General Science Questions (MCQs) for Competitive Examinations

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Claspers are organs found in male elasmobranchs. Each male has two claspers. They are located along the inner side of the shark or ray’s pelvic fin and are used in reproduction. During mating, the male deposits his sperm into the female’s cloaca (the opening that serves as the entrance to the uterus, intestine and urinary tract) via grooves that lie in the upper side of the claspers.

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The central nervous system (CNS) controls most functions of the body and mind. It consists of two parts: the brain and the spinal cord. Both the brain and spinal cord are protected by a three-layered covering of connective tissuecalled the meninges.

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Cockroach and prawns have open circulatory system in which the blood is not confined within blood vessels. The blood bathes the organs and tissues directly. Open circulatory systems pump blood into a hemocoel with the blood diffusing back to the circulatory system between cells. Blood is pumped by a heart into the body cavities, where tissues are surrounded by the blood. The open circulatory system is common to molluscs and arthropods.

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Sphygmomanometer an instrument for measuring blood pressure. It typically consists of an inflatable rubber cuff which is applied to the arm and connected to a column of mercury next to a graduated scale, enabling the determination of systolic and diastolic blood pressure by increasing and gradually releasing the pressure in the cuff. The sphygmomanometer was invented by Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter von Basch in 1881.

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An isogenic graft or Isograft is a graft between genetically identical individuals (i.e. monozygotic twins). This type of graft donot pose any form of tissue rejection threat by recipient’s body.

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Yeasts, moulds (molds), and mushrooms are examples of fungi. Mushrooms are another group of fungi, which are mainly Basidiomycetes and partially Ascomycetes, both of which share a same feature — having a macroscopic “Fruiting-body, a Mushroom”. Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled micro organisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom.

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Acidity and alkalinity are expressed on the pH scale, which ranges from 0 (strongly acidic) to 14 (strongly basic or alkaline). A pH of 7.0, in the middle of this scale, is neutral. Blood is normally slightly basic, with a normal pH range of 7.35 to 7.45.

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In plants, secondary growth is the result of the activity of the two lateral or secondary meristems, the cork cambium and vascular cambium. Secondary growth increases the girth of the plant root or stem, rather than its length. In contrast, primary meristems, found at the apex of the stem, is responsible for the primary growth (lengthening) of the plant.

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Night blindness, also called nyctalopia, is failure of the eye to adapt promptly from light to darkness that is characterized by a reduced ability to see in dim light or at night. It occurs as a symptom of numerous congenital and inherited retinal diseases or as a result of vitamin A deficiency.

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Outer Ear or Pinna is found only in terrestrial mammals. It is composed of a thin plate of yellow elastic cartilage, covered with integument, and connected to the surrounding parts by ligaments and muscles.