BIOLOGY QUESTION BANK ( VSA TYPE) GR.

12

Q1 Name the type of cell division that takes place in the zygote of an
organism exhibiting haplontic life cycle.
Haplontic life cycle can be defined as the zygotes which undergo meiosis to
produce haploid spores to produce haploid individual.

Q2 Write the scientific name of the microbe used for fermenting malted
cereals and fruit juices.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
It belongs to the yeast, type of fungi.

Q3 Write the unit used for measuring ozone thickness.

Thickness of ozone is measured in terms of Dobson unit (DU).

Q4 Name the event during cell division cycle that results in the gain or loss of
chromosome.
Aneuploidy

Q5 How can bacterial DNA be released from the bacterial cell for
biotechnology experiments?
Bacterial DNA can be injected into cells by making the cell competent or by
microinjection or by applying biolistics or gene gun method.

Q6 Write the importance of cryopreservation in conservation of biodiversity.

Cryopreservation is a technique of preserving viable and fertile gamete for a
long period under freezing temperature. This gamete can be used again for
producing off springs and different genetic strains, to create seed bank etc.

Q7 Mention the role of the codons AUG and UGA during protein synthesis.
AUG and UGA, act as initiation codon during protein synthesis.

Q8 Normally one embryo develops in one seed but when an orange seed is
squeezed many embryos of different shapes and sizes are seen. Mention
how it has happened.
Polyembryony-
Some of the nuclear cells surrounding embryonic sac start to divide an protrude
inside the embryonic sack and forms embryo.
Occurrence of more than embryo in a seed is called as polyembryony, as in
orange.
Q9 Mention the unique flowering phenomenon exhibited by Strobilanthus
kunthiana (neelakuranaji).
The unique flowering phenomenon exhibited by the plant Strobilanthus
kunthianus is that it produces flowers once in 12 years.

Q10 How does smoking tobacco in human lead to oxygen deficiency in their
body?
Smoking increases carbon monoxide (CO) content in blood and reduces the
concentration of hemoglobin-bound oxygen. This causes oxygen deficiency in
the body.

Q11 A garden pea plant (A) produced inflated yellow pod, and another plant
(B) of the same species produced constricted green pods. Identify the
dominant traits.
The trait to produce inflated yellow seeds is dominant over the trait producing
constricted green seeds.

Q12 Why is Eichhornia crassipes nicknamed as "Terror of Bengal"?

The plant Eichhornia crassipes is nicknamed as the "Terror of Bengal" because it
grows at an alarming rate and spreads on the surface of the water body. This cut
out of the light and it also causes an increase in the oxygen demand. Thus, causing
the death of fishes and other aquatic organisms.

Write the location and function of the sertoli cells in humans.

Q13 Location of Sertoli cells - In the testis
Function of Sertoli cells -They provide nutrition to the developing sperm cells.

Q14 Name the following:

(a) The semi-dwarf variety of wheat is high-yielding and disease-resistant.
(b) Any one inter-specific hybrid mammal.
(a) Sonalika and Kalyan Sona are the semi-dwarf varieties of wheat that are
high-yielding and disease resistant.
(b) Mule is an interspecific hybrid mammal.

Q15 Write the similarity between the wing of a butterfly and the wing of a bat.
What do you infer from the above with reference to evolution?
Wing of butterfly and wings of birds are analogous organs as their origin is not
the same but they perform similar functions. From the above reference we can
infer the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Q16 What do phytophagous insects feed on?
As the name suggest phytophagous insects feed on plants.
Q17 An anther with malfunctioning tapetum often fails to produce viable male
gametophytes. Give any one reason.
Tapetum nourishes the developing pollen grain so a malfunctioning tapetum
will fail to produce viable male gamete.
Q18 Why sharing of injection needles between two individuals is not
recommended?
Sharing of injection needles may lead to transmission of HIV-infection.

Q19 Name the enzyme and state its property that is responsible for continuous
and discontinuous replication of the two strands of a DNA molecule.
DNA dependent DNA polymerase. This enzyme catalyse polymerisation only in
one direction, i.e., 5' ----> 3'. As a result on template strand with 3' ----> 5'
the replication is continuous while on the template strand with polarity 5'  3'
it is discontinuous.
Q20 Identify the examples of convergent evolution from the following:
(i) Flippers of penguins and dolphins
(ii) Eyes of octopus and mammals
(iii) Vertebrate brains
(i) Flippers of penguins and dolphins
(ii) Eyes of octopus and mammals

Q21 Write the importance of MOET.

In MOET cow is given hormones with FSH like activity. These hormones induce
follicular maturation and super-ovulatin which produces 6–8 eggs per cycle
instead of one egg.
Q22 Why is the enzyme cellulase needed for isolating genetic material from
plant cells and not from the animal cells?
Since plant cells have cell wall, so to digest it cellulase is required. Animals do
not have cell wall so no cellulase required.
Q23 Name the type of biodiversity represented by the following:
(a) 50,000 different strains of rice in India.
(b) Estuaries and alpine meadows in India.
(a) Genetic diversity
(b) Ecological diversity
Q24 Write the equation that helps in deriving the net primary productivity of
an ecosystem.
GPP – R = NPP [where GPP = Gross Primary Productivity, R = Respiratory
losses]
Q25 State the cause of accelerated eutrophication.
Accelerated eutrophication:It is the ageing of a water body due to nutrient
enrichment of its water. It can be natural or artificial. Eutrophication takes
 thousands of years, but due to human activities the process has been
accelerated. So, it is called accelerated eutrophication.
Causes of accelerated eutrophication:
1) Release of nutrient-rich sewage and industrial effluents lead to the
introduction of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
2) Sewage and industrial effluents also lead to increase in temperature and
BOD of the water body, causing increased biological activity, thereby leading to
algal blooms.

Q26 Identify 'a' and 'b' in the figure given below representing proportionate
number of major vertebrate taxa.

In the given figure, a represents amphibians and b represents mammals.

Q27 Give an example of an organism that enters 'diapause' and why.
Bombyx mori (silk moth) is an insect that enters diapause. It enters into
diapause due to some adverse environmental conditions such as drought,
extreme temperature, reduced food availability; which, in turn, delays the
overall development. The physiological and metabolic activities are also
diminished at this particular time. Thus, it is a type of survival mechanism
exhibited by the insect at the time of adversity.
Q28 Name the two intermediate hosts which the human liver fluke depends on
to complete its life cycle so as to facilitate parasitization of its primary host.
Terrestrial snail and ant are two intermediate hosts on which the human liver
fluke depends on to complete its life cycle so as to facilitate parasitization of its
primary host.
Q29 Mention the type of host cells suitable for the gene guns to introduce an
alien DNA.
Undifferentiated plant cells are the most suitable host cells for the gene guns to
introduce an alien DNA. It is because plant cells have rigid cell wall which can
be easily broken down by bombarding them with high velocity micro-particles
of gold or tungsten coated with DNA in a gene gun.
Q30 Name any two types of cells that act as 'cellular barriers' to provide innate
immunity in humans.
Leukocytes (WBC) and natural killer in the blood are two types of cells that act
as 'cellular barriers' to provide innate immunity in humans.
Q31 Mention how DNA polymorphism arises in a population.
DNA polymorphism is a genetic variant that appears in at least 1% of a
population. It can be introduced in a population by mutation and genetic drift.
Q32 Write the name of the organism that is referred to as the 'Terror of Bengal'.
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is referred to as the 'Terror of Bengal'.
Q33 A geneticist interested in studying variations and patterns of inheritance
in living beings prefers to choose organisms for experiments with shorter
life cycle. Provide a reason.
A geneticist interested in studying variations and patterns of inheritance in
living beings prefers to choose organisms with short life cycles for experiments
because it enables the geneticist to study many generations of those organisms
in their short lifespans.
Q34 Name the transcriptionally active region of chromatin in a nucleus.
Euchromatin is the transcriptionally active region of chromatin in a nucleus.
Q35 State a reason for the increased population of dark coloured moths
coinciding with the loss of lichens (on tree barks) during industrialization
period in England.
Industrial melanism was the reason behind the increase in the population of dark-
coloured moths along with the loss of lichens during industrialisation in England.
The tree trunks became darker (after industrialisation) with deposits of soot and
smoke; hence, the number of dark moths increased as they were not easily
visible to their predators while the white-winged ones were easily picked up by
the predators. Thus, dark ones were selected by nature (natural selection) and
light ones fail to survive.

Q36 Indiscriminate diagnostic practices using X-rays etc., should be avoided.

Give one reason.
X-rays are ionising radiations. They cause adverse effects in children in the
form of genital changes; that is, they alter the genetic make-up of an
organism.
Q37 What is Biopiracy ?
Biopiracy is defined as the illegal removal of biological material of a country by
organisations or multinational companies without proper authorisation from the
concerned countries.
Q38 According to De-Vries what is saltation?
According to De-Vries, saltation is a single step large mutation that leads to
speciation.
Q39 Excessive nutrients in a fresh water body cause fish mortality. Give two
reasons.
(a) Depletion of Oxigen.
(b) Increase in toxic material in water body.
Q40 Suggest the breeding method most suitable for animals that are below
average in milk productivity.
Outcrossing method of breeding is employed in animals that are below average
in milk productivity. It is the mating of animals within the same breed but
having no common ancestors on either side of their pedigree upto 4-6
generations.
Q41 State a difference between gene and an allele.
Gene: It is a unit of inheritance and contains information required to express a
particular trait in an organism.
Allele: They are different forms of the same gene and code for a pair of
contrasting traits.
Q42 Suggest a technique to a researcher who needs to separate Fragments of
DNA.
Gel Electrophorresis is the technique by which separate Fragments of DNA can
be possible. Here DNA molecules are separated using electric field. DNA being
negatively charged moves towards anode through a matrix.
Q43 Our government has intentionally imposed strict conditions for MTP in
our country. Justify giving a reason.
Nearby 45-50 millions MTPs are performed during a year all over the world for
which Governemnt of India legalised MTP in 1971 with some strict conditions to
avoid its misuse. It is more important to restrict on discrimination and illegal
female foeticides, which are reported to be high in India.
Q44 State the fate of a pair of autosomes during gamete formation.
During gamete formation, the homologous pair of autosomes gets separated
from each other and moves to different gametes, so that each gamete receives
haploid set of chromosomes.
Q45 What role does an individual organism play as per Darwin’s theory of
natural selection?
According to Darwin, fitness refers ultimaterly and only to reproductive fitness.
Those who are better fit in an environment, leave more progeny than others.
Q46 Suggest a method to ensure an anamnestic response in humans.
During vaccination, inactivated or weakened pathogen introduced in the body.
The antibodies produced against these antigens would neutralise the pathogen
agents. This is a method to ensure an anamnestic response in humans
Q47 Name two diseases whose spread can be controlled by the eradication of
Aedes mosquitoes.
Chikungunya and Dengue are the two diseases whose spread can be controlled
by the eradication of Aedes mosquitoes.
Q48 How do cytokine barriers provide innate immunity in humans?
Cytokines including interferons, lymph Okines, necrosis factor etc. protect the
non-infected cells from further viral infection by modulating the immune
system in response to infection.
Q49 Write the Names of the following:
A 15 mya primate that was ape-like
The Names of A 15 mya primate that was ape-like is:
Dryopithecus

Q50 Write the Names of the following:

A 2 mya primate that lived in East African grasslands
The Name of A 2 mya primate that lived in East African grasslands is:
Australopithecus

Q51 Mention the chemical change that proinsulin undergoes, to be able to act
as mature insulin.
There are different chemical changes have been come which will be able to act
as mature insulin and chemist are researching on it and it is hectic to tell what
particular types of chemical changes have been come and specifically it differs.

Q52 Explain the significance of meiocytes in a diploid organism.

MeiocyteS are gamete mother cells which undergo meiosis. It is through meiosis that
only one set of chromosomes gets transferred to gametes in diploid organism.

Q 53 Write the dual purpose served by Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates in

polymerisation.
The dual purpose served by Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates in polymerization :
(i) They act as substrates for DNA synthesis.
(ii)They provide energy for polymerization reaction. Ina deoxyribonucleoside
triphosphates, the two terminal phosphates are high-energy phosphates.

Q 54 With the help of an algebraic equation, how did Hardy-Weinberg explain

that in a given population the frequency of occurrence of alleles of a gene is
supposed to remain the same through generations?
Hardy-Weinberg Equation: The allele frequencies in a population are stable and is
constant generation to generation.Sum total of all the allelle frequencies is 1.
ie. p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1 (where p and q are frequency of Allele A and a)
In population genetic studies, the Hardy-Weinberg equation can be used to measure
whether the observed genotype frequencies in a population differ from the
frequencies predicted by the equation

Q 55 Although a prokaryotic cell has no defined nucleus, yet DNA is not

scattered through the cell. Explain.
Prokaryotic cells do not have a well.defined nucleus hut DNA is not scattered
thrughtout the cell. DNA is held by some protein in a region termed as nucloid
Prokaryotaic cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane and a cell wall.

Q 56 How did a citizen group called Friends of Arcata Marsh, Arcata,

California, USA, help to improve water quality of the marshland using
integrated Waste Water Treatment? Explain in four steps.
Waste water including sewage can be treated in an integrated manner, by utilising a
mix of artifical and natural processes.
(a) The conventional sedimentation, filtering and chlorine treatments are given.
After this stage lots of dangerous pollutants like dissolved heavy metals still remain.

(b) To combat this, an innovative approach was taken and the biologists developed a
series of 6 connected marshes over 60 hectares of marshland
(c) Appropriate plants, algae becteria and fungi were seeded Into this area, which
neutralize,absorb and assimilate the pollutants. Hence, as the water flows through
marshes, it gets purified naturally.
(d) The marshes also constitutes a sanctuary with a high level of biodiversity in the
form of fishes, animals and birds.

Q 57 Write the effects of heroin on the human body.

Effects of heroin drug are:
(i) It depresses breathing,
(ii) It slows down body functions.
Q 58 Name the source plant of heroin drug. How is it obtained from the plant.
Poppy plant (papaver somniferum) is the source of heroin drug. This is extracted
from the latex of the poppy plant.

Q 59 List any two applications of DNA fingerprinting technique.

(a) Identify criminals, if their DNA from blood, hair follide,skin,bone,saliva,sperm
etc. is available in forensic labs
(a) Determine paternity

Q 60 Expand VNTR and describe its role in DNA fingerprinting.

VNTRs (Variable Number Tandem Repeats) each individual inherits these repeats
from his/her parents which is used as genetic markers. One haIf of VNTR alleles of
'the child resembles that of mother and other half the father. The copy number
varies from chromosomes to chromosome in an individual. The number of repeat
show very high degree of polymorphism.
Q 61 Explain the mechanism of ‘sex determination’ in birds. How does it differ
from that of human beings?
In birds, sex determination is of ZW-ZZ type.
In this type of homogametic and haven ZZ sex chromosomes and females are
heterogametic with ZW pair of sex chromosomes.
Parents : Male X Female
ZZ ZW
Gametes : (Z) (Z) (Z) (W)
Tr : Female Male
Where as in humans,the chromosomal mechanism of sex determination is XX-XY
type. The human male is heterogametic and have XY sex chromosome and human
female is homogarnetie with XX sex chromosomes.

Q 62 Name two commonly used bioreactors. State the importance of using a

bioreactor.
Two commonly used bio reactors are
(a) Simple stirred tank bioreactor
(b) Sparged stirred - tank bioreactor

Importance of Bioreactor

Large volumes of cultures (100 - 1000 litres) can be processed. Also bioreactor
provide optimal conditions for getting the desired product by providing optimum
growth conditions like temp, pH, substrate, salts, vitamins and oxygen.

Q63 Mention the evolutionary significance of the following organisms:

(a) Shrews
(b) Lobefins
(c) Homo habilis
(d) Homo erectus
The evolutionary significance of given organisms are as follows:
(a) Shrews-The first mammals were like shrews. These were long tailed,
insectivorous, squirrel-like organisms. They gave rise to primitive primates. For
example, leones, tarsiers at the beginning of the Palaeocene era.

(b) Lobefins-In 1938 a fish caught in South Africa happened to be a coelacanth

which was thought to be extinct.These animals called lobefins evolved into the
first amphibians that lived on both land and water. Modern day frogs and
salamanders have evolved from them.

(c) Homo habilis

The first human-like primates, lived in Africa about 2 million years
ago.Evidence shows that they haunted with stones weapons but especially ate
fruits. They had brain capacity of 700 cc. Also called handy man as they were
first and most skillful tool makers.

(d) Homo erectus

They appeared after Homo habilis , 1.7 million years ago. They had large brain
capacities, i.e. 800-1100 cc and were omnivores. They used to hides to protect
their body and buried their dead.

Q 64 Describe the structure of a nucleosome.

The negatively charged DNA is wrapped around positiverly charged histone octamer
to form a structure called nucleosome. A typical nucleosome consist of 200 bp of
DNA helix. It consist four type of proteins which occurs in pairs :
H2A, H2B, H3 and H4

Q 65 How does the application of the fungal genus, Glomus , to the agricultural
farm increase the farm output?

The use of Glomus to agricultural field increases the farm output by increasing the
nutrient availability to the crops. Many members of the genus, Glomus form
mycorrhiza. The fungal symbiont in these associations absorbs phosphorus from soil
and passes it to the plant. Plant having such association show other benefits also, such
1. Resistance to root borne pathogens
2. Tolerance to salinity and drought
3. Overall Increase in plant growth and development

Q 66 List and describe any two vegetative propagules in flowering plants.

A. Vegetative propagules are the parts/units of a plant which can be used for
vegetative propagation, e.g. roots, stems, leaves, etc.
B. Root propagules include the production of a new plant via roots, e.g. fleshy roots
in case of sweet potato, tapioca and Dahlia.
C. Vegetative propagation through leaves, many plant leaves have adventitious buds
which help in the development of a new plant, e.g. Begonia, Bryophyllum, etc

Q 67 List the three stages the annuals and biennial angiosperms have to pass
through during their life cycle.

The three states through which the annuals and biennial angiosperms pass during
their life cycle are:
(1) Vegetative or Juvenile phase
(2) Reproductive phase
(3) Senescent phase.
A few plant exibhit unusual flowering phenomenon. Such as bamboo species flowers
only one in their lifetime.Another plant, strobilanthes kunthiana flowers once in 12
Years.

Q 68 During a medical investigation, an infant was found to possess an extra

chromosome 21. Describe the symptoms the child is likely to develop later in
the life.

Down's Syndrome, the cause of this genetic disorder is the presence of an additional
copy of the chromosome 21. This disorder was first described by Langdom Down. The
affected individual is short statured with small round head furrowed tongue and
partially open mouth. Palm is broad with characterstic palm crease. Physical
psychomotor and mental development is retarded.

Q 68 What is inbreeding depression?

Inbreeding is the crossing of closely related animals within the same breed for 4-6
generations. The continued inbreeding, reduces fertility and even the productivity, this
is called inbreeding depression.

Q 69 Why do lepidopterans die when they feed on Bt cotton plant? Explain

how it happens.

Some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis gene called cry gene produce protein that kill
certain insects each as Lepidopterons (tobacco budworms, armyworm, bettles and
flies). Bacillus thuringiensis forms protein crystal during a particular phase of their
growth. These cystals contain a toxin insecticidal protein.The activated toxin binds to
the surface of midget epithelial cells and create pores that causes cell swelling and
lysis. The toxin is coded by a gene named cry.
Q70 Discuss the role of enzyme DNA ligase plays during DNA replication.

During DNA replication, the sytnthesis of a new strand of a DNA at a leading parent
DNA strand is continous. However, it is discontinous at a lagging strand in the form of
DNA segments. These DNA segments are known as Okazaki fragments. These
fragments are later joined with the help of the enzymes DNA ligase.

Q71 Discuss How has RNAi technique helped to prevent the infestation of
roots in tobacco plants by a nematode?

Using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode specific genes were introduced into the host
plant. This DNA produced both sense and anti sense RNA in the host cells. These two
RNAs being complementary to each other formed a double strand (dsRNA) that
initiated RNAi and thus silenced the specific mRNA of the nematode. Hence the
parasite could not survive in the transgenic host

Q72 What are 'true breeding lines' that are used to study inheritance pattern of
traits in plants?

True breeding lines are those plants that have been generated through repeated self-
pollination and have become homozygous for a particular trait. The trait is passed on
to posterity if bred with another true breeding plant.

Q73 How are 'sticky ends' formed on a DNA strand? Why are they so called?

Sticky ends are produced by restriction enzymes. These enzymes cut the strand of
DNA a little away from the centre of the palindrome sites but between the same two
bases on the opposite strands. This leaves single stranded portions at the ends. There
are overhanging stretches called 'sticky ends' on each strand.
These are called sticky ends because they form hydrogen bonds with their
complementary cut counterparts. This stickiness of the ends facilitates the action of
the enzyme DNA ligase.

Q74 State how has Agrobacterium tumifaciens been made a useful cloning
vector to transfer DNA to plant cells.

Agrobacterium is a bacterium that infects plant tissues by transferring its plasmid T-

DNA to the plant genome. This property of Agrobacterium is exploited in the
biotechnology industry. The desired gene that has to be to transferred to a particular
plant is inserted in a plasmid T-DNA of Agrobacterium. Then, this engineered
Agrobacterium is allowed to infect that particular plant, so that it can transfer the
desired gene to the plant genome through its T-DNA. In this way, the desired changes
are made in the plant.

Q75 Explain with the help of a suitable example the naming of a restriction
endonuclease.

The naming of a restriction endonuclease is done in the following way:

Ist letter represents the genus of the organism from which the enzyme is derived.
IInd and IIIrd letters represent the species of the organism.
IVth letter represents the name of the strain.
Roman number represents order of isolation. For example, In EcoRI − Derived from
E.coli, strain R. It is the Ist to be discovered.

Q76Name any two sources of e-Wastes and write two different ways for their
disposal.

Example of e-waste are: Irreparable computers and Electronic goods.

Two different ways for their disposals are
(i) Buried in landfills.
(ii) Incinerated.

Q77 Where is sporopollenin present in plants? State its significance with

reference to its chemical nature.

Sporopollenin is present in exine of pollen grains in plants. It is one of the most

resistant organic substances and can withstand high temperature, strong acids and
alkali. No enzyme that degrades sporopollenin is so far known. This sporopollenin
helps the pollen grain to be well preserved.

Q78 Explain the work carried out by Cohen and Boyer that contributed
immensely in biotechnology.

Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer conducted one of the first genetic engineering
experiments. They invented the technique of DNA cloning. Cohen developed a
method of removing plasmids from the cell and then reinserting them in other cells.
Combining this process with that of DNA splicing enabled Boyer and Cohen to
recombine segments of DNA in desired configurations and insert the DNA in bacterial
cells, which could then act as manufacturing plants for specific proteins. Stanley
Cohen and Herbert Boyer accomplished this in 1972.
Q79 Explain the process of RNA interference.

RNA interference or RNAi, it is present in all eukaryotic organisms as a part of their

cellular defense. It undergo the process of silencing of mRNA by dsRNA.
Complementary RNA can be isolated from infected virus with RNA genome.

Q80 List the key tools used in recombinant DNA technology.

Recombinant DNA technology or RDT is a principal biological technology now days.

RDT involve various steps for obtaining successful results such as –
1. Isolation of desired DNA fragmentation by using restriction endonucleases (RE).
2. Interstation and ligation of the DNA fragment into a vector.
3. Transfer of recombinant DNA to host and culturing them in large scale.

Q81 Identify A, D, E and F in the diagram of an antibody molecule given

below:

Given structure is of antibody a type of immunoglobulin.

Labeling
a.Epitope region – binding of antibody with antigen
b.Variable light chain
c.Constant light chain
d.Light chain
e.Constant part of heavy chain (Fc)
f. Disulfide bond

Q82 (a) Identify A and B illustrations in the following:

(b) Write the term given to A and C.
(c) Expand PCR. Mention its importance in biotechnology.
(a) Labelled part A is called sticky end.
Labelled part B is a foreign DNA inserted into a vector.

(b) The term used for A and C is palindromic sequence, they are named because they
can be read from both forward and backward.

(c) PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction. PCR is a technique used to amplify a
gene or a piece of DNA to obtain its several copies, extensively used in gene
manipulation.