Question

determine whether each of the following is a characteristic of dna, rna, or both.
is single - stranded:
contains nitrogenous bases:
contains uracil:
contains adenine:
is double - stranded:
is made of nucleotides:
contains deoxyribose sugar:

Explanation:

• Is single - stranded: RNA is typically single - stranded. DNA is usually double - stranded (though some viral DNA can be single - stranded, but generally, the common form is double - stranded). So this is a characteristic of RNA.
• Contains nitrogenous bases: Both DNA and RNA are nucleic acids. Nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides, and each nucleotide has a nitrogenous base. So both DNA and RNA contain nitrogenous bases.
• Contains uracil: Uracil (\(U\)) is one of the nitrogenous bases. It is specific to RNA. In DNA, thymine (\(T\)) is present instead of uracil.
• Contains adenine: Adenine (\(A\)) is a nitrogenous base. Both DNA and RNA have adenine as one of their nitrogenous bases.
• Is double - stranded: DNA is well - known for its double - stranded helical structure (by the Watson - Crick model). RNA is usually single - stranded, so this is a characteristic of DNA.
• Is made of nucleotides: Both DNA and RNA are nucleic acids. Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides. So both are made of nucleotides.
• Contains deoxyribose sugar: The “D” in DNA stands for deoxyribose. RNA has ribose sugar. So this is a characteristic of DNA.

Answer:

• Is single - stranded: RNA
• Contains nitrogenous bases: Both
• Contains uracil: RNA
• Contains adenine: Both
• Is double - stranded: DNA
• Is made of nucleotides: Both
• Contains deoxyribose sugar: DNA