Which of the following would most likely happen if dna polymerase were not functioning properly during dna replication? . a. any of the nitrogenous bases in the dna strands would be able to form base pairs with each other.. d. hydrogen bonding between nitrogenous bases would cause the dna to fold upon itself.. c. the new strands of dna would not be an exact copy of the original dna.. d. the two strands of dna would separate from each other and be unable to reform.