Final answer:
The false statement is number 4, which claims that the body's metabolism uses almost exclusively exergonic reactions. In fact, the body's metabolism involves both exergonic and endergonic reactions, as energy from exergonic reactions often fuels endergonic ones, conforming to the law of conservation of energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
To answer the student's question, we need to identify which statement is false or incorrect:
Statements 1, 2, and 3 are true. Breaking bonds does indeed require energy, while forming new bonds releases energy. Exergonic reactions, such as the catabolic breakdown of food molecules, release more energy than they absorb, while endergonic reactions absorb more energy than they release.
The incorrect statement is number 4. The body's metabolism involves both exergonic and endergonic reactions. Anabolic processes in metabolism, such as building complex molecules like proteins from simpler ones, are endergonic reactions. These reactions are coupled with exergonic reactions, allowing the body to function properly. Energy from exergonic reactions often fuels the endergonic ones, in accordance with the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy is neither created nor destroyed.
Therefore, the false statement is:
4) A key feature of the body's metabolism is the almost exclusive use of exergonic reactions by the body.