Question

Glycogen,a naturally occurring polymer stored in animals is a:
(A) Monosaccharide
(B) Disaccharide
(C) Trisaccharide
(D) Polysaccharide

Answer 1

Saccharides are carbohydrates which when decomposed gives one , two or many sugar units. The number of sugar units will decide whether it be monosaccharide, disaccharide or polysaccharide.

Complete answer: Carbohydrates were formerly known as the hydrates of carbon. These are the energy giving compounds essential for survival . Saccharide is another name for carbohydrates. There are mainly three types of carbohydrates-
1. Monosaccharide
2. Disaccharide
3. Polysaccharide
The carbohydrates which give one sugar unit on decomposition are called monosaccharide,
which gives two sugar units are disaccharide and which give more than two are
polysaccharides. These sugar units are either glucose or fructose or they can be both .
So what type carbohydrate glycogen is will depend on the number of sugar units it provides on decomposition.
Glycogen is mostly found in animals and humans . It consists of many monosaccharide units. Glycogen is a homo-polymer which consists of glucose units only . It consists of glucose monomers linked by glycosidic linkages in a helical fashion . This makes glycogen a highly branched polysaccharide . Hence, out of the given options polysaccharide is right.

Hence, the correct option is (D).

Note: In plants,glycogen serves as a highly branched polysaccharide which serves as a form of energy storage.The bond that holds the polymer together are glycosidic linkages because of its name glycogen.