What term describes a molecule consisting of a sequence of amino acids that is not yet a finished protein?

• A. Amino acids
• B. Hormone
• C. Polypeptide
• D. Enzyme

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that a protein is built from a chain of amino acids that has not yet folded into its final, functional form. A polypeptide is precisely that: a linear sequence of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Once this chain folds and may assemble with other chains, it becomes a functional protein. So the term that describes a molecule consisting of a sequence of amino acids that is not yet a finished protein is a polypeptide.

Amino acids are the individual building blocks, not the chain itself. A hormone can be a protein or a peptide, but the word doesn’t specify that it’s unfinished. An enzyme is a mature, functional protein with catalytic activity, not just an unfolded chain.