What is a primary characteristic of passive immunity?

Passive immunity is characterized by the immediate response to antigen exposure. This type of immunity occurs when antibodies are transferred from one individual to another, providing short-term protection against infections without requiring the recipient's immune system to actively produce its own antibodies. This immediate effect is particularly important in scenarios such as newborns receiving antibodies through breast milk or injections of immunoglobulins after exposure to certain diseases.

While inoculation, or vaccination, is related to the introduction of antigens to stimulate an immune response, it is more closely linked to active immunity, where the body creates its own antibodies in response to exposure. The other options refer to specific immune processes that are more characteristic of active immunity or other immune responses rather than passive immunity, which does not depend on the host's immune system to create antibodies.