11. Which of the following carries oxygen to various parts of human body?
[A] Red blood cells
[B] Nerves
[C] Plasma
[D] White blood cells
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Red blood cells]
Notes:
Hemoglobin is the protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen. Red blood cells also remove carbon dioxide from your body, transporting it to the lungs for you to exhale.
12. Why honey bees are called social insects? (UPSC Prelims 1982)
[A] They visit all flowers to collect nectar
[B] They live in large family groups
[C] They depend for their food upon other insects
[D] They move socially with other insects
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [They live in large family groups]
Notes:
Social insects are highly evolved insects that engage in a variety of complex tasks not practiced by the multitude of solitary insects. Honey bees are social insects because they live together in large, well-organized family groups. A single honeybee cannot grow or survive by itself. The three distinct kinds of honeybees in a colony are queen, worker, and drone.
13. Which of the following clearly define Lichens? (UPSC Prelims 1984)
[A] Algae and fungi
[B] Algae and virus
[C] Fungi and virus
[D] Virus and bacteria
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Algae and fungi]
Notes:
Lichen is not a single organism. Rather, it is a symbiosis between different organisms – a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium. Cyanobacteria are sometimes still referred to as blue-green algae.
14. Who among the following has defined race in population concept?
[A] Montagu
[B] Dobzhansky
[C] Templeton
[D] Hooton
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Dobzhansky]
Notes:
Race refers to classification of humans into relatively large and distinct population groups based on appearance through heritable phenotypic characteristics, often influenced by and correlated with culture, ethnicity and socio-economic status.
Dobzhansky (1970) has defined race in population concept as “Race are genetically distinct Mendelian populations. They are neither individuals nor particular genotypes; they consist of individuals who differ genetically among themselves.”
15. Empedocles is related to which of the following theory of biology?
[A] theory of cell
[B] theory of natural selection
[C] theory of mutation
[D] theory of disease
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [theory of natural selection]
Notes:
Empedocles formulated a theory of natural selection. He proposed that everything in existence is composed of different combinations of four elements: air, fire, water and earth.
16. Who among the following is considered to be the father of DNA?
[A] James Watson
[B] Hargobind Khurana
[C] Alec Jeffereys
[D] Leslie Orgel
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [James Watson]
Notes:
James Dewey Watson is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule.
17. The cytoplasmic membrane of which of the following organisms contains sterols?
[A] Clostridum
[B] Proteus
[C] Mycoplasma
[D] Bacillius
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mycoplasma]
Notes:
Mycoplasma is a genus of bacteria that do not have a cell wall surrounding the cell membrane.
18. Which of the following includes ‘club fungus’ in this fungal division?
[A] Zygomycota
[B] Deuteromycota
[C] Basidiomycota
[D] Ascomycota
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Basidiomycota]
Notes:
Basidiomycota is one of the two larger divisions. Together with the Ascomycota, they constitute the subfamily Dicarya within the kingdom Fungi.
19. Which of the following is an indicator of SO2 pollution of air?
[A] Puffballs
[B] Mushrooms
[C] Mosses
[D] Lichens
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Lichens]
Notes:
Lichens are good indicators of sulfur dioxide pollution in the environment. Lichens are relationships between fungi and algae.
20. Gymnosperms are never__?
[A] medium-sized trees
[B] tall trees
[C] herbs
[D] shrubs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [herbs]
Notes:
Living gymnosperms are predominantly middle-sized trees to tall trees and shrubs Rarely they are woody climbers. There are no herbs in gymnosperms.
