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Multiple Choice
Before organisms with nuclei evolved, life on Earth consisted only of unicellular:
A
prokaryotes
B
eukaryotes
C
multicellular organisms
D
viruses
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the key difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes: Prokaryotes are unicellular organisms without a nucleus, while eukaryotes have a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.
Recall that the earliest forms of life on Earth were simple and lacked complex structures like nuclei or organelles, which are characteristic of eukaryotes.
Consider the timeline of evolution: Prokaryotes appeared approximately 3.5 billion years ago, while eukaryotes evolved much later, around 2 billion years ago.
Eliminate the incorrect options: Multicellular organisms and viruses are not the earliest forms of life. Multicellular organisms evolved after unicellular eukaryotes, and viruses are not considered living organisms because they cannot reproduce independently.
Conclude that the correct answer is 'prokaryotes,' as they were the first unicellular organisms to exist on Earth before the evolution of nuclei and more complex life forms.