During DNA replication, the two strands unwind and each strand will serve as a ___ for the production of a new DNA chain.

During DNA replication, the two strands unwind and each strand will serve as a ___ for the production of a new DNA chain.

• A. Template
• B. Fork
• C. Primer
• D. Helix

Answer: (A)

During DNA replication, the parental DNA strands separate and each serves as a template for the production of a new complementary strand. The polymerase reads the template sequence and adds nucleotides that pair with it (A with T, G with C) in the 5' to 3' direction, creating a new strand that is complementary to its template. This is why template is the best choice—the existing strand provides the pattern to copy. The fork describes the region where strands are unwound, a primer is a short RNA sequence needed to start synthesis, and a helix is the double-stranded form itself. Additionally, this process is semi-conservative: each new DNA molecule contains one old (template) strand and one newly synthesized strand.

During DNA replication, the parental DNA strands separate and each serves as a template for the production of a new complementary strand. The polymerase reads the template sequence and adds nucleotides that pair with it (A with T, G with C) in the 5' to 3' direction, creating a new strand that is complementary to its template. This is why template is the best choice—the existing strand provides the pattern to copy. The fork describes the region where strands are unwound, a primer is a short RNA sequence needed to start synthesis, and a helix is the double-stranded form itself. Additionally, this process is semi-conservative: each new DNA molecule contains one old (template) strand and one newly synthesized strand.