Simple sugars are also called

1. Analyze the question The question asks for another name for "simple sugars." The key word is simple, which means the smallest, single-unit sugars.

2. Explain the concept Carbohydrates are classified by how many sugar units they contain:

| Type | Number of sugar units | Examples | |---|---|---| | Monosaccharides | 1 | glucose, fructose, galactose | | Disaccharides | 2 | sucrose, maltose, lactose | | Polysaccharides | many | starch, cellulose, glycogen |

"Mono" means one, "di" means two, and "poly" means many.

3. Step-by-step solution

• A. Cellulose is a polysaccharide that forms plant cell walls. It is not a simple sugar.
• B. Disaccharides are double sugars made of two monosaccharides joined together, so they are not the simplest form.
• C. Monosaccharides are single sugar units that cannot be broken down further by hydrolysis. These are the simple sugars.
• D. Polysaccharides are long chains of sugar units, so they are complex carbohydrates.
• E. Starch is a polysaccharide that plants use to store food.

4. Answer Simple sugars are also called monosaccharides, which is option C.

5. Exam tip Match the prefix to the number of units: Mono = 1, Di = 2, Poly = many. Also remember that "simple sugar" means the single-unit sugar, and that glucose, fructose and galactose are the three monosaccharides most often asked about in NECO and JAMB.