Question

Outside of a living cell, the virus exists as a particle called a(n) ________, which is little

more than a macromolecular package.
a) virulent
b) virusette
c) virulant
d) virion
e) infectoid

Answer 1

Outside of a living cell, the correct term for a virus particle is a 'virion,' a minuscule infectious particle consisting of a nucleic acid core and a protein capsid, with sizes ranging from 20-250 nanometers.

Step-by-step explanation:

Outside of a living cell, the virus exists as a particle called a virion, which is little more than a macromolecular package. A virion is an individual virus particle that consists of a nucleic acid core surrounded by a protein coat known as a capsid, and sometimes an additional outer envelope. These infectious virus particles are significantly smaller than prokaryotic cells and are only visible under an electron microscope due to their minute size, ranging from about 20-250 nanometers in diameter. Unlike living cells, virions do not have cell membranes, cytoplasm, or ribosomes, and therefore cannot reproduce on their own, relying instead on infecting a host cell to perform these functions.