Define disaccharide.

Define disaccharide.

• A. Two simple sugars combined
• B. Single sugar molecule
• C. Many sugars combined
• D. A lipid polymer built from fatty acids

Answer: (A)

Disaccharides are sugars formed when two monosaccharide units bond together through a glycosidic linkage, usually by removing a water molecule in a dehydration synthesis. This means the defining feature is two simple sugar units joined in one molecule. Examples like sucrose, lactose, and maltose illustrate this two-sugar structure. When a disaccharide is broken apart (hydrolyzed), it yields two monosaccharides, which reinforces why it’s described as two sugars joined. The other possibilities describe a single sugar molecule (a monosaccharide), many sugars linked together (a polysaccharide), or a lipid polymer built from fatty acids, which is not a carbohydrate.

Disaccharides are sugars formed when two monosaccharide units bond together through a glycosidic linkage, usually by removing a water molecule in a dehydration synthesis. This means the defining feature is two simple sugar units joined in one molecule. Examples like sucrose, lactose, and maltose illustrate this two-sugar structure. When a disaccharide is broken apart (hydrolyzed), it yields two monosaccharides, which reinforces why it’s described as two sugars joined. The other possibilities describe a single sugar molecule (a monosaccharide), many sugars linked together (a polysaccharide), or a lipid polymer built from fatty acids, which is not a carbohydrate.