Miscellaneous (Biology) Part-III

Total Questions: 50

31. What is the average speed of a bee? [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]

Correct Answer: (d) 16 km/h
Solution:Bees are the member of genus Apis. They fly on the average speed of about 15 miles/hour (21 kmph) while their speed in returning with food is approx. 12 miles/hour (17 kmph). So the closest answer is (d).

32. How do the members of honey-bee hive recognise each other? [39th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1994]

Correct Answer: (a) By smell
Solution:The members of honey-bee hive recognise each other by smell. The honey bee hive has a special odour which helps each other members in identification. Bees communicate the location of food sources to each other through the complex circle and waggle dances.

33. Which of the following organisms perform waggle dance for others of their kin to indicate the direction and the distance to a source of their food? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2023]

Correct Answer: (c) Honeybees
Solution:Waggle dance is a term used in beekeeping and ethology for a particular figure-eight dance of the honey bee. By performing this dance, successful foragers can share information about the direction and distance to a good source of food i.e. patches of flowers yielding nectar and pollen, to water sources, or to new nest-site locations with other members of the colony.

34. The Nobel Prize for deciphering the language of bee was awarded to – [I.A.S. (Pre) 1995]

Correct Answer: (b) K.V. Frisch
Solution:

Karl Ritter Von Frisch got Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1973 for his work on the investigation of the sensory perceptions and deciphering the language of the honey bee.

He was the first to interpret the meaning of the waggle dance, which bees use to communicate the distance and direction of food sources. He also demonstrated that bees can be trained to distinguish between tastes and odors and that they use dances to communicate the location of food supplies.

35. Which one is a stimulant? [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2003]

Correct Answer: (c) Cigarette
Solution:Alcohol, marijuana and opium are depressant substances, while cigarette smoke acts as a stimulant.

Depressants

Depressants slow down the messages between the brain and the body - they don't necessarily make you feel depressed. The slower messages affect:

  • your concentration and coordination
  • your ability to respond to what's happening around you.

Small doses of depressants can make you feel relaxed, calm and less inhibited. Larger doses can cause sleepiness, vomiting and nausea, unconsciousness and even death

Stimulants

Stimulants speed up the messages between the brain and the body. This can cause:

  • your heart to beat faster
  • your blood pressure to go up
  • your body temperature to go up - leading to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke
  • reduced appetite
  • agitation
  • sleeplessness.

You can feel more awake, alert, confident or energetic. Larger doses can cause anxiety, panic, seizures, stomach cramps and paranoia.

36. A small pouch containing silica gel is often found in bottles of medicine in tablet or powder form because of silica gel: [I.A.S. (Pre) 2000]

Correct Answer: (c) Absorbs moisture
Solution:

Silica gel is most commonly encountered in everyday life as beads in a small (typically 2 x 3 cm) paper packet. In this form, it is used as a desiccant to control local humidity to avoid spoilage or degradation of packed goods.

Because silica gel can have added chemical indicators and absorbs moisture very well, silica gel packets usually bear warnings for the user not to eat the contents. It is mainly used for the packed medicines.

37. For outstanding contribution to which one of the following fields in Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize given? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2009]

Correct Answer: (c) Science
Solution:

Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar was a well-known Indian scientist, a professor of chemistry for over 19 years. He was the first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and he is revered as the ‘father of research laboratories’.

He was also the first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). To honour his name and achievements, SIR instituted the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, since 1958 for outstanding scientists who made significant contributions to various branches of science.

38. In eye donation, which one of the following parts of donor's eyes is utilized? [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2004, I.A.S. (Pre) 1999, 2001]

Correct Answer: (a) Cornea
Solution:The cornea is the clear, transparent layer in front of the ‘black portion’ of the eye. This part of the eye is used in a donation. It is also the main focusing surface, which converges light rays as they enter the eye to focus on the retina. It is thus the most important part of the optical apparatus of the eye. Loss of transparency directly results in loss of vision.

39. A man feels unpleasant due to humidity and heat. The reason for this is: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1995]

Correct Answer: (c) Sweat does not evaporate due to humidity
Solution:Man feels unpleasant due to humidity and heat because the body - sweat does not evaporate due to humidity. After the evaporation of sweat, we feel cold. When the body gets too warm, it produces sweat, which is then meant to evaporate from the skin.

When the air is humid, it already has a high moisture content, making it harder for sweat to evaporate.

If sweat can't evaporate, it doesn't effectively cool the body, and the body feels hotter. The sweat accumulating on the skin can also lead to a sticky and uncomfortable feeling. In an attempt to cool down, the body may sweat more, which can lead to further discomfort and potential dehydration.

40. Which of the following actions is related with the evaporation of sweat? [Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]

Correct Answer: (b) Endothermic Action
Solution:Evaporation of sweat is a physical endothermic process or action. In this process, body’s heat is evaporated in the form of sweat. It means in this process heat is absorbed from the body cooling it down.

The sweat (produced on the surface of the skin) absorbs heat from the skin to evaporate, thereby creating a cooling effect. Sweating is not an exothermic reaction because it involves physical change only.