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In E. coli (~4.6 × 10⁶ bp), DNA replication is completed in approximately 18 minutes, giving an average rate of:

A200 bp/s
B20 bp/s
C2000 bp/s
D20 000 bp/s
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. 2000 bp/s
Time = 18 min × 60 s = 1080 s. Rate = 4.6 × 10⁶ / 1080 ≈ **~4250 bp/s for the whole molecule**, but DNA replicates bidirectionally from origin → each polymerase moves at ~**2000 bp/s**.
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