Which of the following is considered a characteristic of the lagging strand during DNA replication?

The lagging strand is characterized by discontinuous synthesis during DNA replication. This is due to the antiparallel nature of the DNA double helix. As DNA polymerase can only synthesize new DNA in the 5' to 3' direction, the lagging strand, which runs in the 3' to 5' direction relative to the replication fork, cannot be synthesized continuously. Instead, it is synthesized in segments known as Okazaki fragments, which are later joined together by the enzyme DNA ligase. This discontinuous process allows the lagging strand to be synthesized efficiently despite the constraints of the replication directionality.

In contrast, the leading strand is synthesized continuously because it runs in the same direction as the movement of the replication fork. The other options do not accurately describe the nature of the lagging strand. Thus, selecting discontinuous synthesis highlights a critical aspect of DNA replication mechanics.