Lesson 3.1.1.1

3.1.1.1 Monomers, polymers, condensation and hydrolysis Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.1.1, Monomers, polymers, condensation and hydrolysis: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 1: Biological molecules, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is a monomer?

    • A small molecular unit that can be joined to other units to form a polymer
    • A large molecule made from many repeating units joined by covalent bonds with no exceptions
    • A molecule that is broken down only to release energy for the cell
    • A bond formed when two water molecules combine during respiration

  2. Which of the following is a polymer?

    • Ribose
    • Starch
    • Glucose
    • Glycerol

  3. Which molecule is released when two monomers are joined by a condensation reaction?

    • Ammonia
    • Water
    • Oxygen
    • Carbon dioxide

  4. What is the role of a water molecule in a hydrolysis reaction?

    • It is used up to break a chemical bond between two molecules
    • It acts only as a catalyst and is recovered unchanged
    • It is stored in the molecule as an energy reserve
    • It is produced to form a new bond between two molecules

  5. A polysaccharide is broken into individual sugar units when dilute acid is added and the mixture is warmed. Which type of reaction has occurred?

    • Reduction
    • Condensation
    • Hydrolysis
    • Oxidation

  6. Two glucose molecules are joined by a condensation reaction. What is the product?

    • A monosaccharide with one double bond, plus one water molecule
    • A polysaccharide of 1000 units, plus two water molecules
    • A disaccharide such as maltose, plus one water molecule
    • A triglyceride, plus three water molecules

  7. Which description of a polymer is correct?

    • A molecule formed from a large number of monomers joined together
    • A single small unit that can join to others by hydrolysis
    • A molecule that is always made of identical repeating sugar units
    • A molecule formed only from two different monomers

  8. A linear chain of 3 monosaccharide units is formed entirely by condensation. How many water molecules are released?

    • 3
    • 1
    • 4
    • 2

  9. A polypeptide made of 10 amino acids is completely hydrolysed. How many water molecules are used?

    • 10
    • 11
    • 9
    • 8

  10. A linear strand of 50 nucleotides is formed by condensation. How many phosphodiester bonds does it contain?

    • 49
    • 51
    • 50
    • 48

  11. A glucose polymer has its chain shortened by hydrolysis. Which product is formed if one bond is broken in a linear chain of 5 glucose units?

    • Five glucose units joined to a single molecule of oxygen
    • One glucose unit and four molecules of water are formed
    • Four glucose units and one molecule of water is formed
    • Two smaller chains with a total of 5 glucose units

  12. Which reaction type would join two amino acids to form a dipeptide?

    • Hydrolysis, forming an ester bond and using water
    • Hydrolysis, forming a peptide bond and releasing water
    • Condensation, forming a glycosidic bond and using water with no exceptions
    • Condensation, forming a peptide bond and releasing water

  13. Starch is hydrolysed in the gut into glucose. Which statement describes the change in the number of molecules present?

    • The number of molecules stays the same because bonds are only rearranged
    • The number of molecules increases as each bond broken produces an extra molecule
    • The number of molecules decreases because glucose is joined to starch
    • The number of molecules decreases because water is removed

  14. A student hydrolyses a sample of a polymer built from 6 identical monomers in a linear chain. How many moles of water are used for complete hydrolysis?

    • 5
    • 6
    • 4
    • 12

  15. What is the total mass of a linear polymer made from 5 glucose units (180 each) formed by condensation?

    • 882
    • 864
    • 900
    • 828

  16. Mass of maltose (C12H22O11, 342 g/mol) is formed from two glucose molecules (C6H12O6, 180 g/mol). What mass of water is released per mole of maltose formed?

    • 18 g
    • 9 g
    • 36 g
    • 342 g

  17. A student claims that hydrolysis of a polymer always decreases the total mass of the organic molecules present. Which evaluation is correct?

    • The claim is correct because water is removed from the products
    • The claim is correct because monomers always have a lower mass than polymers
    • The claim is incorrect because the water added in hydrolysis adds mass to the products
    • The claim is incorrect because hydrolysis never changes the mass of the molecules with no exceptions

  18. Which pairing of monomer and polymer is correctly matched?

    • Glucose and protein
    • Amino acid and glycogen
    • Nucleotide and DNA
    • Glycerol and starch

  19. A condensation reaction forms a bond between two monosaccharides. What is the purpose of the hydrolysis reaction that later splits that bond?

    • To release the two monosaccharides by adding a water molecule across the bond
    • To create a new polymer by joining the two monosaccharides together
    • To release two monosaccharides by removing a water molecule from the bond with no exceptions
    • To release one monosaccharide and one molecule of carbon dioxide

  20. Which of these is the monomer from which proteins are made?

    • Phosphate group
    • Monosaccharide
    • Nucleotide
    • Amino acid

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