Polysaccharides are which of the following?

• A. Carbohydrate polymers formed by dehydration synthesis that attach many monosaccharides together
• B. Single sugar molecules
• C. Enzymes that break down fats
• D. A type of lipid

Answer: (A)

Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers formed by dehydration synthesis that attach many monosaccharides together. In this process, sugar units are linked by covalent bonds called glycosidic bonds, with a water molecule removed each time a new unit joins the chain. This long, repeating sugar backbone explains their functions: they can store energy, as starch in plants or glycogen in animals, or provide structural support, as cellulose in plants and chitin in some animals. They’re not single sugar units—that would be monosaccharides—nor enzymes that break down fats, and they aren’t lipids.