Question

An important difference between DNA and RNA is that

A. RNA has two strands and DNA has one strand
B. RNA has one base different from those in DNA
C. RNA is only in single base units but DNA is in long strands
D. RNA is made in the lab but DNA is in living things

Answer 1

B. RNA has one base different from those in DNA.

The difference between DNA and RNA lies in the structure of their sugar molecules and the nitrogenous bases they contain. DNA has a deoxyribose sugar, while RNA has ribose sugar. Also, RNA has uracil as one of its nitrogenous bases, while DNA has thymine instead. Uracil can bind with adenine during transcription, while thymine binds with adenine during DNA replication. RNA is also typically single-stranded, while DNA is double-stranded.