Questions: Multiple Select Question Select all that apply Viruses are not categorized as living or nonliving, but rather active or inactive. Why are not they considered to be alive? Viruses cannot carry out their own metabolic functions. Viruses require a host cell to replicate. Viruses have a nucleic acid genome. Viruses do not respond to stimuli.

The correct answers are:

• Viruses cannot carry out their own metabolic functions.
• Viruses require a host cell to replicate.
• Viruses do not respond to stimuli.

Explanation for each option:

• Viruses cannot carry out their own metabolic functions.
  This statement is correct. Viruses lack the cellular machinery necessary to perform metabolic processes on their own, which is a key characteristic of living organisms.

• Viruses require a host cell to replicate.
  This statement is correct. Viruses cannot reproduce independently; they must infect a host cell and use the host's machinery to replicate, which is another reason they are not considered "alive."

• Viruses have a nucleic acid genome.
  This statement is incorrect in the context of why viruses are not considered "alive." While it is true that viruses have a nucleic acid genome (either DNA or RNA), having genetic material is not a distinguishing factor that makes them non-living, as living organisms also have genomes.

• Viruses do not respond to stimuli.
  This statement is correct. Viruses do not exhibit responses to environmental stimuli in the way living organisms do, which is another reason they are not classified as living.

In summary, the reasons why viruses are not considered "alive" include their inability to carry out metabolic functions, their dependence on a host cell for replication, and their lack of response to stimuli.