Final answer:
DNA polymerase is needed to initiate transcription since RNA polymerase requires a pre-existing nucleic acid to extend from scratch, the given statement is false because RNA polymerase is the primary enzyme responsible for transcription, and it can start synthesis from scratch without needing a pre-existing nucleic acid strand.
Step-by-step explanation:
DNA polymerase is not needed to initiate transcription. RNA polymerase is the primary enzyme responsible for transcription, which is the process of synthesizing an RNA molecule from a DNA template. RNA polymerase does not require a pre-existing nucleic acid to extend from. Instead, it can start synthesis from scratch, making it the ideal enzyme for initiating transcription.
DNA polymerase, on the other hand, is responsible for replication, not transcription. Its role is to replicate DNA by adding new nucleotides onto a pre-existing DNA strand. It requires a primer, which is a short nucleic acid strand, to initiate DNA synthesis. So therefore the given statement is false