Final answer:
The correct answer is B) Nucleotide; amino acids. Nucleic acids like DNA and RNA are formed by nucleotides linking to form a chain. Nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nucleic acids (like DNA and RNA) are made by joining nucleotide subunits together in a chain. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is B) Nucleotide; amino acids. Nucleotides are the monomers that combine to form polymers known as polynucleotides, DNA or RNA. Each nucleotide consists of three components: a nitrogenous base, a pentose (five-carbon) sugar, and a phosphate group. The sugar of one nucleotide bonds to the phosphate group of the adjacent nucleotide, forming a backbone with the nitrogenous bases as appendages to this structure.