Chapter 5 (Gregg) BIOL 1201 Test
Questions and Answers 2026.
The Molecules of Life - Answer ● All living things are made up of four classes of large
biological molecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
Concept 5.1 - Answer ● Macromolecules are polymers built from monomers
● A polymer is a long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks
● The repeating units that serve as building blocks are called monomers
● Carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids are polymers
Concept 5.2 - Answer ● Carbohydrates serve as fuel and building material
● Carbohydrates include sugars and the polymers of sugars
● The simplest carbohydrates are monosaccharides, or simple sugars
● Carbohydrate macromolecules are polysaccharides, polymers composed of many sugar
building blocks
Sugars - Answer ● Monosaccharides have molecular formulas that are usually multiples of
(CH2O)n
● Glucose (C6H12O6) is the most common monosaccharide
● Though often drawn as linear skeletons, in aqueous solutions many sugars form rings
● Monosaccharides serve as a major fuel for cells and as raw material for building molecules
● A disaccharide is formed when a dehydration reaction joins two monosaccharides
● This covalent bond is called a glyosidic linkage
Polysaccharides - Answer ● Polysaccharides the polymers of sugars, have storage and
structural roles
● Chitin, another structural polysaccharide, is found in the exoskeleton of arthropods and the
cell walls of many fungi
Concept 5.3 - Answer ● Lipids are a diverse group of hydrophobic molecules
● Lipids are the one class of large biological molecules that does not include true polymers
● The unifying feature of lipids is that they are hydrophobic
● The most biologically important lipids are fats, phospholipids, and steroids
Questions and Answers 2026.
The Molecules of Life - Answer ● All living things are made up of four classes of large
biological molecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
Concept 5.1 - Answer ● Macromolecules are polymers built from monomers
● A polymer is a long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks
● The repeating units that serve as building blocks are called monomers
● Carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids are polymers
Concept 5.2 - Answer ● Carbohydrates serve as fuel and building material
● Carbohydrates include sugars and the polymers of sugars
● The simplest carbohydrates are monosaccharides, or simple sugars
● Carbohydrate macromolecules are polysaccharides, polymers composed of many sugar
building blocks
Sugars - Answer ● Monosaccharides have molecular formulas that are usually multiples of
(CH2O)n
● Glucose (C6H12O6) is the most common monosaccharide
● Though often drawn as linear skeletons, in aqueous solutions many sugars form rings
● Monosaccharides serve as a major fuel for cells and as raw material for building molecules
● A disaccharide is formed when a dehydration reaction joins two monosaccharides
● This covalent bond is called a glyosidic linkage
Polysaccharides - Answer ● Polysaccharides the polymers of sugars, have storage and
structural roles
● Chitin, another structural polysaccharide, is found in the exoskeleton of arthropods and the
cell walls of many fungi
Concept 5.3 - Answer ● Lipids are a diverse group of hydrophobic molecules
● Lipids are the one class of large biological molecules that does not include true polymers
● The unifying feature of lipids is that they are hydrophobic
● The most biologically important lipids are fats, phospholipids, and steroids
