Mutations That Occur Even in the Absence of an Added

Question

Mutations that occur even in the absence of an added mutagen are known as ________ mutations.
A) spontaneous
B) silent
C) missense
D) nonsense
E) frameshift

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous mutations occur naturally without exposure to an external mutagenic agent. They can result from errors during DNA replication or from spontaneous chemical changes in DNA that can lead to base substitutions, deletions, or insertions. Silent, missense, nonsense, and frameshift mutations can all occur spontaneously or can be induced by mutagens.