Biology Digestion/Nutrition MDCAT 2017
PMDC Verified Question 34 of 48
Salivary amylase begins to digest starch to shorter polysaccharides and then to:
A
Sucrose
B
Maltose
C
Glucose
D
Lactose
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option B: Maltose
Concept:

Amylase specifically targets alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages in starch molecules.

Formula:

N/A

Solution:

  • When salivary amylase acts on starch (a large polymer of glucose), it cleaves it into smaller fragments like dextrins, and eventually into the disaccharide maltose.
  • Complete breakdown to single glucose monomers requires the enzyme maltase, which is located later in the small intestine.


Why other options are incorrect:

Sucrose is table sugar (glucose + fructose), lactose is milk sugar (glucose + galactose), and glucose is the final monomeric product, which amylase cannot produce on its own.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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