Final answer:
DNA polymerase has a high fidelity with extensive proofreading capabilities, while RNA polymerase makes more mistakes due to the absence of proofreading exonuclease activity. DNA polymerase errors can have serious consequences but are rare, whereas RNA polymerase errors are typically less detrimental.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the accuracy of RNA polymerase in comparison to DNA polymerase during the process of replication and transcription. DNA polymerase is well-known for its high fidelity in copying DNA, making as few as one error per 107 nucleotides. This is because DNA polymerase has the ability to proofread the newly added base during DNA replication. It does this by checking whether the newly added base has paired correctly with the base in the template strand. If a mismatch is detected, the enzyme performs a 3' exonuclease action to remove the incorrect nucleotide and then replaces it with the correct one.
While DNA polymerase is involved in DNA replication, RNA polymerase is responsible for transcribing RNA from DNA. It is generally understood that RNA polymerase has a higher error rate than DNA polymerase because it lacks the exonuclease proofreading activity that is present in DNA polymerase. However, the consequences of these errors are typically less severe since RNA molecules are often temporary and do not serve as a permanent genetic record.