Previous Year Questions

QUESTION ID:2

The mismatch-repair activity of E. coli repairs mis-incorporated bases which is not removed by the proofreading activity of DNA polymerase. However, while doing so, it has to decide which strand of the DNA is newly synthesized and which one is parental. Mismatch repair system does it by which one of the following ways?

QUESTION ID:3

Following statements are made in relation to the five widely recognized stages of Arabidopsis embryogenesis:

A. The fusion of haploid egg and sperm takes place in globular stage

B. Rapid cell division in two regions on either side of the future shoot apex forms heart stage

C. The cell elongation throughout the embryo axis and further development result in torpedo stage

D. The embryo loses water and becomes metabolically inactive in the zygotic stage

Which combination of the above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:4

Physical attachment between cells important in imparting strength in tissues. Various physical cell junctions in vertebrate epithelial tissues are classified according to their primary functions. Enlisted below in column A is the major function of a particular junction and column B enlists cell junctions, but the same order

Choose the correct combination:

QUESTION ID:5

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) consist of three protein subunits α, β and γ. In unstimulated state, α-subunit is GDP bound and GPCR is inactive. When GPCR gets activated, it acts like guanine nucleotide exchange (GEF) factor and induces α-subunit to release its bound GDP allowing GTP to bind in its place. In order to regulate G-protein activity by regulating GDP/GTP concentration, α subunit acts as 

QUESTION ID:6

Cellular level of tumour suppressor protein p53 is maintained by the ubiquitin ligase protein, Mdm(2) Over expression of Mdm2 was found to convert a normal cell into cancer cells by destabilizing p5(3) Another protein p19ARF inhibits the activity of Mdm2 thus stabilizing p5(3) Loss of p19ARF function also converts normal cells into cancer cells. Based on the above information, which one of the following statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:7

Instructive and permissive interactions are two major modes of inductive interaction during development. The following compares some properties of cell lines and cord blood stem cells. Cell lines which are stored in liquid nitrogen, can be retrieved for experiments, where they behave as per their original self. Cord blood can also be retrieved from liquid nitrogen for procuring stem cells. Unlike cell lines, the stem cells can be additionally induced to undergo differentiation into desired lineage, which are very different from their original self. The behaviour of cell lines and stem cells is analogous to which of the interactions?

QUESTION ID:8

The following are statements regarding the development and maintenance of anterior and posterior compartments in each segment of Drosophila:

A. Expression of wingless and engrailed is activated by pair-rule genes

B. continued expression of wingless and engrailed is maintained by interaction between the cells expressing engrailed and wingless proteins

C. Hedgehog is expressed wingless expressing cells and forms short range gradient

D. Hedgehog is a transcription factor

E. Engrailed is a secretory factor and binds with the patched receptor of the wingless expressing cells.

Which one of the following combination of above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:9

In C. elegans, an anchor cell and a few hypodermal cells take part in the formation of vulva. The experiment performed to understand the role of these cells in vulva formation and the results obtained are as follows:

-If the anchor cell is killed by laser beam, hypodermal cells do not participate in vulva formation and no vulva develops.

- If six hypodermal cells closely located with anchor cell (called vulval precursor cells) are killed, no vulva develops

- lf the three central vulval precursor are destroyed, the three outer cells, which normally form hypodermis, take the fate of vulval cells instead.

Following are certain statements regarding vulva formation:

A. Anchor cells acts as an inducer

B. Six hypodermal cells with the potential to form vulva form an equivalence group.

C. Three, out of six, hypodermal cells participate in vulva formation

D. The central cell functions as the 10 cell and the two cells on both side act as the 20 cells

E. The 10 cell secretes a short range juxtacrine signal

Which combinations of the above statements have been derived from the above experimental results?

QUESTION ID:10

There are various subclasses of antibodies found in body fluids and body secretion. Many different functions may be attributed to these subclasses. Given below in column I is major functions I different subclasses and column II consists of the name of subclass.Select the correct combination:

QUESTION ID:11

Successful fertilization in sea urchin demands specific interaction between proteins and receptors of sperms and eggs. In view of the above, which one of the following combinations is correct?

QUESTION ID:12

The relation between cellular immune response generated against hepatitis C virus is the critical determinant of the outcome of infection. Given below are the representative figures of cellular immune response in column I and various outcome of infection in columnChoose the best possible combination

QUESTION ID:13

Following are certain statements regarding morphogen gradients and cell specification.

A. Morphogens are always transcription factors.

B. Morphogens can be paracrine factors that are produced in one group of cells and travel to another population of cells

C. When the concentration of a morphogen drops below a certain threshold cells stop differentiating and never get determined to another fate.

D. Morphogen gradients are involved in conditional specification.

Which combination of the above statements is true?

QUESTION ID:14

Which one of the following state about the nuclear receptor super family is NOT true?

QUESTION ID:15

The nodulation (nod) genes are classified as common nod genes or host specific nod genes. Some statements related to such classification are given below:

A. nodA is a common nod gene and nodC is a host specific gene.

B. nodB is a common nod gene and nodP is a host specific gene.

C. nodQ is a common nod gene and nodA is a host specific gene.

D. nodH is a common nod gene and nodQ is a host specific gene.

Choose the correct answer from the above statements:

QUESTION ID:16

Following are certain statements regarding CO2 assimilation in higher plants:

A. The action of aldolase enzyme during Calvin-Benson cycle produces fructose 1,6-bisphosphate.

B. The conversion of glycine to serine takes place in mitochondria during C2 oxidative photosynthetic carbon cycle.

C. During C4, carbon cycle, NAD-malic enzyme releases the CO2 from the 4-carbon acid, malate yielding a 3 carbon acid, pyruvate.

D. Malic acid during crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is stored in mitochondria during dark and released back to cytosol during day.

Which one of the following combinations of above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:17

Following are certain statements regarding terpene class of secondary metabolites in plants:

A. Isopentenyl diphosphate and its isomer combine to form larger terpenes.

B. Diterpenes are 20 carbon compounds.

C. All terpenes are derived from the union of 4-carbon elements.

D. Pyrethroids are monoterpene esters.

Which one of the following combination of above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:18

A convenient and reasonably reliable indicator of the time of ovulation is usually a rise in the basal body temperature, possibly because progesterone is thermogenic. Of the four situations given below, which one is ideal for ensuring pregnancy after intercourse?

QUESTION ID:19

The difference in circulation between glomerular capillaries (GC) and true capillaries (TC) are described by a researcher in the following statements:

A. The hydrostatic pressure in GC is higher than that in TC

B. The endothelial cells are fenestrated in GC but not in TC

C. Both filtration and fluid movement into capillary takes place in TC but only filtration occurs in GC.

D. The plasma colloid osmotic pressures in both the ends of GC or TC are similar.

Which one of the following is NOT correct?

QUESTION ID:20

After hemorrhage, a subject develops hypovolemia and hypotension. Following are some of the statements regarding homeostatic measure taken by the body after hemorrhage.

A. Increased release of vasopressin

B. Increased water retention and reduced plasma osmolality

C. Increased rate of afferent discharge from low pressure receptors of vascular system

D. Decreased rate of afferent discharge from high pressure receptors of vascular system

Which one of the following is NOT correct in this condition?

QUESTION ID:21

When rods of retina kept in dark, were exposed to light, photo transduction occurred. Following are some explanations given by a researcher regarding phototransduction:

A. Activation of transducin

B. Inhibition of cGMP phosphodiesterase

C. Closure of Na channels

D. Hyperpolarization of rods

Which one did NOT occur in phototransduction

QUESTION ID:22

Examples of many factors that regulate plant height in response to gibberellic acid (GA) are listed below:

A. Binding of a GA bound repressor to the promoter of the DELLA domain containing GRAS protein gene and blocking its expression.

B. Binding of the GA receptor complex to GRAS.

C. Directing GRAS for ubiquitination and degradation by the 26S proteasome.

D. Micro RNA directed down regulation of the GRAS protein expression.

Which one of the following combinations is correct?

QUESTION ID:23

A visitor to a region of hot climate is more distressed by the heat than the regular resident. Within a few weeks, the visitor is more comfortable with the heat and capacity for work is increased. Following are some of the explanations given by a researcher regarding acclimatization to heat.

A. Sweating begins at a lower body temperature

B. Blood flow through skin is high for any body temperature

C. There is rise in resting body temperature O. Vasoconstriction starts at a lower body temperature

Which one of the following is NOT true?

QUESTION ID:24

Ethylene is an important plant hormone that regulates several aspects of plant growth and development. Some statements are given below in relation to ethylene signalling pathways:

A. Unbound ethylene receptors work as positive regulators of the response pathway

B. There are more than two ethylene receptors known to date.

C. The carboxy terminal half of the ethylene receptor, ETR1 (Ethylene response 1), contains a domain homologous to histidine kinase catalytic domain.

D. EIN2 (Ethylene insensitive 2) encodes a transmembrane protein. The ein2 mutation promotes ethylene responses in both seedlings and adult Arabidopsis plants.

Which combination of the above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:25

The afferent nerve fibres of a stretch reflex were electrically stimulated and the contraction of the muscle intervated by efferent fibres was recorded. The synaptic delay was calculated from the time points of the nerve stimulation and response of the muscle. Which one of the following time durations will be probable value for the observed synaptic delay?

QUESTION ID:26

Many factors related to the role of abscisic acid (ABA) in contributing to drought, cold and salt resistance in plants are listed below:

A. The transcription factors DREB 1 and DREB2 bind to the cis-acting elements of the promoter of ABA responsive genes in an ABA dependent manner.

B. ABA induces many genes such as LEA and RD29.

C. ABA-responsive genes contain six nucleotide ABRE elements in the promoter.

D. Nine-nucleotide dehydration- responsive elements (ORE) are present in ABA responsive genes.

Which one of the following combinations of the~ above statements is correct with respect to ABA?

QUESTION ID:27

The following diagram shows meiotic pairing in an inversion heterozygote and a point where single crossing over has occurredThe resulting gametes produced may have

A. the chromosome having normal gene sequence

B. the chromosome having inverted gene sequence

C. a dicentric chromosome with duplication and deletion

D. an acentric chromosome having duplication and deletion

E. the chromosome having duplication and deletion

Which of the following combination will be most appropriate for the diagram shown:

QUESTION ID:28

Two siblings who inherit 50% of the genome from the mother and 50% from the father show lot of phenotypic differences. Which one of the following events during gametogenesis of the parents will maximally contribute to this difference?

QUESTION ID:29

Of the following, which one of the individuals will NOT necessarily carry the allele responsible for the mentioned trait?

QUESTION ID:30

Three somatic hybrid cell lines, designated as X, Y and Z, have been scored for the presence or absence of chromosomes 1 through 8, as well as fortheir ability to produce the hypothetical gene product A, B, C and D as shown in the following table:Which of the following option has most appropriately assigned chromosomes for each of the given genes?

QUESTION ID:31

In an organism, expression of gene 'X' is induced in the presence of a hormone genetic analysis showed that the hormonal signal is transduced through two proteins Let1 and Let2. The expression of gene 'X' was studied in lines over expressing (OE) the active Let proteins, knock out (KO) of the Let proteins or combination of both. Results of expression of gene 'X' in presence of the hormone is summarized below:

Based on the above, which one of the following pathways best fits the observation made? 

QUESTION ID:32

Consider the following hypothetical pathway: H allele converts X substance to H substance h allele cannot convert X to H substance and leads to phenotype 'O' A allele converts H substance leading to A phenotype a allele cannot convert H substance B allele converts H substance leading to B phenotype b allele cannot convert H substance An individual with A phenotype when crossed with that of B phenotype has a progeny with O phenotype. Which one of the following crosses can lead to the above observation?

QUESTION ID:33

The following are matches made between adult animals and their larval forms

A. Copepods- Nauplius

B. Sea cucumber- Zoea

C. Sea urchin- Echinopleuteus

D. crabs- AuriculariaE. Star fish - BipinnariaF. Brittle star- Ophiopleuteus

Which one of the combinations below reflects INCORRECT matches?

QUESTION ID:34

researcher conducts a standard test to identify enteric bacteria (A, B, C) on the basis of their biochemical properties. The result is given in the following tableBased on the above, the identified bacteria A, B and C are most probably

QUESTION ID:35

Which of the following statements about the birth rates (b1, b2) and death rates (d1, d2) of species 1 and 2 indicated in the figure is NOT true?

QUESTION ID:36

The Phylogenetic tree of amniote vertebrates is given in diagramThe groups labeled A, B, C, D are

QUESTION ID:37

Which of the following is the correct match of the algal group with its food reserve?

QUESTION ID:38

Following is a cladogram of the major taxonomic groups of the angiosperms:Groups A-E represent respectively:

QUESTION ID:39

Important chemical reactions involved in nutrient cycling in ecosystems are given below:The organisms associated with these chemical reactions are

QUESTION ID:40

The following are some important features which are commonly associated with animal development:

A. Position of anus development with respect to blastopore

B. Method of cell division

C. Mechanism of coelom formation

D. Cleavage pattern during egg development Based on the above,

which one of the following combinations differentiate the development of deuterostomes from that of protostomes?

QUESTION ID:41

In a population of effective Population size Ne with rate of neutral mutation μo, the frequency of heterozygotes per nucleotide per site at equilibrium between mutation and genetic drift is calculated as

QUESTION ID:42

In a field experiment, autotrophs are provided a 14C-labelled carbon compound for photosynthesis. Radioactivity (14C) levels were then monitored at regular intervals in all the trophic levels. In which ecosystem is the radioactivity likely to be detected fastest at the primary carnivore level?

QUESTION ID:43

Following table shows the presence (+) or absence (-) of five species in three communities (A, B, C):Based on the above, which of the following is the correct order of similarity between two pairs of communities?

QUESTION ID:44

A Population is growing logistically with a growth rate (r) of 0.15/week, in an environment with a carrying capacity of 400. What is the maximum growth rate (No) of individuals/week) that this population can achieve?

QUESTION ID:45

Following table shows the number of individuals of five tree species in a community;Based on the above, the Simpsons diversity (DS) index of the community will be

QUESTION ID:46

The "Red Queen Hypothesis" is related to

QUESTION ID:47

Individual A can derive fitness benefit of 160 units by helping Individual B, but incurs a fitness cost of 50 units in doing so following Hamilton’s rule, A should help B ONLY if B is his

QUESTION ID:48

In several populations, each of size N =20, if genetic drift results in a change in the relative frequencies of alleles,A. What is the rate of increase per generation in the proportion of populations in which the allele is lost or fixed?B. What is the rate of decrease per generation in each allele frequency class between 0 and 1?The correct answer for A and B is:

QUESTION ID:49

 Which Of the following X-Y relationships does NOT follow the pattern shown in the graph?

QUESTION ID:50

The following statements are related to plant tissue culture

A. Friable callus provides the inoculum to form cell-suspension cultures.

B. The process known as 'habituation' refers to the property of callus loosing the requirement of auxin and/or cytokinin during long term culture.

C. Cellulase and pectinase enzymes are usually used for generating protoplast cultures.

D. During somatic embryo development, torpedo stage embryo is formed before heart stage embryo.

Which one of the following combinations of above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:51

Glucose in the blood is detected by four different methods (a, b, c and d). The sensitivity and range of detection of glucose by these four methods is shown below. Clinically relevant concentration of glucose in blood is between 80 - 250 mg/dL Which of the following method is most appropriate?

QUESTION ID:52

Which one of the following statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:53

During an experiment; a student found increased activity of a protein, for which there were three possible explanations, viz., increased expression of the protein, increased phosphorylation, or increased interaction with other effector proteins. After conducting several experiments, the student concluded that increased activity was due to increased phosphorylation. Which one of the following experiments will NOT support/provide the correct explanation drawn by the student?

QUESTION ID:54

As cancer progresses, several genome rearrangements including translocation, deletion, duplications etc. Occur. If these rearrangements are to be identified, which of the following techniques would be most suitable?

QUESTION ID:55

A mixture of two proteins was subjected to following three chromatographic columns:(a) Cation exchange,(b) Size exclusion (Sephadex 100) and (c) Reverse phase. Following elution profiles were obtained Which of the following statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:56

student noted the following points regarding Agrobacterium tumefaciens:

A. tumefaciens is a gram-negative soil bacterium.

B. Opine catabolism genes are present in T- DNA region of Ti-plasmid.

C. Opines are synthesized by condensation of amino acids and alpha -ketoacids or amino acids and sugars.

D. A callus culture of crown gall tissue caused by A. tumefaciens in plants can be multiplied without adding phytohormones.

Which one of the combinations of above statements is correct?

QUESTION ID:57

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching in live cells is used to determine

QUESTION ID:58

A researcher is studying the subcellular localization of a particular protein 'X' in an animal cell. The researcher performs successive centrifugation at increasing rotor speed. The researcher starts spinning the cellular homogenate at 600g for 10 min, collects the pellet, spins the supernatant at 10,000 g for 20 min, collects the pellet, spins the supernatant at 100,000g for 1 hour, collects both the pellet and the final supernatant. On subjecting various pellets and the final supernatant to Western blotting with anti-protein-X antibody, the protein X is, observed to be maximally expressed in pellet after centrifugation at 10,000 g. Based on the above observation, what will be the most likely localization of protein X.

QUESTION ID:59

You have transiently expressed a new protein (for which no antibody is available) in a cell line to establish structure function relationship. Which one of the following strategies is the most straight forward way to examine the expression profile of this new protein?