What describes termination of translation?

• A. The polypeptide is released from the ribosome at a stop codon
• B. The mRNA is spliced
• C. The ribosome falls off after the first amino acid
• D. The polypeptide and components of protein synthesis dissociate at a stop codon

Answer: (D)

Termination of translation happens when the ribosome encounters a stop codon and release factors promote releasing the finished polypeptide, followed by the ribosome, mRNA, and tRNAs dissociating so the components can be recycled. This means termination is not just about releasing the peptide, but also about dismantling the entire translation machinery. That makes the description about the polypeptide and the components of protein synthesis dissociating at a stop codon the best way to capture what really happens. The other options are incomplete or inaccurate: splicing is a step in mRNA processing before translation, and the ribosome does not simply fall off after the first amino acid.