Understanding Carbohydrates

Help Questions

AP Biology › Understanding Carbohydrates

Questions 1 - 10
1

Which of the following chemical formulas forms the base of monosaccharides?

Explanation

is the base molecular formula for carbohydrates. Carbohydrates vary based on multiples of this formula (i.e. is the formula for glucose).

2

Which of the following is a polymer composed of sugar monomers?

Carbohydrates

Lipids

Proteins

Glucose

Lactose

Explanation

Carbohydrates and proteins are polymers (a long chain molecule generally composed of repeating single units), but glucose and lipids are not polymers (though glucose has the ability to polymerize). Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Carbohydrates are polymers of sugar monomers or monosaccharides. Lactose is a disaccharide or two sugar monomers connected.

3

Which of the following is a major component found in the walls that enclose plant cells?

Cellulose

Starch

Glycogen

Chitin

Explanation

The polysaccharide cellulose is a major component of plant cell walls. Similar to starch, cellulose is made up of glucose though the linkages in the polymers are different.

4

Which of the following best describes how energy is stored during cellular respiration?

Glucose

Lipids

None of these

Sucrose

Explanation

Energy is stored in the form of glucose. Cells, in turn, tap into glucose reserves to fuel cellular respiration. The carbon in glucose also serves as raw materials for the synthesis of other molecules such as amino acids.

5

Carbohydrates are made up of which of the following subunits?

Sugars

Amino acids

Lipids

Fats

Explanation

Carbohydrates are polymers formed from simple sugars. Amino acids form proteins. Lipids are another class of subunits that make up fats.

6

Which of the following are true of glycogen?

I. Glucagon stimulates its breakdown

II. It is a polysaccharide of fructose

III. It is found in plant cell walls

I only

II only

III only

I, II, and III

I and II

Explanation

The pancreas secretes glucagon to stimulate the breakdown of glycogen; insulin is secreted to stimulate its assembly in liver and muscle. Glycogen is, in fact, a polysaccharide. However, it is made up of glucose not fructose. Finally, plant cell walls contain cellulose. While similar to glycogen, cellulose is made of beta glucose linkages instead of alpha glucose linkages, causing cellulose to be a more linear polysaccharide while glycogen contains curving branches.

7

Which of the following is a polysaccharide stored in plants?

starch

glycogen

glucose

lipids

Explanation

Starch is a polysaccharide stored in plants. Glycogen is a polymer of glucose in animals stored in the liver and muscle cells. Lipids are molecules made mostly of carbon and hydrogen that store energy.

8

Arthropods use which of the following carbohydrates to construct their exoskeletons?

Chitin

Cellulose

Starch

Glycogen

Explanation

Chitin is a structural polysaccharide used by arthropods to build their exoskeletons. Chitin is also found in fungi as well. Cellulose is the structural component found in the cell walls of plants.

9

Which of the following macromolecules is found only in plants and is described as a polysaccharide consisting entirely of glucose molecules?

Starch

Glycogen

Chitin

Disaccharide

Explanation

Starch is a storage polysaccharide in plants. It is a polymer consisting solely of glucose. Glucose is a source of fuel for cells; therefore, starch is stored for energy.

10

Which of the following is a carbohydrate?

Mannose

Cholesterol

Lipase

miRNA

Explanation

Mannose is an epimer of glucose, and is a carbohydrate. Typically, molecule names ending in "–ose" will be carbohydrates. The other answers each belong to a different category of macromolecule: cholesterol is a lipid, miRNA is a nucleic acid, and lipase is a protein.

Just as the suffix "ose" signifies a carbohydrate, the suffix "ol" indicates a lipid and the suffix "ase" indicates a protein.

Page 1 of 4
Return to subject