Which statement describes an event in translation?

Which statement describes an event in translation?

• A. A ribosome attaches to the mRNA molecule.
• B. The two strands of a DNA molecule separate.
• C. mRNA nucleotides join with exposed DNA bases and form a molecule of mRNA.
• D. The mRNA molecule leaves the nucleus.

Answer: (A)

In translation, the first crucial step is the ribosome attaching to the mRNA molecule. This binding positions the mRNA so the ribosome can read its codons and recruit tRNAs carrying amino acids to build the growing protein chain. The other statements describe processes from transcription or nuclear export rather than translation: separating DNA strands occurs during DNA replication or transcription, creating an RNA template; forming an mRNA from DNA bases is transcription; and mRNA exiting the nucleus happens after transcription but before translation, not during translation itself. So attaching to the mRNA is the event that defines translation.

In translation, the first crucial step is the ribosome attaching to the mRNA molecule. This binding positions the mRNA so the ribosome can read its codons and recruit tRNAs carrying amino acids to build the growing protein chain. The other statements describe processes from transcription or nuclear export rather than translation: separating DNA strands occurs during DNA replication or transcription, creating an RNA template; forming an mRNA from DNA bases is transcription; and mRNA exiting the nucleus happens after transcription but before translation, not during translation itself. So attaching to the mRNA is the event that defines translation.