General Science Questions (MCQs) for Competitive Examinations

Notes:
Multicellular organisms are made up of more than one cell. The development of multicellular organisms is accompanied by cellular specialization and division of labor; cells become efficient in one process and are dependent upon other cells for the necessities of life. Paramecium is single-celled protists naturally found in aquatic habitats. Paramecium is the only genus in the family Parameciidae, which resides within the phylum Ciliophora.

Notes:
Cnidarian, also called coelenterate, any member of the phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterata), a group made up of more than 9,000 living species. ? Mostly marine animals, the cnidarians include the corals, hydras, jellyfish, Portuguese men-of-war, sea anemones, sea pens, sea whips, and sea fans.

Notes:
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are microorganisms capable of transforming atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen. Rhizobium is one such bacteria that is associated with leguminous plants (e.g., various members of the pea family). It invades the root hairs of host plants and convert free nitrogen to ammonia, which the host plant utilizes for its development.

Notes:
Claspers are organs found in male elasmobranchs. Each male has two claspers. They are located along the inner side of the shark or ray’s pelvic fin and are used in reproduction. During mating, the male deposits his sperm into the female’s cloaca (the opening that serves as the entrance to the uterus, intestine and urinary tract) via grooves that lie in the upper side of the claspers.

Notes:
Growth hormone or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in human development.

Notes:
An accessory fruit (sometimes called false fruit, spurious fruit, pseudo-fruit, or pseudo-carp) is a fruit in which some of the flesh is derived not from the ovary but from some adjacent tissue exterior to the carpel. Examples of accessory tissue are the receptacle of strawberries, figs, or mulberries, and the calyx of Gaultheria procumbens or Syzygium jambos. Pomes, such as apples and pears, are also accessory fruits, with much of the fruit flesh derived from a hypanthium.

Notes:
The pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color. Dark-skinned people have more melanin in their skin than light-skinned people have. Melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes. Everyone has the same number of melanocytes, but some people make more melanin than others.

Notes:
Penicillin the so called ‘Wonder drug’ discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1927 is produced from the genus of fungi “Penicillia”. All penicillin are â-lactam antibiotics and are used in the treatment of bacterial infections caused by susceptible, usually Grampositive organisms.

Notes:
Stomata are tiny openings or pores in plant tissue that allow for gas exchange. Stomata allow a plant to take in carbon dioxide, which is needed for photosynthesis. They also help to reduce water loss by closing when conditions are hot or dry. Stomata look like tiny mouths which open and close as they assist in transpiration.

Notes:
Night blindness, also called nyctalopia, is failure of the eye to adapt promptly from light to darkness that is characterized by a reduced ability to see in dim light or at night. It occurs as a symptom of numerous congenital and inherited retinal diseases or as a result of vitamin A deficiency.