Which term best describes large molecules determined by the DNA?

• A. Nucleic Acids
• B. Proteins
• C. Genes
• D. Chromosome

Answer: (B)

DNA carries the instructions to build proteins, and proteins are large, complex molecules made of amino acids that perform most of the cell’s work. The sequence of DNA in genes determines the exact order of amino acids, which shapes a protein’s structure and function. During gene expression, the information in DNA is transcribed and then translated to assemble the specific protein.

Nucleic acids are the types of molecules that store genetic information themselves, not the products of that information. Genes are units within DNA that code for a protein, but they are not the large molecules themselves. Chromosomes are bundles of DNA wrapped with proteins that organize genetic material in the cell. So the large molecules described by the DNA’s instructions are proteins.