Which statement about the sugars in DNA and RNA is true according to the material?

Which statement about the sugars in DNA and RNA is true according to the material?

• A. There is no difference between the sugar found in DNA and the sugar found in RNA
• B. There is a difference between the sugars found in DNA and RNA
• C. DNA sugar is glucose and RNA sugar is glucose
• D. The sugar types are not involved in determining DNA structure

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that the sugars in the backbones of DNA and RNA are different. DNA uses deoxyribose, while RNA uses ribose. The key distinction is the 2' carbon: ribose has a hydroxyl group there (2'-OH) that deoxyribose lacks. That extra oxygen makes RNA more chemically reactive and less chemically stable, and it also influences the backbone’s shape and flexibility. Because of this, DNA tends to be a more stable, long‑term storage molecule with a relatively uniform, canonical structure, whereas RNA’s sugar difference contributes to its greater versatility and reactivity in biological contexts. So there is a real difference between the sugars found in DNA and RNA. The idea that they use the same sugar is not correct, that the sugars are glucose is incorrect, and the statement that sugar types don’t influence DNA structure is incorrect.

The main idea here is that the sugars in the backbones of DNA and RNA are different. DNA uses deoxyribose, while RNA uses ribose. The key distinction is the 2' carbon: ribose has a hydroxyl group there (2'-OH) that deoxyribose lacks. That extra oxygen makes RNA more chemically reactive and less chemically stable, and it also influences the backbone’s shape and flexibility. Because of this, DNA tends to be a more stable, long‑term storage molecule with a relatively uniform, canonical structure, whereas RNA’s sugar difference contributes to its greater versatility and reactivity in biological contexts.

So there is a real difference between the sugars found in DNA and RNA. The idea that they use the same sugar is not correct, that the sugars are glucose is incorrect, and the statement that sugar types don’t influence DNA structure is incorrect.