for them to be classified as living organisms. In contrast, prokaryotic cells are living single-celled organisms without a nucleus but with DNA, cytoplasm, and ribosomes, among other structures. They are capable of reproducing and performing life-sustaining functions independently.