Prelims · Science & technology · 30 questions

Biotechnology & genetics

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Prelims 2022 · Q39

Medium

In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements:

1.The Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using mRNA platform.
2.Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector based platform.
3.COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen based vaccine.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Sputnik V is a vector vaccine and COVAXIN is a whole-virus inactivated vaccine. Statement 1 is wrong because Covishield, made by the Serum Institute of India, is a viral-vector vaccine (adenovirus carrier), not an mRNA vaccine.

✗ 1. Covishield is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced in India by the Serum Institute. It uses a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus as a carrier, so it is a viral-vector vaccine. No mRNA is involved.
✓ 2. Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) from Russia's Gamaleya Institute is a combined vector vaccine given in two components.
✓ 3. COVAXIN by Bharat Biotech, developed with ICMR-NIV, uses a whole-virion inactivated Vero-cell platform: dead virus that cannot infect but still trains the immune system.

Remember · Covishield and Sputnik V: viral-vector vaccines. COVAXIN: inactivated whole virus. ZyCoV-D: DNA. mRNA is the Pfizer and Moderna type.

Sources

PIB, Marking the first year of COVID-19 Vaccination (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “The COVISHIELD vaccine contains a weakened strain of a common cold virus (adenovirus) from chimpanzees. … COVAXIN uses an inactivated virus platform, Zycov-D is a DNA vaccine, Covishield a viral vector vaccine”
PIB, National Regulator grants permission for restricted use in emergency situations to Sputnik-V vaccine (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “import and market Gam-COVID-Vac combined vector vaccine, popularly called Sputnik-V, developed by M/s Gamaleya Institute, Russia”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q99

Medium

Consider the following statements:

DNA Barcoding can be a tool to:

1.assess the age of a plant or animal.
2.distinguish among species that look alike.
3.identify undesirable animal or plant materials in processed foods.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 2 and 3

DNA barcoding identifies which species a sample belongs to by reading a short, standard piece of DNA. So it can tell apart look-alike (cryptic) species and can spot unwanted or undeclared species in processed food, but it does not tell the age of an organism.

✗ 1. A DNA barcode is a short standardised DNA marker used for detection and identification of species. It says what the organism is, not how old it is.
✓ 2. Barcodes can separate cryptic species, which look alike outwardly; a DNA mini-barcode with next-generation sequencing has been used to detect such species even in mixed seafood.
✓ 3. Processed foods are more likely to be substituted or adulterated with undeclared species, and DNA barcoding is used to check meat, poultry and fish products for such species.

Remember · DNA barcoding = species identification from a short standard DNA sequence (COI in animals). Uses: telling look-alike (cryptic) species apart and checking foods for undeclared species. Not for age.

Sources

Application of DNA barcoding for ensuring food safety and quality (Food Science and Biotechnology, via US National Library of Medicine PMC) ↗ “The DNA barcoding is a detection, identification, and diagnostic technique using a short standardized DNA marker … the newly developed DNA mini-barcode combined with next-generation sequencing (NGS) can detect cryptic species in mixed raw and processed seafood … Furthermore, the processed meat products are more likely to be substituted or adulterated with undeclared species.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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