Which term is the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms?

• A. Cell
• B. Fungi
• C. Mortality
• D. Parturition

Answer: (A)

The basic idea being tested is that life operates at the cellular level. A cell is the smallest structure that can carry out all the processes that define life—metabolism, growth, response to the environment, and even reproduction. In every organism, from single-celled bacteria to multicellular plants and animals, the entire form and function originate from cells. Even when many cells work together to form tissues and organs, each cell remains the fundamental unit performing essential life processes.

The other terms don’t fit as units of life: Fungi refers to a group of organisms, not a unit of life itself; mortality is a state of living or dying, not a structural or functional unit; parturition is the process of birth, not a unit of life.