Question:medium

What are nucleic acids? Explain the difference between DNA and RNA and state their two important biological functions.
OR
How can vitamins be classified? Write the name of a fat soluble vitamin. Which vitamin is responsible for blood clotting?

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For Option 1, recall that a nucleotide is base plus sugar plus phosphate, and that DNA has deoxyribose and thymine while RNA has ribose and uracil. For Option 2, classify vitamins by their solubility and remember that Vitamin K aids blood clotting.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Option 1 (alternative approach):
Step 1: Nucleic acids are the acidic biomolecules present in the chromatin material of cell nuclei. On complete hydrolysis a nucleic acid yields a nitrogen base, a pentose sugar and phosphoric acid, which shows that it is a polymer of nucleotides linked through phosphodiester bonds.
Step 2: Comparing the two kinds point by point:
DNA: sugar is deoxyribose; the pyrimidine base thymine is present; it exists as two complementary strands wound into a double helix; found chiefly in the nucleus; its amount is fixed for a given species.
RNA: sugar is ribose; uracil takes the place of thymine; it is mostly a single strand; found in both nucleus and cytoplasm; its amount can vary.
Step 3: Roles in the body: DNA carries the genetic code and copies itself during cell division, which is the basis of heredity; the RNA molecules (messenger, transfer and ribosomal RNA) read this code and assemble amino acids into proteins, that is, protein synthesis.

Option 2 (alternative approach):
Step 1: Vitamins are accessory food factors needed only in very small amounts for normal growth and health. The property chosen to classify them is solubility, which splits them into a fat-soluble set and a water-soluble set.
Step 2: The fat-soluble members are easily remembered as A, D, E and K. Because they are stored in body fat and the liver, an excess is not thrown out quickly. A clearly named fat-soluble vitamin is Vitamin D (calciferol).
Step 3: Out of this fat-soluble group, Vitamin K is the one that helps blood to clot; when it is lacking, the blood takes much longer to clot.
Step 4: The water-soluble group (the B-complex and vitamin C) is not stored, so it must be taken in the diet every day.
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