OCR GCSE Biology 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Question: 1 / 1090

What are the basic building blocks of DNA called?

Amino acids

Nucleotides

The basic building blocks of DNA are nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three components: a phosphate group, a sugar molecule (specifically deoxyribose in DNA), and one of four nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine). These nucleotides link together in a specific sequence to form the DNA structure, which is a double helix.

Understanding that proteins are formed from amino acids, and carbohydrates from monosaccharides, helps to distinguish nucleotides as the unique building blocks specifically associated with nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. Protein chains, too, are formed from different structures entirely, emphasizing the role of nucleotides as the essential components necessary for DNA synthesis and function.

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Protein chains

Monosaccharides

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