A mutation involving a long segment of DNA that includes deletions, insertions, or inversions of sections of DNA.

• A. Point mutation
• B. Gene duplication
• C. Chromosomal mutation
• D. Somatic mutation

Answer: (C)

Structural changes to chromosomes involve large segments of DNA being rearranged or removed. When a mutation includes deletions, insertions, or inversions of a sizable DNA block within a chromosome, it alters the chromosome’s structure and can affect many genes at once. That’s the idea behind a chromosomal mutation.

A point mutation changes just a single nucleotide, so it’s much smaller in scope. Gene duplication refers to copying a small region, which is a specific kind of chromosomal change but doesn’t inherently describe deletions or inversions. Somatic mutation describes where the mutation occurs (in body cells) rather than the size or nature of the change.