Question

A glucose molecule is to starch as __________.

a) Nucleotides are the monomers that make nucleic acids, just like glucose is the monosaccharide that constructs starch.
b) Nucleotides break down nucleic acids, similar to glucose breaking down starch.
c) Nucleotides form independently of nucleic acids, similar to glucose's relationship with starch.
d) Nucleotides are unrelated to nucleic acids, much like glucose is unrelated to starch formation.

Answer 1

A glucose molecule is to starch as nucleotides are to nucleic acids because both glucose and nucleotides serve as the monomers that link together to form larger polymers, starch and nucleic acids respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking for an analogy that relates to the composition of starch from glucose molecules. The correct analogy that compares the relationship of glucose to starch would be that nucleotides are to nucleic acids what glucose is to starch. Both glucose and nucleotides act as monomers, which are small repeating units that bond together to form larger molecules called polymers. In the case of starch, multiple glucose molecules link together via glycosidic bonds to form a polysaccharide.

Similarly, nucleotides form the monomer units for nucleic acids like DNA and RNA, linking together to create long chains known as polynucleotides. The choices provided in the question attempt to identify the correct relationship between monomers and their corresponding polymers, serving as a fundamental concept in biochemistry and molecular biology.