Which statement concerning plasmids is true: (A) All plasmids possess the information for their own transfer by conjugation, (B) Much of the information coded in the plasmid is essential to the survival of the bacteria cell, (C) R plasmids carry genes for antibiotic resistance, (D) R plasmids cannot be transferred to other bacterial cells
Answer is C. Plasmids are small, circular, supercoiled DNA mole­cules found in some bacteria. They usually do not carry essential genes, but some plasmids, such as R (resistance) plasmids, carry genes coding for antibiotic resistance. All plasmids have their own origin of repli­cation, so that they are replicated along with the host chromosome and passed along to progeny cells. Only some plasmids possess genes that allow for their trans­mittal to other bacteria by the process of conjugation.