Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are the four most common elements in living things. Which statement BEST describes the function of these elements within an organism?

Question

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are the four most common elements in living things. Which statement BEST describes the function of these elements within an organism?

a
The elements are the most stable elements found on Earth.
b
The elements are the result of organisms breaking down larger elements in food.
c
The elements are produced by organisms as they undergo cellular processes.
d
The elements make up carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Answer 1

d

The elements make up carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Answer 2

The correct answer is d) The elements make up carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Answer 3

The correct answer is d. The elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen make up the fundamental building blocks of living organisms. These elements are essential for the formation of various biomolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates serve as a source of energy, lipids are important for storing energy and forming cell membranes, proteins are involved in numerous functions such as enzyme activity and structure, and nucleic acids carry genetic information. These elements are not necessarily the most stable elements found on Earth (a), nor are they solely the result of organisms breaking down larger elements in food (b). While organisms do produce some of these elements as byproducts of cellular processes, it is not the primary function of these elements within an organism (c).