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.

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Zinc sulfate is the inorganic compound with the formula ZnSO4 and historically known as “white vitriol” Zinc sulfate is an inorganic compound and dietary supplement.

Notes:
Heavy water is water that contains heavy hydrogen or deuterium. Deuterium differs from the hydrogen usually found in water, protium, in that each atom of deuterium contains a proton and a neutron. Heavy water may be deuterium oxide, D2O or it may be deuterium protium oxide, DHO.

Notes:
Sublimation describes a phase transition where a substance changes from a solid directly to a gas, bypassing the liquid state. This physical transformation is distinct from chemical changes like oxidation or reduction. Sublimation happens under certain combinations of pressure and temperature. Examples include dry ice (solid CO2), which sublimates at room temperature, and solid water, or ice, which sublimates under low pressure conditions.

Notes:
Radon, a radioactive noble gas with atomic number 86, is used in radiotherapy. Created by disintegration of radium, its one of the heaviest gases and a health hazard. Radon gas, chemically inert yet radioactive, can accumulate in buildings and drinking water causing lung cancer. Furthermore, radon is noted for brilliant phosphorescence when cooled below its freezing point. Its most stable isotope, 222Rn, has a half-life of 3.8 days. Groundwater often has a higher 222Rn concentration than surface water due to less exposure to atmosphere.

Notes:
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue green algae, are single-celled and belong to the family of Prokaryotes. That means, they do not have a well defined cell nucleus. The ability of cyanobacteria to perform oxygenic photosynthesis is thought to have converted the early reducing atmosphere into an oxidizing one, which dramatically changed the composition of life forms on Earth by stimulating biodiversity and leading to the near-extinction of oxygen-intolerant organisms.

Notes:
Enzymes are defined as biological catalysts. Chemically all enzymes are globular proteins. Each enzyme catalyses only one chemical reaction. Protein part of enzyme is known as Apoenzyme. It forms an active enzyme system by combination with a coenzyme and determines the specificity of this system for a substrate.

Notes:
Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis. The vaccine was originally developed from Mycobacterium bovis which is commonly found in cows. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system.

Notes:
The best way of getting rid of non-biodegradable waste such as plastic is by recycling them. Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” waste hierarchy. Burning may release toxic gas into the atmosphere. Burying and dumping will hardly solve anything because of their very long life of self decomposition.

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.