General Studies (Mains) – Science & Technology

Defence

1.       What was the controversy about ‘Prithvi’? (1997/2)

2.       Why is Agni Project important for India? (1997/40)

3.       How does the development of Pinaka benefit India? (1998/20)

4.       What do the ICMR stand for? (1998/1)

5.       What is a cryogenic engine? Discuss its significance in India’s space programme. (2001/30)

6.       What is Stealth Technology? (2007/10)

7.       Discuss the missile technology initiatives undertaken by India. (2007/15)

8.       Write about India’s L.C.A. (Tejas). (2008/2)

Biotechnology

1.       What are transgenic organisms? What are they used for? (1996/20)

2.       What is tissue culture? (1997/3)

3.       What is genetic engineering? Why is it getting increasingly important these days? (1998/40)

4.       Why are transgenic organisms important? (1998/3)

5.       What is the Human Genome Project? Discuss briefly its importance. (1999/20)

6.       What are biosensors? Describe their uses. (1999/20)

7.       Where is Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology located? (1999/l)

8.       How do identical twins differ from each other genetically? (1999/3)

9.       Discuss Human Genome. (2000/10)

10.   How transgenic plants are different from hybrid plants and what is their relevance in modern agriculture? Elaborate. (2000/15)

11.   What are stem cells? Why have they been in the news recently? Discuss. (2001/30)

12.   “Biotechnology boom may pave a golden path for India.” Discuss. (2002/30)

13.   What is Human Cloning? Is it dangerous or beneficial? Discuss. (2002/15)

14.   Discuss the elements of ‘frozen semen technology’. What are ‘embryo transfer’ ‘Transgenic animals’, ‘DNA recombinant technique’? (2003//15)

15.   What is Biotechnology? Discuss the important applications of Biotechnology.(2004/15)

16.   What is the therapeutic cloning? Describe briefly the method and its potential applications. (05/15) Write a note on ‘Bio-refinery versus Fossil fuels’. (2006/15)

17.   What are normal osmosis and reverse osmosis? Why has reverse osmosis become popular in India today? (2006/15)

18.   Short note on Genome. (2007/2)

19.   Explain the objectives and the current achievements of human genome project. (2007/15)

20.   In what way ‘Medical Biotechnology’ and ‘Bioengineering’ are useful for technological development of India? (2008/30)