A nucleic acid that consists of a long chain of nucleotides built from a ribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base is called what?

A nucleic acid that consists of a long chain of nucleotides built from a ribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base is called what?

• A. DNA
• B. RNA
• C. Protein
• D. Lipid

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the sugar in the nucleotide backbone identifies the type of nucleic acid. A ribose sugar means the molecule is RNA. Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides, each with a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base, and the specific sugar distinguishes RNA from DNA. DNA uses deoxyribose and is typically double-stranded, while RNA uses ribose and is usually single-stranded. Proteins are made from amino acids, and lipids are not nucleic acids. So the described long chain of nucleotides with ribose sugar, phosphate groups, and bases corresponds to RNA.

The key idea is that the sugar in the nucleotide backbone identifies the type of nucleic acid. A ribose sugar means the molecule is RNA. Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides, each with a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base, and the specific sugar distinguishes RNA from DNA. DNA uses deoxyribose and is typically double-stranded, while RNA uses ribose and is usually single-stranded. Proteins are made from amino acids, and lipids are not nucleic acids. So the described long chain of nucleotides with ribose sugar, phosphate groups, and bases corresponds to RNA.