TEAS ATI English Practice Test 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Mutations are defined as alterations in the DNA sequence of an organism. In the context of DNA replication, these alterations can occur due to errors that are not corrected, resulting in changes to the genetic code. These changes can manifest as a variety of outcomes, including substitutions, insertions, or deletions within the DNA sequence.

The characterization of mutations as errors within the genome highlights their potential impact on an organism’s traits and development, as they can lead to variations that may be beneficial, neutral, or detrimental. This understanding is foundational in genetics, as it illustrates how such errors can contribute to genetic diversity and evolution, but also to genetic disorders and diseases when harmful mutations are present.

The other options address different aspects of genetic variations or processes: new gene formations refer to more complex biological changes, positive changes in traits imply an adaptive advantage that does not necessarily relate to the nature of mutations itself, and corrections made by DNA polymerase are part of the error-checking process that can prevent mutations from occurring in the first place. Thus, viewing mutations as errors within the genome accurately captures their core essence in DNA replication.