What term describes the process by which the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into mRNA?

What term describes the process by which the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into mRNA?

• A. DNA replication
• B. Transcription
• C. Translation
• D. Base pairing rules

Answer: (B)

The process being tested is transcription: the gene’s DNA sequence is copied into an RNA molecule, specifically mRNA. RNA polymerase reads the DNA template and builds a complementary RNA strand, using adenine with uracil and cytosine with guanine. The resulting mRNA carries the genetic code to the ribosome to guide protein synthesis. This differs from DNA replication, which duplicates the entire genome for cell division, and from translation, which converts the mRNA sequence into a chain of amino acids. Base pairing rules guide the pairing during transcription, but they describe how bases pair, not the process name itself.

The process being tested is transcription: the gene’s DNA sequence is copied into an RNA molecule, specifically mRNA. RNA polymerase reads the DNA template and builds a complementary RNA strand, using adenine with uracil and cytosine with guanine. The resulting mRNA carries the genetic code to the ribosome to guide protein synthesis. This differs from DNA replication, which duplicates the entire genome for cell division, and from translation, which converts the mRNA sequence into a chain of amino acids. Base pairing rules guide the pairing during transcription, but they describe how bases pair, not the process name itself.