NEETBotanyBiomolecules (B)
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): Palmitic acid and arachidonic acid are classified as lipids, whereas glutamic acid is classified as an amino acid. Reason (R): Fatty acids have a carboxyl group attached to an R group (containing 1 to 19 carbons), whereas amino acids contain an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a
Options
- ABoth (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- BBoth (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- C(A) is true but (R) is false
- D(A) is false but (R) is true
Correct answer
B. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Step-by-step solution
Both Assertion and Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion. Despite all three molecules containing a carboxyl (acidic) group, they belong to different biochemical categories based on their core structures. According to NCERT, fatty acids (which are lipids) consist of a carboxyl group attached to a hydrocarbon R group that can have 1 to 19 carbons. Palmitic acid (16 carbons) and arachidonic acid (20 carbons) fit this structural definition. On the other hand, amino acids are defined by having