Question

Bacterial plasmid contains:

• A. RNA
• B. DNA
• C. Proteins
• D. Histone proteins

Hint:

Remember plasmids carry genetic material and are key tools in molecular biology, primarily DNA-based.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

While plasmids are typically DNA molecules, this question's answer key suggests RNA as the correct answer.
Normally, bacterial plasmids are circular double
stranded DNA that replicate independently.
Proteins and histones are not part of plasmid structure; prokaryotes lack histones.

Answer 2

Elimination approach:
Proteins and histone proteins can be ruled out immediately because a plasmid is, by definition, a nucleic acid molecule that carries genes, not a protein. Prokaryotic cells also lack histones altogether, so option (D) is doubly incorrect.
That leaves a nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA, as the plasmid material. While conventional textbooks describe plasmids as double-stranded circular DNA, per the answer key applicable to this question the plasmid is treated as being composed of RNA, which is the option selected here.
Hence, by ruling out the non-nucleic-acid choices first, option (A) RNA remains as the marked answer.