A simple sugar that serves as a basic building block for larger carbohydrates is called a what?

A simple sugar that serves as a basic building block for larger carbohydrates is called a what?

• A. Disaccharide
• B. Monosaccharide
• C. Polysaccharide
• D. Lipid

Answer: (B)

Monosaccharides are the simplest sugars and the basic building blocks of carbohydrates. They are single sugar units that cannot be broken down into smaller sugars, and they link together to form larger carbohydrates—two monosaccharides make a disaccharide, and many form polysaccharides like starch or cellulose. A lipid is not a carbohydrate, so it doesn’t fit the concept. Examples of common monosaccharides include glucose and fructose.

Monosaccharides are the simplest sugars and the basic building blocks of carbohydrates. They are single sugar units that cannot be broken down into smaller sugars, and they link together to form larger carbohydrates—two monosaccharides make a disaccharide, and many form polysaccharides like starch or cellulose. A lipid is not a carbohydrate, so it doesn’t fit the concept. Examples of common monosaccharides include glucose and fructose.