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Prelims 2021 paper

UPSC CSE Prelims 2021 · GS Paper I · Question 69 · Human body, health & diseases

निम्नलिखित पर विचार कीजिए : जीवाणु

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper I, Question 69 — Human body, health & diseases.

Prelims 2021 · Q69

Human body, health & diseases Easy

निम्नलिखित पर विचार कीजिए :

  1. 1.जीवाणु
  2. 2.कवक
  3. 3.विषाणु

उपर्युक्त में से किन्हें कृत्रिम/संश्लेषित माध्यम में संवर्धित किया जा सकता है?

Read this question in English

Consider the following:

1. Bacteria

2. Fungi

3. Virus

Which of the above can be cultured in artificial/synthetic medium?

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

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (a) केवल 1 और 2

Bacteria and fungi are living cells that can feed and multiply on a lab-made nutrient medium, so they can be cultured in it. A virus has no cell machinery of its own and multiplies only inside a living host cell, so it cannot grow in a cell-free artificial medium.

  • ✓ 1. Bacteria grow as visible colonies on nutrient-rich gel or broth in a petri dish.
  • ✓ 2. Fungi also grow as colonies in a petri dish on a suitable nutrient medium.
  • ✗ 3. Viruses are acellular and multiply only after entering a living cell. To grow them, labs use living cells (cell culture, or fertilised eggs), not a synthetic medium.

Remember · Bacteria and fungi grow on artificial nutrient media; viruses need living host cells, so they cannot be cultured on a synthetic medium alone.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Biology, Ch 8 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Curiosity, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2021, Q69 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2021/q69

In the UPSC syllabus: Human body, health & diseases › Microbes, viruses & antimicrobial resistance See it and tick it covered →

Timed · 30 minutes Take Science & technology · Set 3 as a test This question is in it — with UPSC's marking and an instant score. Start the set Or the whole 2021 paper →

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