Which term would be used to describe pathogens with high disease-causing potential?

• A. Virus
• B. Volume
• C. Verbal
• D. Virulent

Answer: (D)

The concept being tested is how we describe how harmful a pathogen can be. The term for the capacity to cause disease and the severity of illness is virulence. A pathogen with high disease-causing potential is described as highly virulent, so the adjective form used is virulent. Virulence is the degree or strength of that harm, whereas virulent describes the organism itself.

The other options don’t fit because virus is a type of pathogen, not a descriptor of how dangerous it is; volume and verbal are unrelated to disease-causing potential.