[Campbell Biology P.364] Based on Figure 16.2 and the accompanying text regarding Griffith's... | Practice Question

Based on Figure 16.2 and the accompanying text regarding Griffith's experiment, which finding most directly supports the conclusion that a heritable substance from dead S cells transformed living R cells?

  • A: Mice injected with living S cells died.
  • B: Mice injected with living R cells survived.
  • C: Mice injected with heat-killed S cells survived.
  • D: Mice injected with a mixture of heat-killed S cells and living R cells died, and living S cells were recovered.

Explanation

The key finding that demonstrated transformation was when the nonpathogenic living R cells acquired the ability to form capsules and become pathogenic, leading to the mouse's death, after being exposed to genetic material from the heat-killed pathogenic S cells. The recovery of living S cells from the dead mouse confirmed this transformation.