Which of the following statements is true regarding bacteria and animal cells?

A.

A bacterial cell is much smaller than an animal cell.

B.

An animal cell is much smaller than a bacterial cell.

C.

An animal cell contains a cell wall, but a bacterium does not.

D.

A bacterium contains a nucleus, but an animal cell does not.

The most accurate answer is A.

Bacterial cells are generally very small, almost 10 times smaller than most animal and plant cells. Most bacterial cells measure about 0.2 to 10 microns or micrometers which in inches is 0.0000079 to 0.00039.

One of the reasons that bacterial cells are so small is that they require a large surface area to volume ratio to be able to take in nutrients. They take in nutrients from their surroundings through the process of diffusion.