Question

which statement best describes the components of nucleic acids?
○ they are made up of chains of amino acids.
○ they are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only.
○ they are made up almost entirely of carbon and hydrogen.
○ they are made up of nitrogenous bases, sugars, and phosphates.

Explanation:

• First option: Chains of amino acids form proteins, not nucleic acids. Eliminate.
• Second option: Nucleic acids contain nitrogen and phosphorus (in addition to C, H, O), so "only C, H, O" is wrong. Eliminate.
• Third option: Molecules with mostly C and H are lipids/hydrocarbons, not nucleic acids. Eliminate.
• Fourth option: Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) are polymers of nucleotides. Each nucleotide has a nitrogenous base, a sugar (deoxyribose/ribose), and a phosphate group. This matches.

Answer:

They are made up of nitrogenous bases, sugars, and phosphates.