Which term describes a simple sugar?

Which term describes a simple sugar?

• A. Disaccharide
• B. Oligosaccharide
• C. Glycogen
• D. Monosaccharide

Answer: (D)

A monosaccharide is a single sugar unit—the simplest form of carbohydrate. It cannot be broken down into smaller sugar units by hydrolysis and includes examples like glucose, fructose, and galactose. Disaccharides are made of two monosaccharides linked together, oligosaccharides are short chains of a few monosaccharides, and glycogen is a large storage polymer composed of many glucose units. Because a simple sugar refers to one unit, the term that fits best is monosaccharide.

A monosaccharide is a single sugar unit—the simplest form of carbohydrate. It cannot be broken down into smaller sugar units by hydrolysis and includes examples like glucose, fructose, and galactose. Disaccharides are made of two monosaccharides linked together, oligosaccharides are short chains of a few monosaccharides, and glycogen is a large storage polymer composed of many glucose units. Because a simple sugar refers to one unit, the term that fits best is monosaccharide.