Question

Assertion (A): Facilitated diffusion is very specific, it allows cell to select substance for uptake.
Reason (R): Facilitated diffusion is sensitive to inhibitors which react with protein side chain.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation to (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are correct but (R) is not correct explanation for (A)
• C. (A) is correct (R) is wrong
• D. (A) is wrong (R) is correct

Hint:

Any transport process that relies on membrane proteins (facilitated diffusion and active transport) will be highly specific, saturable, and sensitive to inhibitors.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Check the Assertion.
Facilitated diffusion relies on dedicated carrier or channel proteins in the membrane, and each of these proteins only recognizes molecules of a matching shape, so the cell genuinely gets to be picky about what crosses over, confirming the Assertion.
Step 2: Check the Reason.
Because the whole process depends on protein shape, any inhibitor that binds and distorts the side chains of that transport protein will block or slow the process down, which is exactly why facilitated diffusion is known to be inhibitor sensitive, confirming the Reason.
Step 3: Link the two together.
The very same protein dependent nature that gives facilitated diffusion its specificity is what also makes it vulnerable to inhibitors acting on that protein, so the Reason is not a random fact, it directly explains why the Assertion is true.
Final answer: Option 1, both statements are correct and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.