Question

Tobias has mononucleosis. Mononucleosis is a disease that tires and weakens the body. It is caused by a contagious virus that is transferred through direct contact. Which would be the best explanation of how Tobias contracted mononucleosis?

Tobias never exercised and was more susceptible to the virus.
As a male, Tobias has a better chance of getting mononucleosis.
Tobias inherited the gene from his parents.
Tobias drank from a water fountain that was contaminated.

Answer 1

D. Tobias drank from a water fountain that was contaminated.

Step-by-step explanation:

As stated in the question, mononucleosis is caused by a contagious virus that is transferred through direct contact.

A. Tobias never exercised and was more susceptible to the virus is not the answer. While he may have been more susceptible to the virus, the virus is contagious through touch, so not exercising would not directly give him the virus.

B. As a male, Tobias has a better chance of getting mononucleosis is also not the answer. Again, no direct contact is involved here, so he did not get the virus directly from being a male. (and being a male probably does not increase the chances at all).

C. Tobias inherited the gene from his parents is incorrect as well. The virus is contagious, not inherited. This means that he could not have directly inherited the virus from his parents.

This means that D. Tobias drank from a water fountain that was contaminated is the correct answer. Direct contact is involved here. Since the water fountain contains the virus, and Tobias had contact with the water fountain, he most likely contracted mononucleosis from drinking from the water fountain.

Answer 2

Based on the information provided, the most plausible explanation would be "Tobias drank from a water fountain that was contaminated." Mononucleosis is a contagious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is most commonly spread through direct contact, such as sharing drinks or food, or through saliva. It's not related to exercise habits, gender, or inherited genes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mononucleosis, often called "mono," is an infectious illness caused most commonly by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a type of herpes virus. Other viruses can also cause mononucleosis.

Now, let's break down each of the options you provided:

1. "Tobias never exercised and was more susceptible to the virus." While regular exercise can boost your immune system and potentially make you less susceptible to infections in general, not exercising doesn't specifically make you more susceptible to mononucleosis. The primary way to contract the virus is through direct contact with saliva from an infected person.

2. "As a male, Tobias has a better chance of getting mononucleosis." Mononucleosis affects both males and females, and there's no evidence to suggest that one gender is more susceptible to the virus than the other.

3. "Tobias inherited the gene from his parents." Mononucleosis is not a genetic disease. It's an infectious disease, which means it's caused by a virus, not by a gene passed down from parents to their children.

4. "Tobias drank from a water fountain that was contaminated." This is the most likely scenario. The Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis, is spread through body fluids, usually saliva. If an infected person drank from a water fountain and left some saliva on it, and then Tobias drank from the same fountain, he could potentially contract the virus.

So, based on the information we have about how mononucleosis is spread, the most likely explanation for how Tobias contracted the disease is through direct contact with the virus, such as drinking from a contaminated water fountain.