Question

Assertion: Pancreatic amylase digests starch to maltose.
Reason: Pancreatic amylase breaks the peptide bond of protein.
A. Both Assertion and Reason are correct and Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion.
B. Both Assertion and Reason are correct but Reason is not the correct explanation for Assertion.
C. Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect.
D. Both Assertion and Reason are incorrect.

Answer 1

Digestion process involves breakdown of complex nutrients into simpler organic molecules. Starch is a complex sugar that is broken down into simpler sugars by the pancreatic amylase enzyme. Different enzymes work to break down different molecules. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc have individual enzymes for their digestion.

Complete answer:
The digestive tract of humans consists of various digestive enzymes, each acting on a specific nutrient molecule to digest it. Enzymes are protein molecules that catalyze chemical reactions and work very fast. Pancreatic amylase is also a digestive enzyme secreted by the pancreas. It is involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are broken down into simpler glucose molecules. The glucose molecules are very small and get absorbed by capillaries in the intestine to enter the blood. From blood glucose is carried throughout the body to produce energy. The pancreatic amylase can digest starch by hydrolysis reaction. It hydrolyzes the starch molecules which are complex sugars into simpler sugars like maltose and glucose. Both of these sugars are necessary for energy production.
Pepsin is another digestive enzyme that is involved in digestion and breaks down complex protein molecules. The protein molecules are attached together with peptide bonds. The enzyme breaks these peptide bonds of proteins and makes smaller amino acid molecules that are easy to be utilized by the body. The further complex protein digestion occurs in the small intestine by the action of pancreatic enzymes named trypsin, carboxypeptidase, and chymotrypsin. So, from the above discussion, we can conclude that assertion is correctly defined but the reason for assertion does not support its explanation.
Therefore, option C is the right answer.

Note: The pancreatic amylase enzyme is a very active and fast enzyme. It hydrolyzes starch with high efficiency as well as speed. The entire hydrolysis process occurs within 10 minutes in the small intestines. Thus, it is a high-speed and high-efficiency reaction.