Question:

In general, the smallest RNA is __________.

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This RNA folds into a compact cloverleaf shape and is only about 75 to 90 nucleotides long.
Updated On: Jul 4, 2026
  • mRNA
  • rRNA
  • tRNA
  • double-stranded RNA
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Among the major classes of cellular RNA, tRNA molecules are consistently small, typically only about 75 to 90 nucleotides long, folded into a compact cloverleaf secondary structure.
Step 2: mRNA varies widely in length depending on the protein it encodes and can be very long, and rRNA includes a range of sizes from large ribosomal RNAs (like 23S or 28S) that are thousands of nucleotides long, down to the small 5S rRNA, but as a class rRNA is generally considered larger overall than tRNA.
Step 3: Double-stranded RNA is not one of the three standard functional RNA classes involved in normal gene expression in this comparison, it refers to a structural form seen in some viral genomes or regulatory RNAs.
Step 4: So among the standard comparison of mRNA, rRNA and tRNA, tRNA is generally the smallest.
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