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Journal 3

Organic Molecules
To solve the problem below, you must write a clear and convincing justification for accepting one of the possible answer choices as the best or most appropriate and for rejecting each of the other choices as less appropriate. Your reasons for rejecting choices are just as important as your reasons for choosing the best answer.
A student wished to test a sample of organic material to determine whether it was sugar, a fat, or starch. If she could perform only one of the following, which would be the most revealing?
1
 Test for the presence of carbon and hydrogen in the sample.
2
 Test the sample to determine the amount of amino acid present.
3
 Burn the sample in a calorimeter.
4
 Determine the kinds of chemical bonds present in the molecules of the sample.
5
 Test for the presence of each substance (sugar, starch, and fat) in living organisms.