A monosaccharide is the basic unit of which type of biomolecule?

A monosaccharide is the basic unit of which type of biomolecule?

• A. Carbohydrates
• B. Lipids
• C. Nucleic acids
• D. Proteins

Answer: (A)

Monosaccharides are the simplest sugars and serve as the basic building blocks of carbohydrates. They can link together through glycosidic bonds to form bigger carbohydrates such as starch and glycogen (energy storage) or cellulose (structural support in plants). This monomer–polymer relationship explains why the basic unit is a monosaccharide: all carbohydrates are constructed by joining these simple sugars. In contrast, lipids are built from glycerol and fatty acids, nucleic acids from nucleotides, and proteins from amino acids, so they are not based on monosaccharides.

Monosaccharides are the simplest sugars and serve as the basic building blocks of carbohydrates. They can link together through glycosidic bonds to form bigger carbohydrates such as starch and glycogen (energy storage) or cellulose (structural support in plants). This monomer–polymer relationship explains why the basic unit is a monosaccharide: all carbohydrates are constructed by joining these simple sugars. In contrast, lipids are built from glycerol and fatty acids, nucleic acids from nucleotides, and proteins from amino acids, so they are not based on monosaccharides.