Polymerase can be defined as:

• A. an enzyme used to synthesize a new DNA or RNA strand on the basis of pre-existing strand or at times without a pre-existing strand
• B. an enzyme used for removal of nucleotides from the DNA or RNA strand
• C. an enzyme which can synthesize only a new DNA strand, not a RNA strand
• D. an enzyme which can synthesize either a new DNA or a RNA strand but only when a strand is there