Final answer:
The incorrect statement about DNA polymerases is that they possess 5' ⟶ 3' exonuclease activity. DNA polymerases require a primer, use dNTPs for DNA synthesis, and create complementary and antiparallel strands, but they do not have this exonuclease activity; they have 3' ⟶ 5' exonuclease activity for proofreading.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that is not true for DNA polymerases is that they possess 5' ⟶ 3' exonuclease activity. While DNA polymerases have 3' ⟶ 5' exonuclease activity, which is used for proofreading and correcting mistakes during DNA replication, the 5' ⟶ 3' exonuclease activity is not a feature of these enzymes. Instead, DNA polymerases require a primer to begin synthesis, use dNTPs to synthesize new DNA, and produce newly synthesized strands that are both complementary and antiparallel to the template strands.
DNA polymerases synthesize DNA by adding nucleotides onto a primer, which is usually an RNA segment synthesized by RNA primase. These primers provide the necessary free 3'-OH group that is essential for the addition of new nucleotides. Thus, DNA polymerases can indeed synthesize any sequence specified by the template strand, but this synthesis is in the 5' to 3' direction.