Which statement about nucleic acids is true?

• A. They catalyze chemical reactions
• B. They provide structural support for cells
• C. They store genetic information
• D. They store energy as ATP

Answer: (C)

Nucleic acids store genetic information. DNA carries the genetic blueprint of an organism, with the specific order of bases encoding instructions for making proteins and RNA molecules. This information is passed on during replication and is read by cellular machinery through transcription (DNA to RNA) and translation (RNA to protein). While RNA can have catalytic roles in some cases, the primary, broad function of nucleic acids is to store and transmit genetic information. The other statements aren’t generally true for nucleic acids: they are not the main catalysts for most reactions (proteins do most catalysis, and RNA’s catalytic ability is a specialized exception); they don’t provide structural support—that role belongs to proteins and other structural polymers; and storing energy as ATP is the function of ATP itself, not the general job of nucleic acids.