Biology Miscellaneous (Part-IV)

Total Questions: 45

1. What does the philatelist do? [Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]

(a) Collects the coins
(b) Collects stamps
(c) Collects the pictures of birds
(d) Collects the feathers

Correct Answer: (b) Collects stamps

Solution:Philately is the study and collection of postage stamps and related items.Stamps are adhesive labels used to prepay postage for mail. Therefore, a philatelist is a stamp collector. A numismatist is someone who collects coins.

2. A biojector is: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1997]

(a) An H.I.V. immunisation syringe
(b) A bio-plastic injector
(c) A painless needle injector
(d) A painless needleless injector

Correct Answer: (d) A painless needleless injector

Solution:The biojector is an innovative, versatile needle-free injection system that has been used to deliver millions of injections in a wide range of healthcare settings.

The Biojector can deliver various types of injections (e.g., intramuscular, subcutaneous, potentially even intradermal) and has been used in mass vaccination campaigns, clinic settings, and even for self-administration at home. It has successfully delivered over 10 million injections without major complications, demonstrating its reliability. The Biojector can be adapted for different uses, such as delivering premedicants before anesthesia, and is being developed for intradermal injections.

3. Robert Webster is known for his work associated with which one of the following? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2007]

(a) Cardiology
(b) Influenza virus
(c) HIV/AIDS
(d) Alzheimer

Correct Answer: (b) Influenza virus

Solution:Webster is a leading figure in the field of avian influenza, a type of influenza virus that primarily affects birds but can also infect other animals, including humans.

His expertise lies in virology, the study of viruses and their effects on living organisms. Webster has extensively studied the structure and function of influenza virus proteins, including how these proteins interact with host cells and the immune system.

He has been involved in the development of new influenza vaccines and antiviral drugs, contributing to strategies for preventing and treating influenza infections. Webster is known for his work on the origins of pandemic influenza strains, particularly the idea that these strains arise through the reassortment of genes between influenza viruses in humans and non-humans, rather than solely through mutations within human influenza viruses.

4. Who was the first scientist/doctor, who attempted vaccination? [67th B.P.S.C. (Pre) (Re. Exam) 2022]

(a) Joseph Lister
(b) Robert Koch
(c) Elie Metchnikoff
(d) Edward Jenner

Correct Answer: (d) Edward Jenner

Solution:Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) was a British physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines, and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. Edward Jenner is often called 'the father of immunology'. He first attempted vaccination in 1796.

5. Who is the father of 'Immunology'? [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2013]

(a) Robert Koch
(b) Louis Pasteur
(c) Edward Jenner
(d) Landsteiner

Correct Answer: (c) Edward Jenner

6. Jonas Salk is known for the discovery of – [U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Spl.) (Pre) 2010]

(a) Smallpox vaccine
(b) Cholera vaccine
(c) Polio vaccine
(d) None of the above

Correct Answer: (c) Polio vaccine

Solution:Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist. He discovered and developed the first successful polio vaccine. He was born in New York City, attended New York University School of Medicine, later chose to do medical research instead of becoming a practising physician.

7. Match List-I (Scientists) with List-II (Achievements) and select the correct answer using the codes given below: [I.A.S. (Pre) 2002]

List-I (Scientists)	List-II (Achievements)
A. Arber and Smith	1. Developed transgenic plants with Agrobacterium T-DNA
B. Feldman	2. Discovered endonucleases
C. Mullis	3. Discovered reverse transcriptase
D. Temin and Baltimore	4. Discovered polymerase chain reaction

Code	A	B	C	D
(a)	2	1	4	3
(b)	1	2	4	3
(c)	2	1	3	4
(d)	1	2	3	4

Correct Answer: (a)

Solution:

Scientist(s)	Achievement
Arber and Smith	Discovered restriction endonucleases
Feldman	Developed transgenic plants with Agrobacterium T-DNA
Mullis	Discovered polymerase chain reaction
Temin and Baltimore	Discovered reverse transcriptase

8. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2008]

1. Francis Collins: Mapping human genome

2. Sergey Brin: Google Search Engine

3. Jimmy Wales: Wikipedia

(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

Solution:Francis Sellers Collins is an American physician-geneticist noted for his discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project. He is director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin is an American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, together with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the most profitable Internet companies. Jimmy Donal “Jimbo” Wales is an American internet entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the for-profit Wikia web-hosting company.

9. Which scientist has propounded the 'erosional cycle'? [44th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2000]

(a) Penck
(b) Davis
(c) Hutton
(d) Dutton

Correct Answer: (b) Davis

Solution:The cycle of erosion was a model for stream erosion and landscape development proposed by William Morris Davis. He gave the concept of the geographical cycle of erosion which recognises the possibility of obliteration of relief or plantation during the life history of a landscape, by the process of erosion.

10. Auxanometer is used - [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2010]

(a) To measure the rate of photosynthesis
(b) To measure the rate of growth
(c) To measure rate of osmosis
(d) To measure the loss of energy

Correct Answer: (b) To measure the rate of growth

Solution:An auxanometer is an apparatus used for measuring rate of growth in plants. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy. While auxanometers indirectly measure the results of photosynthesis (since growth is dependent on it), they don't directly measure the rate of photosynthesis itself. Methods like measuring oxygen production or CO₂ uptake are used for this.

Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane. Auxanometers measure plant growth, which is primarily driven by cell division and expansion, not osmosis.

Auxanometers measure growth, which is a positive process. Energy loss is the opposite of growth and is measured differently, using tools like calorimeters.

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