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The Baltimore scheme sorts viruses according to which single feature?
AThe shape of the capsid shell
BThe size of the virion core
CThe host species infected
DThe way mRNA is produced
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The way mRNA is produced
1. Older schemes sorted viruses by morphology and by genetics, and they disagreed with each other.
2. The Baltimore scheme is the classification method most commonly used today.
3. It groups viruses by how messenger RNA is generated in each type of virus.
4. Capsid shape and envelope are still used for description, but they are not what defines a Baltimore group.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 21 "Viruses", section 21.1 Viral Evolution, Morphology, and Classification_
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