Biology STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) Practice Test

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What is a codon?

  1. A sequence of 2 nucleotides

  2. A sequence of 3 nucleotides of mRNA

  3. A type of amino acid

  4. A form of protein structure

The correct answer is: A sequence of 3 nucleotides of mRNA

A codon is defined as a sequence of three nucleotides in messenger RNA (mRNA) that corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal during the process of translation in protein synthesis. Each set of three nucleotides (for example, AUG, UUU, GGC) encodes for one particular amino acid or serves as a signal to terminate the process of translation. This triplet nature of codons is crucial because it allows for the diversity of proteins by specifying different amino acids that are linked together to form polypeptides, which then fold into proteins. Thus, identifying a codon as a sequence of three nucleotides is essential for understanding genetic coding and protein synthesis.

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