Question

living organisms use carbohydrates as an energy source. in the process of cellular respiration, carbohydrate bonds are broken, releasing energy that is used to fuel chemical reactions in cells.

monosaccharides are the most basic form of carbohydrates. monosaccharides can be linked together to form long, compact chains called polysaccharides, which require less space than the equivalent amount of monosaccharides. both plants and animals store excess carbohydrates as polysaccharides.

which of the following best describes why the formation of polysaccharides is beneficial to organisms?

a. polysaccharide formation limits the number of carbohydrate bonds that can be formed.

b. polysaccharide formation allows organisms to store energy more efficiently.

c. polysaccharide formation limits the amount of energy an organism can store.

d. polysaccharide formation allows organisms to store more energy per carbohydrate bond.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option A: The passage says polysaccharides are formed by linking monosaccharides, and there's no info suggesting it limits bond formation. So A is incorrect.
• Analyze Option B: The text states polysaccharides "require less space than the equivalent amount of monosaccharides" and both plants and animals store excess carbs as polysaccharides. This implies that forming polysaccharides helps in storing energy in a more space - efficient (and thus more efficient overall) way. So B matches the benefit of polysaccharide formation.
• Analyze Option C: Since organisms store excess carbs as polysaccharides, it should help in storing more energy, not limit it. So C is wrong.
• Analyze Option D: The passage doesn't mention anything about the amount of energy per carbohydrate bond changing with polysaccharide formation. So D is not supported.

Answer:

B. Polysaccharide formation allows organisms to store energy more efficiently.