Large, molecular compounds assembled from smaller subunits are called what?

Large, molecular compounds assembled from smaller subunits are called what?

• A. Macromolecule
• B. Monomer
• C. Oligomer
• D. Polymer

Answer: (A)

What this is testing is recognizing how very large biological molecules come together from smaller building blocks. Macromolecules are huge molecules formed by linking many subunits, such as proteins made from amino acids, nucleic acids from nucleotides, or polysaccharides from sugars. The term emphasizes size and complexity rather than the specific pattern of repeating units. A polymer is indeed a large molecule built from repeating subunits, which is why it’s related, but macromolecule is the broader category that covers these big, assembled structures in general. An oligomer is a shorter chain of subunits, and a monomer is just a single unit, so they don’t capture the idea of a very large assembled molecule.

What this is testing is recognizing how very large biological molecules come together from smaller building blocks. Macromolecules are huge molecules formed by linking many subunits, such as proteins made from amino acids, nucleic acids from nucleotides, or polysaccharides from sugars. The term emphasizes size and complexity rather than the specific pattern of repeating units. A polymer is indeed a large molecule built from repeating subunits, which is why it’s related, but macromolecule is the broader category that covers these big, assembled structures in general. An oligomer is a shorter chain of subunits, and a monomer is just a single unit, so they don’t capture the idea of a very large assembled molecule.