Final answer:
Eukaryotic cells replicate nucleotides at approximately 100 per second, which is slower than prokaryotic cells that can replicate at a rate of 1000 nucleotides per second. The correct answer to the question is (a) Less than 100 per second, reflecting the slower replication rate in eukaryotes as compared to prokaryotes.
Correct option is c) More than 100 per second
Step-by-step explanation:
If a prokaryotic cell is replicating nucleotides at a rate of 100 per second, a eukaryotic cell would replicate nucleotides at a significantly different rate. Eukaryotic cells replicate their nucleotides at approximately 100 nucleotides per second, which is much slower than the rate of replication in prokaryotic cells. Prokaryotic cells can achieve faster replication rates, such as 1000 nucleotides per second, because they generally have smaller genomes and a single origin of replication, allowing the entire process to be completed more quickly.
By contrast, eukaryotic cells have a larger genome with multiple origins of replication, spread over more complex linear chromosomes. The enzyme telomerase helps ensure that the ends of these linear chromosomes are replicated completely, addressing the end-replication problem faced by eukaryotic cells. Thus, the correct answer to the student's question is (a) Less than 100 per second, and it aligns with the understanding that a prokaryotic organism's rate of replication is ten times faster than that of eukaryotes.