Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
The guide RNA matches a specific DNA sequence and leads the Cas9 enzyme to it, after which Cas9 acts as the molecular scissors; the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for this technology. The cutting is done by Cas9, not the guide RNA, and the repair is carried out by the cell’s own mechanisms (NHEJ or HDR). A donor DNA template is a separate component, supplied only for precise insertions.
- They deliver genetic instructions that make the host’s cells produce the antigen protein, without integrating into the host genome.
- They contain weakened live virus that multiplies in the body.
- They are commonly delivered inside lipid nanoparticles.
- India’s first indigenously developed mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, GEMCOVAC-19, was developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals.
Statement 1 is correct — mRNA is translated in the cytoplasm and does not enter the nucleus or integrate with DNA. Statement 2 is incorrect — it describes live attenuated vaccines such as MMR or oral polio, while mRNA vaccines contain no virus at all, only a coded instruction. Statement 3 is correct — lipid nanoparticles protect the fragile mRNA and help it enter cells. Statement 4 is correct — GEMCOVAC-19 (Gennova, Pune) was approved by the DCGI in June 2022 for emergency use in adults.
Option (d) is incorrectly matched — the Cartagena Protocol (2000) concerns biosafety and the safe handling of living modified organisms, while access and benefit sharing is covered by the Nagoya Protocol (2010); both fall under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The other pairs are correct: the GEAC under MoEFCC approves the environmental release of GMOs and their products, and the RCGM under the DBT reviews research-level work on GMOs.
- Assertion (A): Antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections such as influenza.
- Reason (R): Antibiotics act on bacterial targets such as cell wall synthesis and bacterial ribosomes, which viruses lack.
A is correct — influenza is caused by a virus, antibiotics do not treat it, and using them against viral illness is a major driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). R is correct and explains A — viruses have no cell wall and no ribosomes of their own and use the host’s machinery, so antibiotics have nothing to target. Antivirals work differently, for example by blocking viral enzymes or entry into cells.
BioE3 stands for Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment; approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2024, it promotes bio-manufacturing, biofoundries and bio-AI hubs, aligned with the Net Zero and LiFE goals. Options (a), (b) and (d) each change one word of the actual expansion, a typical close-call distractor.
