Which term describes a monosaccharide?

Prepare for your College Biology Exam 1 with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Test your understanding with detailed explanations and hints to ensure success in your biology exam!

Multiple Choice

Which term describes a monosaccharide?

Explanation:
Monosaccharide is the simplest carbohydrate, composed of a single sugar unit that cannot be broken down into smaller sugars by hydrolysis. That single-unit nature is what defines it. Other terms describe larger collections of sugar units: disaccharides are two sugars linked together, oligosaccharides are a short chain of a few sugars, and polysaccharides are long polymers containing many sugars. So the term that identifies a single sugar unit is monosaccharide. Common examples include glucose, fructose, and galactose.

Monosaccharide is the simplest carbohydrate, composed of a single sugar unit that cannot be broken down into smaller sugars by hydrolysis. That single-unit nature is what defines it. Other terms describe larger collections of sugar units: disaccharides are two sugars linked together, oligosaccharides are a short chain of a few sugars, and polysaccharides are long polymers containing many sugars. So the term that identifies a single sugar unit is monosaccharide. Common examples include glucose, fructose, and galactose.

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