Florida Biology EOC Practice Test 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Transcription is the process that describes the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA. During transcription, the DNA sequence of a gene is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA) by the enzyme RNA polymerase. This process begins when RNA polymerase binds to a specific region of the DNA, unwinds the double helix, and synthesizes a single strand of RNA complementary to the template DNA strand. This mRNA strand then carries the genetic information from the nucleus to the ribosomes, where it serves as the template for protein synthesis during the next step, known as translation.

In contrast, replication is the process of copying the entire DNA molecule to ensure that each new cell has an identical set of DNA. Translation refers to the process of synthesizing proteins from the mRNA template. Translocation is a term used to describe the movement of a chromosome segment or the displacement of a tRNA molecule during translation, but it does not pertain to the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA. Therefore, transcription is the specific process that accurately describes this transfer.