Which statement best describes the need for memory cells in the immune response?

Which statement best describes the need for memory cells in the immune response?

• A. Memory cells slow down responses.
• B. Memory cells allow a faster and stronger response upon re-exposure.
• C. Memory cells are only produced during primary response but not during secondary.
• D. Memory cells secrete toxins to kill pathogens.

Answer: (B)

Memory cells are built during the first encounter with a pathogen and persist for years, ready to act quickly if the same pathogen shows up again. When the same antigen is encountered, these memory cells respond much faster and more strongly, producing antibodies rapidly (from memory B cells via plasma cells) and mounting a quicker cellular attack (from memory T cells). This makes the secondary response faster and stronger because the immune system doesn’t start from scratch—it recalls the previous threat and amplifies the defense. The idea that memory cells slow down responses isn’t correct; they accelerate and amplify the response. It’s also not true that memory cells are only produced during the primary response and not during the secondary—memories are generated to enable the secondary response. And memory cells don’t secrete toxins to kill pathogens; the antibodies produced by plasma cells and the cytotoxic actions of memory T cells are how pathogens are targeted, not toxins secreted by memory cells themselves.

Memory cells are built during the first encounter with a pathogen and persist for years, ready to act quickly if the same pathogen shows up again. When the same antigen is encountered, these memory cells respond much faster and more strongly, producing antibodies rapidly (from memory B cells via plasma cells) and mounting a quicker cellular attack (from memory T cells). This makes the secondary response faster and stronger because the immune system doesn’t start from scratch—it recalls the previous threat and amplifies the defense.

The idea that memory cells slow down responses isn’t correct; they accelerate and amplify the response. It’s also not true that memory cells are only produced during the primary response and not during the secondary—memories are generated to enable the secondary response. And memory cells don’t secrete toxins to kill pathogens; the antibodies produced by plasma cells and the cytotoxic actions of memory T cells are how pathogens are targeted, not toxins secreted by memory cells themselves.