Final answer:
A mutational event that converts a stop codon to an amino acid can result in a shorter protein if it occurs early in the gene, but may not have a significant size change if it occurs towards the end.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a mutational event in the DNA sequence of a gene converts a stop codon to an amino acid, it can have different outcomes depending on the position of the mutation within the gene. If the mutation occurs early in the gene, it will result in a shorter protein because translation will stop prematurely. This shorter protein may be unable to function properly. However, if the mutation occurs towards the end of the gene, the protein may not be affected significantly in terms of size.