CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 1 The graph given below highlights the variations

occurring in the levels of ovarian hormones during various
phases of the menstrual cycle.

i. Indicate the source of the hormones marked as A and B

in the graph.
ii. Explain why A peaks before B.

iii. Compare the roles of A and B in menstrual cycle.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. In the given graph, A is oestrogen and is secreted by the

granulosa cells of maturing Graafian follicles. B is
progesterone secreted by corpus luteum.

ii. The release of oestrogen hormone (A) is followed by the

formation and release of progesterone (B) hormone.

iii. The hormone oestrogen brings about changes in the

lining of endometrium through its proliferation.. The
hormone progesterone maintains the endometrium
linings for implantation of the fertilised ovum.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 2

With reference to the diagram of (a) tubectomy and (b)

vasectomy, answer the following questions.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

i. Define sterilisation or surgical method of contraception

to cause any side effects?

ii. Describe the process of tubectomy and vasectomy.

iii. Why these methods are generally not recommended to

couples?

OR

i. Sterilisation or surgical methods are those that involve in

the terminal and permanent modification of
reproductive ducts. Yes, these methods are found to
cause some side effects including irregular
menstruation, nausea, abdominal pain, etc.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

ii. Tubectomy is a sterilisation procedure in females, where

a small part of the Fallopian tube is removed and tied up
through a small incision in the abdomen/vagina, thus
preventing the ovulated egg to enter Fallopian tube.

Vasectomy is sterilisation procedure in males, where a

small part of the vas deferens is removed and tied up
through a small incision on the scrotum, thereby
preventing the sperms to reach urethra.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 3 Scientists have long been altering the genes of food

crops to boost food production and to make crops more pest
or cold resistant. Proponents of GMO says that these crops are
environmental friendly and safe to eat. However, critics claim
that GM crops require increased amount of pesticides and
herbicides herbicides and thus, damages the environment.

i. Giving an example of Bt cotton, prove the critics point

invalid.

ii. Name the Indian organisation which make decisions

regarding the validity of GM research.

iii. State any two potential risks of GM crops.

iv. Name two Indian crops which were biopirated by some

multinational companies.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. Bt cotton produces toxin proteins that kill certain insects

like lepidopterans. coleopterans and dipterans. Thus,
this crop does not require the application of herbicides
and pesticides.

ii. Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).

iii. The potential risks of GM crops are as

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

a. Unintentional introduction of allergens and other

anti-nutritional factor in food crops,

b. Toxin containing containing crops might affect

non-target organisms.

iv. Basmati rice and turmeric, neem.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 4 Almost any disease causing organisms such as bacteria, virus, fungi,
prions, etc., or their toxins can be used as biological weapons. Historical biological
weapons programmes have included efforts to produce aflatoxin, anthrax and
many others. In the bioweapon industry, genetic engineering is used to create new
pathogenic strains through increased survivability, infertility, virulence, etc.

i. List any two characteristics that make bioweapons attractive to countries

and terrorists.

ii. In their natural state, the organisms or toxins do not have the efficiency to
cause the large scale damage compared to their as bioweapon forms.
Explain, how are these natural forms turned into bioweapons.

iii. Genetic modification to this extent can have unpredictable or unforeseen

risks to the living forms and the environment. Comment.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. Two characteristics are

a. Cost Efficiency They are low cost weapons.

b. Large Scale Casualities These weapons can cause more

damage than conventional methods of terrorism.

ii. The bioweapons industry, technique of genetic

engineering is utilised to manipulate, i.e. enhance the
natural palthogenicity of organisms or toxins. At first, the
genetic material of interest is isolated from the subject
organisms.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

● The DNA is fragmented by restriction enzymes.

● Desired fragments of DNA are isolated.

● Amplification is done using PCR.

● Ligation of DNA fragments into vector transfer of rDNA

into host.

● Culturing on large scale, extraction and final processing

of the product.

iii. Genetic modification is unethical. Such manipulations of

living beings can have unpredictable effects on other
living beings and also the environment
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

a. The modified genes can enter the natural forms and

cause them to die.

b. Appearance of new and unexplained mutations.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 5 The techniques of genetic engineering which include reaction

of recombinant DNA using gene cloning and gene transfer, allows us
to isolate and introduce only one or a set of desirable genes without
introducing undesirable genes into the target organism. An alien DNA
is linked with the origin of replication. So that, this alien piece of DNA
can replicate and multiply itself in the host organisms. This can be
called as cloning or making multiple identical copies of any template
DNA. The cutting of DNA at specific locations become possible with the
discovery of the so called-'molecular scissors restriction enzymes.

i. How does exonuclease activity differ from endonuclease?

ii. What will happen once a restriction enzyme find its recognition
sequence?

iii. Explain the action of the restriction endonuclease EcoRI.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. Exonuclease remove nucleotide from the ends of DNA whereas endonuclease

make cuts at specific positions within DNA.

ii. Once restriction enzyme finds its recognition sequence, it binds to DNA and
cuts each of the two strands of double helix at specific points in their sugar-
phosphate backbone.

iii. Restriction endonuclease EcoRI cuts the DNA strands a little away from the
centre of the palindromic sequence, but between the same two bases on the
opposite strands, i.e. G and A, on both the strands. The site of action of
enzyme in palindrome sequence is called recognition site.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

a. Due to this, single-stranded positions called sticky ends,

overhang at the end of each strand.

b. Because of the stickiness, they form hydrogen bonds

with their complementary cut counterparts.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 6 Study the diagram showing replication of

a retrovirus in humans and answer the questions
accordingly.

i. The P labelled in the diagram belongs to the

family of retroviruses. Identify P. Also tell,
what benefit does this impart to this virus
observed at Q?

ii. P is pathogenic to human beings. Elaborate.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

iii. 'AIDS is a well known STD'. What does this means in

regard of its transmission? Are there any other methods
of HIV transmission? If yes, elaborate.

iv. Can AIDS can be prevented? If agreed discuss some

strategies which can be used as preventive measure
against this disease.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. P is HIV, it belongs to the group of virus called retrovirus. These viruses

have an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. At Q, this enzyme
converts viral RNA into single strand of DNA. This allows the HIV to infect
humans and integrate with their cellular DNA. Without reverse
transcriptase, the viral genome would not be able to incorporate into
the host cell and will fail to replicate.
ii. HIV is pathogenic to human beings as it damages the immune system
of the body resulting in the loss of natural defence mechanisms.

During the latent period of infection, dynamic virus replication occurs.

This is achieved by the destruction of T-cells and other cells over a
period of few years. This weakened state of defence increases the
incidence of other opportunistic infections.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

iii. AIDS is an STD which means it can be transmitted

through sexual contact. An infected partner can pass
this disease, if no protection is being used during the
intercourse.

Yes, apart from sexual contact, HIV can be transmitted

through

a. transfusion of unscreened blood.

b. contaminated or unsterilised equipments like needles,

razors, etc.

c. an infected mother to her foetus.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

iv. AIDS can be prevented by keeping following points in

mind

a. Using protection like condoms during intercourse or by

avoiding sex with multiple partners.

b. Using sterilised medical equipments, etc.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 7 Observe the figure given below.

i. Explain the statement-'Natural

selection operates when nature
selects for fitness'.

ii. Explain the three different ways in

which natural selection can affect
the frequency of a heritable trait in
a population shown in above
figure.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. The above stated statement means that the members of a

population vary in characteristics even though they look similar.
The population usually increases exponentially but the limited
natural resources are lead to more competition.

The individuals, which are fit and can adapt themselves are able
to survive. They grow, reproduce and survive. This is called
natural selection as stated by Darwin.

i. The three different ways by which natural selection can affect

the frequency of a heritable trait in a population are
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

a. Stabilisation It results in more number of

individuals acquiring the mean character
value, i.e. variation is much reduced.
b. Directional change It results in more
individuals acquiring value other than
mean character value, i.e. the peak shifts
towards one direction.

c. Disruption In this, more individuals

acquire peripheral character value at both
ends of the distribution curve, i.e. two
peaks are formed at periphery.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 8 The diagram below shows the maturation

of pro-insulin to insulin.

i. Name the source from which insulin was

extracted earlier. Why is this insulin no more
in use by diabetic people?

ii. Explain the process of synthesis of insulin by

Eli Lilly company. Name the technique used
by the company.

iii. How is the insulin produced by human body

different from the insulin produced by the
above mentioned company?
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

a. Insulin was extracted earlier from pancreas of slaughtered pigs and

cattle animals. Insulin obtained from these sources caused some
allergy or some other reactions to the foreign protein.

b. An American company Eli Lilly produced insulin via recombinant DNA

technology in 1983. Insulin production by using recombinant DNA
technology is shown in flow chart below DNA sequences
corresponding to the two polypeptides, i.e. A and B-chains of insulin
are synthesised in vitro.

↓
They are introduced into plasmid DNA of E. coli
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

This bacterium is cloned under suitable conditions

The transgene is expressed in the form of polypeptides, i.e. A

and B-chains secreted into the medium

They are extracted and combined by creating disulphide

bridge to form human insulin.

iii. Differences between insulin produced by rDNA and

insulin produced by human pancreas are as follows
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Insulin produced by rDNA Insulin produced by human pancreas

It has A and B-polypeptides. It has three polypeptides. A, B and C-

chains before maturing, called the
pro-hormone.

It directly synthesises mature It undergoes processing to form

hormone. mature and functional hormone.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 9 Study the schematic representation of the genes invoved in the

lac operon given below and answer the questions that follow.

p i p o Z y a

i. A repressor molecule has blocked the operator gene. Will this

bacterium be able to utilise lactose present in its surroundings?

ii. Under what conditions the repressor molecule would be unable to

attach itself to operator gene?

iii. The active site for enzyme produce by z-gene has been blocked by
a molecule P. How will this affect the activity of the operon?

iv. So, when does the lac operon really turns on?
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. A repressor proteins when bind to the operator gene, prevents the transcription
of the structural genes in the operation. Thus, the bacteria would not be able to
take up lactose from its surroundings.

ii. The repressor molecule is unable to attach itself to the operator gene when an
inducer (e.g. lactose) binds to the repressor. The binding of an inducer to a
repressor molecule inactivates repressor inturn rendering the repressor
incapable of binding to operator gene.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

iii. Gene z in lac operon codes for an enzyme β-galactosidase, which breaks
lactose into glucose and galactose.

If P blocks, the gene, z then enzyme β-galactosidase, will not be created. As a

result, the level of glucose will rise in the cell, eventually causing the operon to
shut down.

iv. The lac operon will be expressed if following conditions are fulfilled
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

a. Glucose is unavailable In this case, CAMP will bind to

CAP. As a result, CAP can bind to DNA which helps RNA
polymerase in attaching to the promoter.

b. If lactose is available Lactose is inducer for lac operon. It

binds to operator, causing repressor to be released from
operator. This allows RNA polymerase to move forward
on DNA and transcribe the operon.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Que. 10 Study the diagram of a vector which

carry a foreign DNA segment and replicates
inside the host and answer the questions that
follows

i. What is the significance of pBR322 that is

shown in the figure? Also mention the
significance of rop, ampR and tetR?

ii. What do you mean by ori? What do the

letters 'pBR' in pBR322 indicate?

iii. How is copy number of the plasmid vector

related to yield of recombinant protein ?
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.

i. pBR322 is an E. coli cloning vector. It is small, autonomously replicating circular,

extrachromosomal and double-stranded DNA molecule. rop in pBR322 encodes
for protein involved in replication of plasmid. amp and tet are called selectable
marker and are resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline, respectively. They help
to differentiate recombinants from non-recombinants easily.

ii. ori stands for Origin of Replication. It is a sequence from where replication starts
and any piece of DNA, when linked to the sequence, can be made to replicate
within the host cell.

In pBR322, 'p' indicates that it is a plasmid and BR stands for Boliver and
Rodriguez who constructed this plasmid.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

iii. The recombinant DNA can multiply as many times as the

copy number of the plasmid vector, thereby determining
the yield of recombinant protein. So, higher the copy
number of the plasmid vector, higher will be the yield of
recombinant protein.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Question :

We use microbes or products which are derived from them

every day. A common example is the production of curd
from milk. Micro-organisms such as Lactobacillus and
others commonly called lactic acid bacteria (LAB) grow in
milk and convert it to curd. The dough, which is used for
making foods such as dosa and idli is also fermented by
bacteria. A number of traditional drinks and foods are also
made by fermentation by microbes. ‘Toddy’, a traditional
drink in some parts of southern India is made by fermenting
sap from palms. The ‘Roquefort cheese’ is ripened by
growing specific fungi on them, which gives them a
particular flavour. Different varieties of cheese are known by
their characteristic texture, flavour and taste, the specificity
coming from the microbes used.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans. Which of the following organisms is used in the production of beverages?

Penicillium notatum

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Aspergillus niger

Clostridium butylicum
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans. Microbes are present in

soil

thermal vents

polluted water

all of these
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used primarily for

Baking

Bleaching

Biofuel

None of the above

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Ans.The large holes in ‘Swiss cheese’ are due to

production of a large amount of CO2

production of O2

due to the presence of water

none of these
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Case Study 1: Nondisjunction is the failure of homologous chromosomes to disjoin

correctly during meiosis. It leads to the formation of a new cell with an abnormal
amount of genetic material. A number of clinical conditions are the result of this type
of chromosomal mutation. This results in the production of gametes containing a
greater or lesser chromosomal amount than normal ones. Consequently, the
individual may develop a trisomy or monosomal syndrome. Nondisjunction can
occur in both Meiosis I and Meiosis II of the cellular division. It is also the main cause of
many genetic disorders; however, its origin and process remain vague. Although it
results in the majority of cases from errors in maternal meiosis II, both paternal and
maternal meiosis I do influence it. Maternal age is considered a risk factor for trisomy,
as well as recombination alterations and many others that can affect chromosomal
segregation.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q1. Which of the following conclusions can be true regarding aneuploidy?

It is the presence of an extra chromosome in a diploid cell.

An aneuploid cell differs from other cells only in size.

It can be less number of chromosomes in a diploid cell.

Aneuploidy always affects female individuals.

i only

both i and iii

both ii and iii

i, iii and iv
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q2. Considering the different phases of meiosis, select the correct statements from the
following.

Errors in meiosis I is the only cause of aneuploidy

Aneuploidy always affects sex chromosomes.

Most of the aneuploidy results from errors in cell division involved in egg formation.

Nondisjunction in meiosis I can lead to more abnormal cells than disjunction in meiosis II.

I only
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

I only

both I and iii

both iii and iv

I, iii and iv

Answer: C
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

: The type of genetic disorders mainly caused by chromosomal non-disjunction is

Chromosomal disorders

Mendelian disorders

Incomplete dominance

All the above

Answer: A
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Case Study 2: A Representative Diagram of the Human Genome Project:

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q1: In the history of Biology, the Human Genome Project led to the development of:

Biotechnology

Biomonitoring

Bioinformatics

Biosystematics

Answer: A
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q2: Name a free living, non-pathogenic nematode, the DNA of which has been completely
sequenced.

Answer: Caenorhabditis elegans

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q3: Summarize the methodology adopted in the Human Genome Project.

Answer: Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs): The approach focused on identifying all the
genes that are expressed as RNA.

Sequence Annotation: The other took the blind approach of simply sequencing the whole
set of genome that contained all the coding and non-coding sequence, and later
assigning different regions in the sequence with functions.
 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q4: What are SNPs’? How are they useful in human genomics?

Answer: SNPs are single nucleotide polymorphisms, pronounced as ‘snips’.

Identify disease-causing genes in humans

Can be used to understand the molecular mechanisms of sequence evolution.

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Q5: Mention at least four salient features of the Human Genome Project.

Answer: Four salient features of the Human Genome Project:

 CASE BASED QUESTIONS | CLASS 12th

Human genome contains 3164.7 million bp.

Average gene consists of 3000 bases, but sizes vary greatly.

Almost all (99.9 percent) nucleotide bases are exactly the same in all people.

Less than 2 percent of the genome codes for proteins.