Frameshift mutations often produce which of the following?

• A. Frameshift mutation
• B. Silent mutation
• C. Missense mutation
• D. Nonsense mutation

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that frameshift mutations disrupt how codons are read. When nucleotides are inserted or deleted (not in multiples of three), the grouping of nucleotides into codons shifts, so every codon downstream is read differently. This usually produces a drastically altered protein sequence and often introduces a premature stop codon, leading to a truncated, nonfunctional protein.

In this context, the option that best captures the defining outcome of this kind of mutation is the frameshift mutation itself—the change is defined by a shift in the reading frame, which cascades into widespread changes in the amino acid sequence. The other outcomes describe more specific effects (no change in amino acids for a silent mutation, change of one amino acid for a missense, or early termination for a nonsense), which are possible downstream consequences but don’t embody the broad, characteristic effect of a frameshift.