Which statement correctly relates entropy and disorder in biology?

• A. Higher entropy corresponds to greater disorder.
• B. Higher entropy corresponds to greater order.
• C. Entropy is unrelated to disorder.
• D. Entropy is always minimal in living cells.

Answer: (A)

Entropy is a measure of molecular randomness, so higher entropy corresponds to greater disorder. In biology, organisms maintain a highly ordered internal state by spending energy, but this energy use increases disorder in the surroundings, so the total entropy of the universe still rises. That’s why the statement linking higher entropy to greater disorder is the correct way to relate these concepts. The other ideas—entropy being unrelated to disorder, or higher entropy meaning more order, or cells always having minimal entropy—don’t fit because they contradict how entropy is defined and how living systems interact with their environment.