Carbohydrate Questions

1.

Peptidoglycan is a compound in the cell walls of many bacteria. Which of the following elements
are most abundant in peptidoglycan?

A. aluminum and sodium

C. chlorine and iron

B. carbon and hydrogen

D. iodine and potassium

2. Scientists hypothesize that the microscopic organisms inside a termites gut are responsible for
breaking down the wood that the termite eats. To support this hypothesis, research results should
show that the microscopic organisms can produce which of the following?

A. ATP

D. nucleic acids that are doublestranded

B. polysaccharides
C. enzymes specific to cellulose

3. Cellulose is a compound found in plants. It is made of a long chain of molecules with ringed
structures. The molecules contain mostly carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a ratio of
approximately 1 carbon : 2 hydrogen : 1 oxygen.To which category of biological molecules does
cellulose belong?

A. carbohydrates

C. phospholipids

B. nucleic acids

D. proteins

4. Fructose, sucrose, and starch are all examples of

A. carbohydrates.

C. nucleic acids.

B. lipids.

D. proteins.

5.

Many farm animals eat hay, which is made by cutting and drying plants such as ryegrass and
timothy grass. Scientists analyzed the composition of hay after it was cut and again after it was
dried.The amounts of which common biological elements would have decreased the most as the
hay dried?

A. sulfur and calcium

C. oxygen and hydrogen

B. phosphorus and zinc

D. nitrogen and chlorine

6. The body structure of a reef-building coral consists of a hard skeleton covering soft tissue. Which
of the following elements is most common in the corals soft tissue?

A. carbon

C. sodium

B. chlorine

D. zinc

7.

The table below provides information about the composition and function of four important
molecules in living organisms.

Molecule

Composition

Function

amino acids

reaction
catalyst

fatty acids

membrane
component

monosaccharides

energy
source

nucleotides

genetic
information

Which of the molecules in this table is a carbohydrate?

A. 1

C. 3

B. 2

D. 4

8. Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate that makes up the cell walls of plants. Which of the following
elements aremain components of cellulose?

A. calcium and chlorine

C. potassium and chlorine

B. carbon and hydrogen

D. sodium and hydrogen

9. Vitamin D is an organic molecule that regulates the absorption of calcium by the body. Which of
the following elements is most common in a molecule of vitamin D?

A. aluminum

C. magnesium

B. carbon

D. sodium

10. Students digging near their school unearthed four objects. One of the objects was part of the
exoskeleton of an insect. The table below shows the results of a chemical analysis of the objects.

Object

Chemical Composition

chlorine, sodium

oxygen, silicon

carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen,

oxygen

aluminum, silicon, oxygen,

hydrogen

Based on the chemical analysis, which object is most likely from the exoskeleton?

A. object W

C. object Y

B. object X

D. object Z

11. What do disaccharides, such as sucrose, and polysaccharides, such as starch, have in common?

A. They are lipids made of fatty acids.

B. They are proteins made of amino acids.
C. They are nucleic acids made of nucleotides.
D. They are carbohydrates made of simple sugars.
12. A student is preparing to run in a school track competition. For the quickest source of energy, the
student should eat a food that contains a high percentage of

A. carbohydrates.

C. proteins.

B. fat.

D. sodium.

13. Which of the following is the main reason that humans need to include carbohydrates in their
diet?

A. Carbohydrates are broken down in cells for energy.

B. Carbohydrates combine to form many different proteins.
C. Carbohydrates act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions.
D. Carbohydrates are the building blocks for cell growth and repair.
14. Which element is the main component of all organic molecules?

A. carbon

C. potassium

B. nitrogen

D. sodium

15. The diagram below shows the molecular structure of glucose.

Glucose is a simple carbohydrate that is important to living organisms.

a. Describe the primary function of glucose in cells.
b. Simple sugars like glucose can be used to make larger organic molecules. Identify two larger
molecules made from simple sugars.
c. Identify a specific cellular process that would be affected by a glucose shortage, and discuss the
effects of the shortage on the process you identified.