General Science — Practice

Question 1

Bile, which helps digest fats, is produced by which organ and stored in which structure before use?
(a) Produced by the pancreas, stored in the liver  (b) Produced by the liver, stored in the gallbladder  (c) Produced by the stomach, stored in the pancreas  (d) Produced by the gallbladder, stored in the liver

Accepted Answer

The liver produces bile; it is stored in the gallbladder and released into the small intestine (duodenum) to emulsify fats for digestion.

Answer: (b). Trap (a) swaps the liver and pancreas — the pancreas produces digestive enzymes and hormones, not bile; traps (c) and (d) both invent organ pairings that don't match the actual production/storage roles.

Question 2

Which blood group is known as the 'universal donor'?
(a) AB-positive  (b) A-positive  (c) O-negative  (d) B-negative

Accepted Answer

O-negative red blood cells carry neither A nor B antigens, so they don't trigger an immune (antigen-antibody) reaction in a recipient of any blood group, making O-negative blood safely transfusable to anyone in an emergency.

Answer: (c) O-negative. Trap (a) AB-positive is actually the universal RECIPIENT (its plasma has no anti-A/anti-B antibodies), the opposite property — a very common mix-up.

Question 3

Which part of the human brain controls involuntary actions such as heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure?
(a) Cerebrum  (b) Cerebellum  (c) Medulla oblongata  (d) Spinal cord

Accepted Answer

The medulla oblongata, part of the brainstem, regulates involuntary/automatic bodily functions like heartbeat, breathing rate and blood pressure.

Answer: (c) Medulla oblongata. Trap (a) Cerebrum controls voluntary actions, thought and memory; trap (b) Cerebellum controls balance and muscular coordination; trap (d) the spinal cord relays nerve signals but does not itself regulate these functions.

Question 4

The longest bone in the adult human body is the:
(a) Humerus  (b) Femur  (c) Tibia  (d) Fibula

Accepted Answer

The femur (thigh bone) is the longest and strongest bone in the human body.

Answer: (b) Femur. Traps (a), (c) and (d) are all genuine, long limb bones — the humerus (upper arm), tibia and fibula (lower leg) — but none is the single longest bone.

Question 5

A person on a long voyage with no fresh fruit or vegetables develops bleeding gums and slow wound healing. This points to a deficiency of:
(a) Vitamin A  (b) Vitamin B1  (c) Vitamin C  (d) Vitamin D

Accepted Answer

Bleeding gums and poor wound healing are the classic symptoms of scurvy, caused by Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency — historically common among sailors deprived of citrus fruit on long voyages.

Answer: (c) Vitamin C. Trap (a) Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness, not gum bleeding — a very common vitamin mix-up; trap (b) Vitamin B1 deficiency causes beriberi; trap (d) Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets/osteomalacia.

Question 6

A child with adequate calorie intake but insufficient dietary protein develops oedema (swelling) and a characteristic pot belly. This condition is:
(a) Marasmus  (b) Kwashiorkor  (c) Rickets  (d) Scurvy

Accepted Answer

Kwashiorkor results from adequate calories but insufficient protein, and is marked by oedema and a pot-bellied appearance — distinct from marasmus, where both calories and protein are deficient, causing severe wasting without oedema.

Answer: (b) Kwashiorkor. Trap (a) Marasmus is the opposite presentation (wasting, no swelling); traps (c) and (d) are unrelated deficiency diseases (Vitamin D and Vitamin C respectively).

Question 7

Which of the following processes occurs continuously, day and night, in every living plant and animal cell?
(a) Photosynthesis  (b) Respiration  (c) Transpiration  (d) Germination

Accepted Answer

Respiration — the breakdown of glucose using oxygen to release energy — occurs in the mitochondria of every living cell at all times, unlike photosynthesis, which requires sunlight and occurs only in chlorophyll-bearing tissue.

Answer: (b) Respiration. Trap (a) Photosynthesis only happens in daylight in green tissue; trap (c) Transpiration (water loss through stomata) is a plant-only, largely daytime process; trap (d) Germination is a one-time developmental event, not a continuous process.

Question 8

A plant with parallel leaf venation and a fibrous root system belongs to which group?
(a) Dicotyledons  (b) Gymnosperms  (c) Monocotyledons  (d) Bryophytes

Accepted Answer

Monocotyledons (one seed-leaf) are characterised by parallel leaf venation and a fibrous (not tap) root system — examples include wheat, maize and grasses.

Answer: (c) Monocotyledons. Trap (a) Dicotyledons instead have reticulate (net-like) venation and a tap root system; trap (b) Gymnosperms are seed plants with naked (not enclosed) seeds, a different classification axis entirely; trap (d) Bryophytes are non-flowering plants (mosses/liverworts) with no true leaves or roots at all.

Question 9

Which cell organelle is described as the 'powerhouse of the cell' and is present in both plant and animal cells?
(a) Chloroplast  (b) Mitochondria  (c) Golgi apparatus  (d) Ribosome

Accepted Answer

Mitochondria are the site of aerobic respiration, generating the energy (ATP) a cell needs, and are present in essentially all eukaryotic cells — plant and animal alike.

Answer: (b) Mitochondria. Trap (a) Chloroplast is the site of photosynthesis but exists ONLY in plant cells, a key distinguishing fact; traps (c) and (d) perform packaging and protein synthesis respectively, not energy generation.

Question 10

Malaria is caused by which organism?
(a) The Anopheles mosquito  (b) A bacterium  (c) A protozoan (Plasmodium)  (d) A virus

Accepted Answer

Malaria's actual causative agent (pathogen) is Plasmodium, a protozoan parasite; the female Anopheles mosquito is merely the vector that transmits it between hosts, not the cause itself.

Answer: (c) A protozoan (Plasmodium). Trap (a) names the vector, not the pathogen — a very common confusion; traps (b) and (d) misclassify the pathogen type entirely (compare: typhoid is bacterial, dengue is viral).

Question 11

Who discovered penicillin, the world's first antibiotic?
(a) Louis Pasteur  (b) Edward Jenner  (c) Robert Koch  (d) Alexander Fleming

Accepted Answer

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, observing that a mould (Penicillium) inhibited bacterial growth in a culture plate — the foundation of antibiotic medicine.

Answer: (d) Alexander Fleming. Trap (a) Louis Pasteur is instead known for the germ theory of disease, pasteurisation and the rabies vaccine; trap (b) Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine (smallpox); trap (c) Robert Koch identified the bacteria causing TB, cholera and anthrax — all genuine medical pioneers, each for a different breakthrough.

Question 12

Depletion of the ozone layer, which allows more harmful UV-B radiation to reach the Earth's surface, is primarily caused by:
(a) Carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles  (b) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)  (c) Methane from agriculture  (d) Sulphur dioxide from industry

Accepted Answer

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), once widely used in refrigerants and aerosol sprays, break down stratospheric ozone (O3) molecules, thinning the ozone layer and allowing more UV-B radiation through.

Answer: (b) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Trap (a) and (c) — carbon dioxide and methane — are greenhouse gases that drive global warming, a separate mechanism from ozone depletion; trap (d) sulphur dioxide is linked to acid rain and air pollution, not ozone depletion.

Practice — General Science

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