Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Vitamins B & C
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Vitamins are essential micronutrients that are divided into water soluble and fat soluble groups. This classification affects how they are absorbed, transported, stored, and excreted in the human body. Knowing which vitamins are water soluble is important for understanding dietary requirements, toxicity risks, and deficiency symptoms, and this topic frequently appears in general science and biology examinations.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Water soluble vitamins dissolve in water, are not stored in large amounts in the body, and excess amounts are usually excreted in urine. Fat soluble vitamins require fat for absorption and can be stored in body tissues. Vitamin C and the B group (including B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, and others) are water soluble. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble and are stored in the liver and fatty tissues. Therefore, the correct option must include B and C without grouping them with fat soluble vitamins A, D, or K.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the water soluble vitamins.
Vitamin C and all B group vitamins are water soluble.
Step 2: Identify the fat soluble vitamins.
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble.
Step 3: Check each option.
Option A lists B and C, both water soluble.
Option B mixes K and D, which are fat soluble, with C.
Option C lists A, D, and K, all fat soluble.
Option D mixes several fat soluble and water soluble vitamins together.
Verification / Alternative check:
Standard nutrition tables and biology textbooks state that deficiencies of water soluble vitamins develop more quickly because the body does not store them in large quantities. They also point out that toxicity from water soluble vitamins is less common than from fat soluble vitamins. These sources consistently classify vitamin C and the B complex as water soluble. Options that include A, D, or K cannot be correct for the category of exclusively water soluble vitamins, confirming Option A as the right choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B: Vitamins K and D are fat soluble, so this set is not purely water soluble.
Option C: Vitamins A, D, and K are all fat soluble vitamins, not water soluble ones.
Option D: This mixture includes both fat soluble and water soluble vitamins and therefore does not match the requirement.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to assume that vitamin C is the only water soluble vitamin and forget about the B group. Another confusion is that many learners remember the fat soluble group by the phrase ADEK but still misplace vitamin C. Keeping a simple rule in mind that only B and C are water soluble makes it easier to classify vitamins correctly in objective questions.
Final Answer:
The vitamins that are water soluble are Vitamins B & C.
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