Free Biotechnology and Health Care MCQs with Answers

41. Single cell protein refers to

• A. a single essential amino acid
• B. protein rich biomass grown from microorganisms for food and feed
• C. a strand of DNA
• D. an industrial enzyme

Explanation: Bacteria, yeasts and algae can be farmed on cheap substrates to yield protein far faster than crops or livestock. The name refers to the single celled producers, not to a molecule.

42. The use of microorganisms to break down pollutants in soil and water is called

• A. bioremediation
• B. vaccination
• C. fermentation
• D. electrophoresis

Explanation: Oil spills and industrial wastes can be cleaned by microbes that feed on the contaminants, a gentle alternative to chemical treatment. The prefix bio plus remediation, repairing, captures the idea.

43. The technique in which an egg is fertilised by sperm outside the body in the laboratory is called

• A. cloning
• B. hybridisation
• C. pollination
• D. in vitro fertilisation

Explanation: IVF brings gametes together in a dish, and the resulting embryo is then placed in the uterus. Cloning makes copies without fertilisation, so the presence of sperm marks IVF.

44. In IVF, the early embryo is transferred into the mother's

• A. ovary
• B. vagina
• C. uterus
• D. kidney

Explanation: The uterus is the organ of implantation and pregnancy, so the embryo must reach it to develop. Transfer to any other site cannot support the pregnancy.

45. A sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus can be tested to detect

• A. genetic disorders of the fetus
• B. the mother's blood pressure
• C. the father's blood group
• D. the colour of the fetus's eyes

Explanation: Amniocentesis collects fetal cells from the fluid for karyotyping and biochemical tests, revealing chromosome disorders before birth. It examines the fetus, not the parents' physiology.

46. A crop engineered for herbicide tolerance allows farmers to

• A. grow the crop without water
• B. spray herbicide to kill weeds without damaging the crop
• C. skip photosynthesis
• D. avoid all insect pests

Explanation: The crop carries a gene that withstands a broad spectrum herbicide, so spraying clears weeds while the crop survives. Insect protection is a different modification, provided by Bt genes.

47. Compared with insulin extracted from cattle or pigs, recombinant human insulin is better because it

• A. works without binding to any receptor
• B. contains DNA as well as protein
• C. has exactly the human amino acid sequence and rarely causes allergic reactions
• D. never needs injection

Explanation: Animal insulins differ slightly in sequence and can provoke immune reactions, while bacterial factories produce authentic human insulin in bulk. It still binds the same receptor and still needs injection.

48. The branch of biology that uses computers to store, compare and analyse genome data is called

• A. biometry
• B. bioenergetics
• C. biogeography
• D. bioinformatics

Explanation: Bioinformatics grew out of the genome projects, applying software to sequences and protein structures. Biogeography maps species distributions and bioenergetics studies energy flow, neither of which is computational genomics.

49. Restriction enzymes cut DNA at

• A. Random sites
• B. Specific recognition sequences
• C. Only ends
• D. Only bacterial DNA

Explanation: Restriction endonucleases recognize and cut at specific palindromic DNA sequences.

50. PCR is used to

• A. Cut DNA
• B. Amplify DNA
• C. Sequence DNA
• D. Translate DNA

Explanation: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplifies specific DNA sequences exponentially.