Question
The diagram shows the chemical structure of a nucleotide.
A molecular structure represents a nitrogenous base as two polygons, then a 5-carbon sugar as a pentagon, and then a phosphate group as a sphere.
Nucleotides can form polymers called nucleic acids. In these polymers, how do the nucleotide monomers compare with one another?
A. The nitrogenous base may differ among the monomers.
B. The 5-carbon sugar may differ among the monomers.
C. The number of phosphate groups may differ among the monomers.
D. The monomers are identical, but may bond together in various ways.
A molecular structure represents a nitrogenous base as two polygons, then a 5-carbon sugar as a pentagon, and then a phosphate group as a sphere.
Nucleotides can form polymers called nucleic acids. In these polymers, how do the nucleotide monomers compare with one another?
A. The nitrogenous base may differ among the monomers.
B. The 5-carbon sugar may differ among the monomers.
C. The number of phosphate groups may differ among the monomers.
D. The monomers are identical, but may bond together in various ways.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In nucleotides, the key components that can differ among the monomers are the nitrogenous bases and potentially the 5-carbon sugars. However, in the context of typical nucleic acids like DNA and RNA, the nitrogenous base is the primary difference that distinguishes one nucleotide from another.
Thus, the best answer is:
**A. The nitrogenous base may differ among the monomers.**
While the 5-carbon sugar is consistent within a type of nucleic acid (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA), the nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine in DNA and adenine, uracil, cytosine, guanine in RNA) are what primarily differentiate the nucleotide monomers. The number of phosphate groups in a nucleotide is generally one, so option C is incorrect. Option D is also incorrect because the monomers are not identical.
Thus, the best answer is:
**A. The nitrogenous base may differ among the monomers.**
While the 5-carbon sugar is consistent within a type of nucleic acid (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA), the nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine in DNA and adenine, uracil, cytosine, guanine in RNA) are what primarily differentiate the nucleotide monomers. The number of phosphate groups in a nucleotide is generally one, so option C is incorrect. Option D is also incorrect because the monomers are not identical.