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UPSC CSE Prelims 2019 · GS Paper I · Question 96 · Biotechnology & genetics

‘RNA अंतर्क्षेप [RNA इंटरफेरेंस (RNAi)]’ प्रौद्योगिकी ने पिछले कुछ वर्षों में लोकप्रियता हासिल कर…

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2019, General Studies Paper I, Question 96 — Biotechnology & genetics.

Prelims 2019 · Q96

Biotechnology & genetics X-Ray · Core #11 Medium

‘RNA अंतर्क्षेप [RNA इंटरफेरेंस (RNAi)]’ प्रौद्योगिकी ने पिछले कुछ वर्षों में लोकप्रियता हासिल कर ली है। क्यों?

  1. 1.यह जीन अनभिव्यक्तिकरण (जीन साइलेंसिंग) रोगोपचारों के विकास में प्रयुक्त होता है।
  2. 2.इसे कैंसर की चिकित्सा में रोगोपचार विकसित करने हेतु प्रयुक्त किया जा सकता है।
  3. 3.इसे हॉर्मोन प्रतिस्थापन रोगोपचार विकसित करने हेतु प्रयुक्त किया जा सकता है।
  4. 4.इसे ऐसी फसल पादपों को उगाने के लिए प्रयुक्त किया जा सकता है, जो विषाणु रोगजनकों के लिए प्रतिरोधी हो।

नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर सही उत्तर चुनिए।

Read this question in English

'RNA interference (RNAi)' technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?

1. It is used in developing gene silencing therapies.

2. It can be used in developing therapies for the treatment of cancer.

3. It can be used to develop hormone replacement therapies.

4. It can be used to produce crop plants that are resistant to viral pathogens.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1, 2 and 4 · (b) 2 and 3 · (c) 1 and 3 · (d) 1 and 4 only

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (a) 1, 2 और 4

RNA interference is a natural process in which a small RNA switches off a specific gene, so it is used for gene-silencing therapies, is being developed for cancer, and can make plants resist viruses. It is a way of switching genes off, not of supplying a hormone, so statement 3 does not fit.

  • ✓ 1. Synthetic small interfering RNAs use RNAi to modulate gene function. The world's first RNAi drug, for a rare genetic liver disorder, has been approved.
  • ✓ 2. Anticancer RNAi drugs are in development and have reached early clinical trials, although delivering them to tissues other than the liver remains a challenge.
  • ✗ 3. Hormone replacement therapy supplies a hormone the body lacks. RNAi works by silencing a specific gene or mRNA, so it is not the basis of such therapies.
  • ✓ 4. Plants can be engineered to carry sequences that target viral genes, so that RNAi silences the invading virus. NCERT notes that RNAi is a cellular defence that can be triggered by infection with RNA-genome viruses, and describes transgenic RNAi used to make plants resistant to a nematode pest.

Remember · RNAi silences a specific mRNA. Uses: gene-silencing drugs, cancer therapies under development, and virus-resistant crops; it does not supply hormones.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Biology, Ch 10 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Biology, Ch 10 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Biology, Ch 10 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2019, Q96 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2019/q96

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