🌸Chapter 10
Biotechnology: Biotechnology & Its Applications
(2 Marks)
A. Introduction to Biotechnology
(Q1–10)
1.
Define
biotechnology.
Answer: Biotechnology is the use of living organisms or their components
to develop useful products, improve plants and animals, or develop new medical
therapies.
2.
Name
the four main branches of biotechnology.
Answer: Red, Green, White, and Blue biotechnology.
3.
What
is red biotechnology?
Answer: Red biotechnology refers to medical and healthcare applications
like vaccines, gene therapy, and production of therapeutic proteins.
4.
What
is green biotechnology?
Answer: Green biotechnology involves agricultural applications like crop
improvement, pest-resistant plants, and biofertilizers.
5.
Give
an example of white biotechnology.
Answer: Industrial fermentation to produce biofuels or microbial
enzymes.
6.
Which
branch of biotechnology deals with marine organisms?
Answer: Blue biotechnology.
7.
Why
are microbes commonly used in biotechnology?
Answer: Because they grow fast, are easy to manipulate, and produce
useful products like enzymes, antibiotics, and biofuels.
8.
Give
an example of a bacterium used in biotechnology.
Answer: E. coli – used for insulin production.
9.
Give
an example of a fungus used in biotechnology.
Answer: Saccharomyces cerevisiae – used in alcohol and bread
production.
10.
Give
an example of an alga used in biotechnology.
Answer: Chlorella – used in biofuel production and as a protein
supplement.
B. Recombinant DNA Technology
(Q11–20)
11.
What
is recombinant DNA?
Answer: Recombinant DNA is a DNA molecule formed by combining DNA from
two different sources.
12.
Name
the enzyme used to cut DNA at specific sequences.
Answer: Restriction enzyme (or endonuclease).
13.
Name
the enzyme used to join DNA fragments.
Answer: DNA ligase.
14.
What
is a plasmid?
Answer: Plasmid is a small, circular DNA molecule in bacteria used as a
vector in genetic engineering.
15.
Give
one application of recombinant DNA technology.
Answer: Production of human insulin in E. coli.
16.
What
is a vector in genetic engineering?
Answer: A vector is a DNA molecule that carries a foreign gene into a
host cell.
17.
What
is transformation in biotechnology?
Answer: Transformation is the process of introducing recombinant DNA
into a host organism.
18.
Name
a GM crop developed using recombinant DNA.
Answer: Bt cotton – contains Bacillus thuringiensis gene for pest
resistance.
19.
What
is Golden Rice?
Answer: Golden Rice is genetically modified to produce beta-carotene
(Vitamin A precursor).
20.
What
is PCR used for?
Answer: PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is used to amplify specific DNA
sequences.
C. Gene Therapy & Stem Cells
(Q21–30)
21.
Define
gene therapy.
Answer: Gene therapy is the treatment of genetic disorders by
introducing normal genes into a patient’s cells.
22.
Give
an example of a disease treated by gene therapy.
Answer: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID).
23.
What
are stem cells?
Answer: Stem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of dividing and
differentiating into specialized cell types.
24.
Give
one source of stem cells.
Answer: Bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, or embryos.
25.
What
are hematopoietic stem cells?
Answer: Stem cells in bone marrow that produce blood cells.
26.
What
is the difference between pluripotent and multipotent stem cells?
Answer: Pluripotent stem cells can form most cell types; multipotent
stem cells can form a limited number of related cell types.
27.
What
is a transgenic animal?
Answer: An animal that carries a foreign gene inserted into its genome.
28.
Give
one application of transgenic animals.
Answer: Production of therapeutic proteins like insulin or clotting
factors.
29.
Who
was Dolly the sheep?
Answer: Dolly was the first cloned mammal from an adult somatic cell.
30.
Define
cloning.
Answer: Cloning is the process of producing genetically identical copies
of an organism.
D. Microbial Biotechnology (Q31–40)
31.
What
is fermentation?
Answer: Fermentation is the process in which microbes convert substrates
into valuable products like alcohol, antibiotics, or acids.
32.
Give
one example of a microbe used for alcohol production.
Answer: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast).
33.
Which
microbe produces penicillin?
Answer: Penicillium fungus.
34.
Name
a microbe used in biofertilizers.
Answer: Rhizobium – fixes atmospheric nitrogen.
35.
What
is single cell protein (SCP)?
Answer: Protein-rich microbial biomass used as food or animal feed.
36.
Give
one application of microbial biotechnology in the environment.
Answer: Bioremediation – using microbes to degrade pollutants.
37.
Which
microbe is used in vinegar production?
Answer: Acetobacter – converts ethanol to acetic acid.
38.
What
are probiotics?
Answer: Beneficial microbes that improve gut health.
39.
Name
an enzyme produced industrially by microbes.
Answer: Amylase, protease, or lipase.
40.
What
is biogas?
Answer: Biogas is a mixture of methane and CO₂ produced by anaerobic
digestion of organic waste by microbes.
E. Plant Biotechnology (Q41–50)
41.
What
is plant tissue culture?
Answer: Growing plant cells, tissues, or organs in artificial nutrient
media under sterile conditions.
42.
What
is an explant?
Answer: A small piece of plant tissue used to initiate tissue culture.
43.
What
is a callus in plant tissue culture?
Answer: Undifferentiated mass of plant cells formed from an explant.
44.
What
is micropropagation?
Answer: Mass production of plants using tissue culture techniques.
45.
Which
plant hormone induces shoot formation in tissue culture?
Answer: Cytokinin.
46.
Which
plant hormone induces root formation in tissue culture?
Answer: Auxin.
47.
What
is the role of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in plant biotechnology?
Answer: It is used as a vector to transfer foreign genes into plant
cells.
48.
What
are somaclones?
Answer: Plants derived from tissue culture that are genetically
identical.
49.
What
is the purpose of hardening in tissue culture?
Answer: Acclimatizing tissue-cultured plants to natural environmental
conditions.
50.
Give
one example of a genetically modified plant.
Answer: Bt cotton or Golden Rice.
