Question

A scientist extracts a molecule from a cell that includes phosphorus, a nitrogen base and a sugar. What macromolecule did the scientist most likely extract to

study?
A. Carbohydrate
B. Protein
C. Triglyceride
D. Nucleic Acid

Answer 1

D

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer would be Nucleic Acid.

A typical nucleic acid has 3 components which include:

1. A purine or pyrimidine nitrogenous base
2. A phosphate group
3. A 5-carbon sugar

The purine base includes adenine and guanine while the pyrimidine base includes thymine/uracil and cytosine. The 5-carbon sugar could be ribose or deoxyribose depending on if the nucleic acid is ribonucleic or deoxyribonucleic acid.

The only macromolecule that contains the 3 components of the options A to D is the nucleic acid. Hence, the correct option is D.