Define polysaccharide.

Define polysaccharide.

• A. Many sugars combined
• B. Carbohydrate polymers formed by dehydration synthesis that attaches many monosaccharides together.
• C. Single sugar molecules
• D. A lipid polymer

Answer: (B)

Polysaccharides are large carbohydrate polymers built from many monosaccharide units. They form through dehydration synthesis, where each sugar–sugar linkage is a glycosidic bond formed as a water molecule is removed. This combination of many sugars into a single, connected molecule is what defines a polysaccharide. Examples like starch, glycogen, and cellulose illustrate how these polymers can serve storage or structural roles. The other ideas miss essential points: a single sugar is a monosaccharide, not a polymer; a lipid polymer belongs to a different biomolecule class; and a vague phrase like “many sugars” doesn’t specify the linking process that creates the polymer.

Polysaccharides are large carbohydrate polymers built from many monosaccharide units. They form through dehydration synthesis, where each sugar–sugar linkage is a glycosidic bond formed as a water molecule is removed. This combination of many sugars into a single, connected molecule is what defines a polysaccharide. Examples like starch, glycogen, and cellulose illustrate how these polymers can serve storage or structural roles. The other ideas miss essential points: a single sugar is a monosaccharide, not a polymer; a lipid polymer belongs to a different biomolecule class; and a vague phrase like “many sugars” doesn’t specify the linking process that creates the polymer.