Plasma is defined as which of the following?

Plasma is defined as which of the following?

• A. The blood component that carries cells
• B. The liquid portion of the blood that carries proteins and other substances
• C. A hormone produced by the liver
• D. A solid portion of the blood

Answer: (B)

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood, the medium that carries proteins and other substances as blood circulates. It accounts for about 55% of blood and is mostly water, containing plasma proteins such as albumin, globulins, and fibrinogen, plus nutrients, hormones, waste products, electrolytes, and clotting factors. This definition—being the liquid part of blood that transports proteins and other substances—directly matches the correct choice. The solid portion of blood consists of cells like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which is why that option is not correct. Hormones produced by the liver are not plasma, and describing plasma as a component that carries cells is imprecise compared to its precise definition as the liquid carrier with its protein content.

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood, the medium that carries proteins and other substances as blood circulates. It accounts for about 55% of blood and is mostly water, containing plasma proteins such as albumin, globulins, and fibrinogen, plus nutrients, hormones, waste products, electrolytes, and clotting factors. This definition—being the liquid part of blood that transports proteins and other substances—directly matches the correct choice. The solid portion of blood consists of cells like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which is why that option is not correct. Hormones produced by the liver are not plasma, and describing plasma as a component that carries cells is imprecise compared to its precise definition as the liquid carrier with its protein content.