Penn Foster Biology – The Cell 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The correct answer is that minerals are not considered a group of organic molecules. Organic molecules are primarily carbon-based compounds that are essential for life. They include carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids, all of which contain carbon and are typically part of biological processes.

Carbohydrates serve as a primary energy source; proteins are crucial for the structure and function of cells, composed of amino acids; and nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are essential for the storage and transmission of genetic information.

In contrast, minerals are inorganic substances that do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds. They play various roles in biological systems, such as being essential for bone structure or enzymatic processes, but they cannot be classified as organic molecules since they do not meet the criteria that define organic chemistry. Thus, identifying minerals as the outlier in this context clarifies their distinction from the other organic groups.