Which components constitute the basic structure of DNA?

The basic structure of DNA consists of three fundamental components: a pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. Specifically, the pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, which is a five-carbon sugar. This sugar is linked to one or more phosphate groups that form the backbone of the DNA strand, alongside nitrogenous bases, which can be adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine. The combination of these three components forms the nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA. Nucleotides link together through phosphodiester bonds, leading to the formation of a long, stable molecule that can store genetic information.

Other options include components that do not accurately reflect the structure of DNA. For instance, ribonucleotides and ribose sugars are related to RNA rather than DNA, while amino acids are not part of the DNA structure but are instead the building blocks of proteins. Furthermore, the mention of only ribose sugars and nitrogenous bases disregards the essential role of the phosphate group in the DNA structure. Therefore, the identification of a pentose sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base as the key components solidly categorizes the answer as the correct one for describing