AP Biology Questions on Macromolecules: Polymers and Monomers

🧬 Quick Study Guide

• 🧪 Monomers: These are the small building blocks of polymers. Think of them as individual LEGO bricks.
• 🧱 Polymers: These are large molecules made of many monomers bonded together. Like a LEGO castle built from many bricks.
• 💧 Dehydration Reaction: This is how monomers link to form polymers. A water molecule ($H_2O$) is removed for each bond formed.
• hydrolysis reaction:** This is how polymers are broken down into monomers. A water molecule ($H_2O$) is added to break the bond.
• Carbohydrates: Monomer = Monosaccharide (e.g., glucose); Polymer = Polysaccharide (e.g., starch, cellulose)
• Lipids: Not true polymers; examples include fats, phospholipids, and steroids.
• Proteins: Monomer = Amino acid; Polymer = Polypeptide
• Nucleic Acids: Monomer = Nucleotide; Polymer = DNA or RNA

🤔 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following is a polymer of glucose?
   1. Fructose
   2. Sucrose
   3. Starch
   4. Galactose
2. What type of reaction links monomers to form polymers?
   1. Hydrolysis
   2. Dehydration
   3. Oxidation
   4. Reduction
3. Which macromolecule is NOT a true polymer?
   1. Protein
   2. Carbohydrate
   3. Lipid
   4. Nucleic Acid
4. What is the monomer of a protein?
   1. Glucose
   2. Fatty acid
   3. Amino acid
   4. Nucleotide
5. Which of the following is an example of a polysaccharide?
   1. Glucose
   2. Fructose
   3. Cellulose
   4. Galactose
6. What is the monomer of a nucleic acid?
   1. Amino acid
   2. Monosaccharide
   3. Fatty acid
   4. Nucleotide
7. Which process breaks down a polymer into monomers?
   1. Dehydration
   2. Polymerization
   3. Hydrolysis
   4. Condensation