Which one of the following is considered as the basic structural element of all life forms?
- A.Phosphorus
- B.Carbon
- C.Oxygen
- D.Nitrogen
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Carbon. Every biological molecule, from sugars and fats to proteins and DNA, is built on a skeleton of carbon atoms, which is why carbon is called the basic building block of life.
Carbon has a valency of four, so one atom can form four strong covalent bonds. Carbon atoms also join one another in long chains, branches and rings, a property called catenation. This lets carbon form millions of stable compounds of every size and shape, and organic chemistry is simply the chemistry of carbon compounds.
A is wrong because phosphorus is vital in DNA, ATP and bones but does not form the backbone of all biomolecules. C is wrong because oxygen is the most abundant element by mass in the body, mostly as water, yet it is not the structural framework. D is wrong because nitrogen is found in proteins and nucleic acids only as part of carbon-based molecules.
Exam tip: carbon = backbone of life (valency 4, catenation); oxygen = most abundant element in the human body by mass.
Practice Questions
View allThe potential difference between the terminals of an electrical heating device is 40 V, when it draws a current of 2 A from the source. Which one of the following is the correct value of current drawn by the heating device if the potential is increased to 140 V?
- A.7 A
- B.5 A
- C.4 A
- D.2 A
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By Ohm's law the heater's resistance is 40 V divided by 2 A, which is 20 ohms, so at 140 V it draws 140 divided by 20, or 7 A. Ohm's law states that, at constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across…
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements in the light of octane number and cetane number of fuels: 1. Cetane number is used for gasoline and octane number is used for diesel. 2. Octane number of n-hexadecane is 100 and cetane number of isooctane is 100. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Both statements swap the two scales: octane number rates petrol, cetane number rates diesel, and their reference fuels are the other way round.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following statements related to human eye is correct?
- A.For a person suffering from short-sight defect, the image of a distant object is focused behind the retina.
- B.Short-sight defect can be corrected by a converging spectacle lens.
- C.For a person suffering from long-sight defect, the image of a near object is focused behind the retina.
- D.Long-sight defect can be corrected by a diverging spectacle lens.
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In long-sightedness (hypermetropia) the eye cannot see nearby objects clearly because their image is formed behind the retina.
Read the full explanation →When sunlight (white light) falls on a triangular glass prism, a band of colours called a spectrum is obtained. Which one among the following represents this effect appropriately?
- A.Reflection
- B.Diffraction
- C.Refraction
- D.Dispersion
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The splitting of white light into its seven component colours by a prism is called dispersion. White light is a mixture of colours, and glass bends each colour by a different amount because its refractive index depends on wavelength.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is correct?
- A.The number of electrons in alpha particle is 2.
- B.The coordination number of EDTA is 6.
- C.The charge of beta (β) particle is +2.
- D.Both carbon and silicon form ionic compounds.
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EDTA is a hexadentate ligand: one EDTA ion binds a metal ion through six donor atoms, so it forms complexes with coordination number 6.
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