Cytoplasm is...

• A. The nucleus
• B. The watery fluid outside the nucleus containing nutrients
• C. The cell wall
• D. The mitochondria

Answer: (B)

Cytoplasm is the material inside the cell membrane but outside the nucleus. It includes the watery fluid, called cytosol, that bathes organelles and contains nutrients, salts, and enzymes needed for metabolism. That makes the description of a watery fluid outside the nucleus containing nutrients a good match for cytoplasm. The nucleus is a separate organelle housing genetic material, so it isn’t cytoplasm. The cell wall is a rigid outer layer found in plants and some microbes, not part of the cytoplasm. Mitochondria are organelles located within the cytoplasm; they’re inside cytoplasm, not cytoplasm itself.