What term describes the pairs formed between complementary bases on the two DNA strands?

What term describes the pairs formed between complementary bases on the two DNA strands?

• A. Base pairs
• B. Nucleotide
• C. Purines
• D. Hydrogen bond

Answer: (A)

In DNA, bases on opposite strands pair up with specific partners to form what we call a base pair. This pairing creates the paired unit across the double helix—adenine with thymine and cytosine with guanine. The term base pair describes this two-base unit that connects the two strands. A nucleotide, by contrast, is a single base attached to a sugar and phosphate backbone, not the paired unit. Purines are a class of bases that include adenine and guanine, not the paired units themselves. The hydrogen bonds provide the stabilizing force between the paired bases, but the name for the paired bases is base pair.

In DNA, bases on opposite strands pair up with specific partners to form what we call a base pair. This pairing creates the paired unit across the double helix—adenine with thymine and cytosine with guanine. The term base pair describes this two-base unit that connects the two strands. A nucleotide, by contrast, is a single base attached to a sugar and phosphate backbone, not the paired unit. Purines are a class of bases that include adenine and guanine, not the paired units themselves. The hydrogen bonds provide the stabilizing force between the paired bases, but the name for the paired bases is base pair.