Biotechnology: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Science and Technology)
2 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Biotechnology (Science and Technology). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–2 of 2 questions
UPSC 1999Science and Technology · Biotechnology
Q1. Assertion (A): Insect resistant transgenic cotton has been produced by inserting Bt gene. Reason (R): The Bt gene is derived from a bacterium.
Explanation
The introduction of the Bt gene into the cotton genome provides effective protection against damage caused by insects, significantly reducing the need for chemical pesticides. Assertion (A) is true: Insect-resistant transgenic cotton, known as Bt cotton, has been developed by inserting the Bt gene into cotton plants. Reason (R) is true: This gene, derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, enables the plant to produce a protein toxic to specific insect pests, such as bollworms, while being harmless to humans and non-target organisms. Since the Bt gene’s origin from Bacillus thuringiensis directly explains its role in imparting insect resistance. Hence, both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion.
UPSC 1999Science and Technology · Biotechnology
Q2. Assertion (A): Dolly was the first cloned mammal. Reason (R): Dolly was produced by in vitro fertilization.
Explanation
Cloning is the process of creating genetically identical copies of an organism, cell, or DNA sequence. It can be natural (as in identical twins) or artificial (like somatic cell nuclear transfer, used in Dolly the sheep). Assertion (A) is true: Dolly the sheep, born in 1996, was the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, making her a landmark achievement in biotechnology. Reason (R) is false: Dolly was not produced through in vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves the fusion of sperm and egg outside the body. She was created using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a process in which the nucleus of a somatic cell (in Dolly’s case, a mammary gland cell) was transferred into an enucleated egg cell (an egg cell with its nucleus removed). The resulting cell was stimulated to divide and develop into an embryo, which was then implanted into a surrogate sheep for gestation.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
1999
(a) Both A and Rare are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2
1999
(c) A is true but R is false
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Biotechnology?
This page covers 2 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Biotechnology (Science and Technology), asked from 1996 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Biotechnology?
Questions on Biotechnology (Science and Technology) are available for 19 years, from 1996 to 2025. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
