Question 1

Which of the following complex carbohydrates is the primary energy storage molecule in animals, and where is it mainly stored?

Accepted Answer

Glycogen; stored in the liver and muscles

Question 2

Which structural polysaccharide is a major component of plant cell walls and is indigestible by most animals due to the orientation of its glycosidic bonds?

Accepted Answer

Cellulose

Question 3

A scientist is studying a polysaccharide that is found in the exoskeletons of ticks and insects. Which carbohydrate is she most likely investigating?

Accepted Answer

Chitin

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the structural difference between starch and cellulose?

Accepted Answer

Starch is branched, while cellulose is unbranched and forms straight chains

Question 5

Which of the following equations correctly represents the general formula for a polysaccharide formed from $$n$$ glucose monomers by dehydration synthesis?

Accepted Answer

$$nC_6H_{12}O_6$ \rightarrow (C_6H_{10}O_5$)_n + (n-1)H_2O$$

Question 6

If a person consumes a diet high in cellulose, what is the most likely physiological effect?

Accepted Answer

Cellulose will pass through the digestive tract as fiber

Question 7

Which of the following complex carbohydrates contains nitrogen in its structure?

Accepted Answer

Chitin

Question 8

A patient with a genetic disorder cannot properly store glucose in their liver. Which polysaccharide is most directly affected?

Accepted Answer

Glycogen

Question 9

Which of the following best explains why humans can digest starch but not cellulose?

Accepted Answer

Humans have enzymes that hydrolyze the $$\alpha-$$glycosidic bonds in starch but lack enzymes for the $$\beta-$$glycosidic bonds in cellulose

Question 10

Which of the following is a correct pairing of a polysaccharide and its biological function?

Accepted Answer

Glycogen – energy storage in animals

Question 11

Which polysaccharide would you expect to find in abundance in the cell walls of algae?

Accepted Answer

Cellulose

Question 12

A tick’s exoskeleton is primarily composed of which complex carbohydrate, and what is a unique chemical feature of this molecule?

Accepted Answer

Chitin; contains acetylglucosamine units with nitrogen

Question 13

Which of the following statements about glycogen is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

It is a major structural component of plant cell walls

Question 14

Which of the following best describes the role of dehydration synthesis in the formation of complex carbohydrates?

Accepted Answer

It removes water molecules to link monosaccharides into polysaccharides

Question 15

Which of the following is a correct comparison between starch and glycogen?

Accepted Answer

Both are energy storage molecules, but glycogen is more highly branched than starch

Question 16

Which of the following best explains why chitin is used in the exoskeletons of arthropods?

Accepted Answer

Chitin provides both strength and flexibility due to its chemical structure

Complex Carbohydrates: Structure and Function

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