Which process uses RNA as a template to synthesize a protein?

• A. Replication
• B. Transcription
• C. Translation
• D. Splicing

Answer: (C)

Translating the information in an RNA molecule into a protein is the process where ribosomes read messenger RNA codons and assemble the corresponding amino acids into a polypeptide. Each three-nucleotide codon on the mRNA specifies one amino acid, and transfer RNAs bring the matching amino acids to the ribosome. The ribosome catalyzes peptide bonds between amino acids, building the protein, until it encounters a stop codon that ends translation. This use of RNA as the template for protein synthesis is distinct from other processes: replication copies DNA, transcription makes RNA from a DNA template, and splicing refines RNA without producing the protein itself.