Prelims · Science & technology · 30 questions

Biotechnology & genetics

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Prelims 2018 · Q63

Medium

With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements:

1.GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide variety of pests.
2.GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridization.
3.GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 only

Only statement 2 is correct. India's GM mustard hybrid (DMH-11) carries the barnase, barstar and bar genes, which give a pollination-control system for producing hybrid seed. It was developed at the University of Delhi, not by IARI and Punjab Agricultural University, and its genes do not give pest resistance.

✗ 1. The transgenes are barnase (makes the plant male-sterile), barstar (restores fertility) and bar (tolerance to the herbicide Basta, and a marker for selecting transformed lines). None is a pest-resistance gene like Bt.
✓ 2. The barnase-barstar system controls pollination, so two chosen diverse parent lines can be cross-pollinated to make a high-yielding hybrid.
✗ 3. It was developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP), University of Delhi South Campus, and cleared by the GEAC in 2022, not by IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.

Remember · GM mustard DMH-11 (Delhi University's CGMCP) uses the barnase-barstar-bar genes for hybrid seed production through pollination control, not for pest resistance.

Sources

ICAR: Genetically modified (GM) Mustard hybrid will boost production and productivity ↗ “A robust pollination control system is required that would facilitate cross-pollination to help develop hybrids between any two selected diverse parental lines.”
PIB: Statement by Secretary DARE and DG ICAR on GM mustard ↗ “In India, the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP), University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi has made a successful attempt with some alterations in the barnase/ barstar system”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2018 · Q64

Easy

Consider the following pairs:

	Terms sometimes seen in news	Context/Topic
1.	Belle II experiment	Artificial Intelligence
2.	Blockchain technology	Digital/Cryptocurrency
3.	CRISPR – Cas9	Particle Physics

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 only

Only the blockchain pair is right. Blockchain is the technology behind cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Belle II is a particle-physics experiment in Japan, and CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene-editing tool used in biotechnology.

✗ 1. Belle II is a particle-physics experiment at the SuperKEKB collider at KEK, Tsukuba, Japan. It studies rare decays of B and D mesons and tau leptons, with an Indian team led by TIFR.
✓ 2. Blockchain is a shared, distributed ledger. NITI Aayog notes that it is the Bitcoin paper of 2008 that is most credited for the advent of the technology, so it is closely tied to digital currency.
✗ 3. CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome-editing technology; the Cas9 enzyme cuts DNA at a location set by a guide RNA. It belongs to biotechnology, not particle physics.

Remember · Belle II = particle physics (KEK, Japan); blockchain = ledger behind cryptocurrencies; CRISPR-Cas9 = gene editing.