AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
The first step of glucose breakdown (glycolysis) occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell, and the molecule produced at the end of this step is pyruvate (pyruvic acid).
Examiners expect two pieces of information here: the location (cytoplasm) and the end product (pyruvate/pyruvic acid). Both are needed for the 1 mark. Glycolysis is the term for this process, but naming it is not strictly required for a 1-mark answer. Note that the source passages reference glucose breakdown and ATP production, consistent with this answer.