Question

Nucleic acid is a polymer of

• A. Nucleosides
• B. Amino acids
• C. Nucleotides
• D. Glucose

Hint:

Nucleoside = base + sugar. Nucleotide = base + sugar + phosphate. Nucleic acid is a polymer of nucleotides.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:
Nucleic acids are biological macromolecules that store and transmit genetic information. The two main nucleic acids are: \[ DNA \] and \[ RNA \] They are polymers made up of repeating nucleotide units.

Step 1: Understand nucleotide.
A nucleotide contains three parts: \[ \text{Nitrogenous base} \] \[ \text{Pentose sugar} \] \[ \text{Phosphate group} \] So: \[ \text{Nucleotide}=\text{Base}+\text{Sugar}+\text{Phosphate} \]

Step 2: Understand nucleoside.
A nucleoside contains only: \[ \text{Base}+\text{Sugar} \] It does not contain phosphate. Therefore: \[ \text{Nucleoside}\neq \text{monomer unit of nucleic acid polymer} \]

Step 3: Formation of nucleic acids.
Nucleotides join by phosphodiester bonds to form long chains. These chains form: \[ DNA \text{ and } RNA \]

Step 4: Check the options.
Option (A) nucleosides is incorrect because phosphate is absent.
Option (B) amino acids form proteins, not nucleic acids.
Option (C) nucleotides is correct.
Option (D) glucose forms polysaccharides like starch and cellulose, not nucleic acids. Hence, the correct answer is: \[ \boxed{(C)\ \text{Nucleotides}} \]