The first enzyme on the primitive earth was/were

Options

A. Proteins
B. DNA
C. RNA
D. amino acids

Answer

To answer the question about the first enzyme on primitive Earth, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Enzymes**: Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in living organisms. They are primarily proteins, but there are exceptions.

2. **Identifying the Options**: The options provided are:
- Proteins
- DNA
- RNA
- Amino Acids

3. **Analyzing Each Option**:
- **Proteins**: While most enzymes are proteins, they are not the first enzymes that existed on Earth.
- **DNA**: DNA is a nucleic acid that stores genetic information but does not function as an enzyme. It came after RNA in the evolutionary timeline.
- **RNA**: RNA is a nucleic acid that can also function as an enzyme (known as ribozymes). It is believed that RNA was one of the first molecules to emerge on primitive Earth.
- **Amino Acids**: Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and do not act as enzymes themselves.

4. **Conclusion**: Based on the analysis, the first enzyme on primitive Earth is believed to be RNA, as it can act as both a genetic material and a catalyst.

### Final Answer:
**The first enzyme on primitive Earth was RNA.**

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