General Science Questions (MCQs) for Competitive Examinations

Notes:
The carat is the common unit used to describe the mass of a gem. A 1-carat diamond, for example, has a mass of 0.20 g. The karat is the common unit used to describe the purity of a precious metal, such as gold. A 24-karat gold ring is as pure as can be. A gold ring that is 50 % pure is 12 karat.

Notes:
Tungsten has the highest tensile strength of any natural metal, with an ultimate strength of 1510 megapascals. Tungsten has the highest melting point (3422 °C, 6192 °F), lowest vapor pressure (at temperatures above 1650 °C, 3000 °F).

Notes:
Insulin is central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. It stops the use of fat as an energy source by inhibiting the release of glucagon. It removes excess glucose from the blood, which otherwise would be toxic. Insulin helps blood sugar enter the body’s cells so it can be used for energy. Insulin also signals the liver to store blood sugar for later use. Blood sugar enters cells, and levels in the bloodstream decrease, signaling insulin to decrease too.

Notes:
Saprophytes are the organisms which depend for food on dead and decaying material. They secrete digestive substances into the surrounding environment and break down the organic matter into simpler substances. The nutrients thus produced are absorbed directly through the cell membranes of the organisms.

Notes:
Pond silk is the common name of Spirogyra (algae) because it is very slimy in shape. It is also known as pond silk, water silk, pond scum or mermaid’s trees because of its bright green silky appearance. Its filaments shine like silk due to the presence of mucilage and spiral shaped chloroplast.

Notes:
The plastid is a major double-membrane organelle found in the cells of plants. Plastids are the site of manufacture and storage of important chemical compounds used by the cell. Plastids often contain pigments used in photosynthesis, and the types of pigments present can change or determine the cell’s colour.

Notes:
Land snails, insects, birds, and some reptiles excrete uric acid as the major nitrogenous waste. The white, crystalline substance seen in a typical bird or lizard “poop” is actually urine: a little pool of uric acid crystals in a very small amount of water.

Notes:
Infection is the invasion of an organism’s body tissues by disease-causing agents, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agents and the toxins they produce. Infectious diseases can be spread from one person to another, for example through contact with bodily fluids, by aerosols (through coughing and sneezing), or via a vector, for example a mosquito.

Notes:
The small intestine, the part of the gastrointestinal tract between the stomach and the large intestine, is the main digester and absorber of food. The small intestine has three distinct regions – the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum–that carry out the absorption of nutrients and minerals from food. It converts the food into a semi-solid mass.

Notes:
It is assumed that protodermal cells divide periclinally in certain cases to form multiseriate or multiple epidermis. The multiple epidermis is found in some organs like roots of orchids (Vanda), leaves of Ficus, Nerium, Piperomia, etc. In Nerium, it is found on both surfaces.