Understand that DNA is composed of several key components: a sugar-phosphate backbone, nitrogenous bases, hydrogen bonds, and its overall double helix structure.
Recognize that the sugar-phosphate backbone provides structural support but does not carry genetic information itself.
Know that hydrogen bonds connect complementary nitrogenous bases between the two DNA strands, stabilizing the double helix but not encoding information.
Focus on the sequence of nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine) along one strand of DNA, as this sequence is what encodes genetic information.
Conclude that the order or sequence of these nitrogenous bases is the part of DNA that carries the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of living organisms.