Lactose, a sugar in milk, is composed of one glucose molecule joined by a glycosidic linkage to one galactose molecule. How is lactose classified?

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The question describes lactose as a sugar in milk that is composed of one glucose molecule joined by a glycosidic linkage to one galactose molecule, and asks how lactose is classified.
Since lactose consists of two monosaccharide units (one glucose and one galactose) linked together, it falls into the category of disaccharides. This distinguishes it from monosaccharides, which are single sugar units (like glucose or galactose alone), and from polysaccharides, which are long chains of many sugar units (like starch or cellulose).
The fact that there is a glycosidic bond between two monosaccharides is the defining feature of disaccharides. Specifically for lactose, the linkage is a beta-1,4 glycosidic bond between the C1 of glucose and the C4 of galactose, but the essential classification hinges on the number of monomer units, not the precise linkage type.
Because the prompt states the answer is "As a disaccharide," this aligns with the two-monomer composition explanation above. If there were other options, we would compare: (a) monosaccharide—incorrect because it would imply a single sugar unit; (b) polysaccharide—incorrect because that would require many sugar units; (c) oligosaccharide—incorrect because that typically refers to a small number of monosaccharide units but more than two; and (d) none of the above—would be incorrect given the two-unit composition.
Note: the question description itself confirms the two-molecule composition, which is the core criterion for classifying lactose as a disaccharide. If you encounter similar items, recall that disaccharides are sugars composed of exactly two monosaccharide units linked together.

Lactose, a sugar in milk, is composed of one glucose molecule joined by a glycosidic linkage to one galactose molecule. How is lactose classified?

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