Question

lastly, we have three key points to round out your introduction to translation.
key point 1: you are likely already familiar with enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze specific chemical reactions. but ribosomes contain both protein and rrna, so it wasnt clear whether peptide bond formation was catalyzed in an active site comprised of r - groups from amino acids or comprised of ribonucleotides in an rrna.
when researchers were finally able to solve the 3d structure of the ribosome and model the active site, they found that peptide bond formation occurred in a portion of the ribosome surrounded by rrna. thus, the ribosome is not an enzyme, but rather a ribozyme. a ribozyme is an rna molecule that can catalyze specific chemical reactions.
based on the information provided, which of the following statements is correct? select the single best answer.
the ribosome is a ribozyme.
the ribosome is an enzyme.
a ribozyme is a type of enzyme.
key point 2: it is critically important to note that mrnas have something called a reading frame. a reading frame consists of the sequence of 3 - base - long sets or chunks that function as codons in rna or dna, specifying the primary sequence of amino acids in a protein. for example, the spaces between every 3 bases in the following mrna sequence identifies the reading frame of the mrna, which begins with the start codon aug.
ccc uac aug ggc aaa ccg ggu

Explanation:

The text clearly states "the ribosome is not an enzyme, but rather a ribozyme". This directly refutes the option "The ribosome is an enzyme". Also, it defines a ribozyme as an RNA molecule that can catalyze specific chemical reactions, which is different from the general definition of an enzyme (proteins that catalyze specific chemical reactions). So, the ribosome is a ribozyme.

Answer:

The ribosome is a ribozyme.