IMO Practice Test — Biotechnology and its Applications
7 Questions • 15 min • Olympiad level
15:00
Question 1 of 7
Bt cotton reduces the use of chemical insecticides because the plant itself:
Produces a protein that kills target pests
Attracts more pests
Stops growing
Makes pesticide spray
Explanation: By making the insecticidal Bt protein internally, the crop needs far less external spraying.
Question 2 of 7
Producing insulin in bacteria solved a key supply problem because bacteria can:
Be grown in huge numbers to make plenty of insulin
Make only a drop
Not make protein
Replace the pancreas
Explanation: Cultured bacteria multiply enormously, giving a large, steady supply of identical human insulin.
Question 3 of 7
Golden Rice is aimed especially at populations suffering from:
Vitamin-A deficiency
Excess vitamin A
Too much protein
Iron overload
Explanation: Its added beta-carotene targets vitamin-A deficiency common in some rice-eating populations.
Question 4 of 7
Regulatory bodies like the GEAC are needed before releasing a GM crop mainly to:
Check it is safe for health and the environment
Increase its price
Ban all farming
Speed up sales without testing
Explanation: Independent safety appraisal protects people and ecosystems from unforeseen harm.
Question 5 of 7
Challenging the turmeric and neem patents protected India from biopiracy by asserting that the knowledge was:
Already traditional and not a new invention
Owned by one company
Useless
Newly discovered abroad
Explanation: Showing long-standing traditional use proved the 'inventions' were not novel, defeating the unfair patents.
Question 6 of 7
A recombinant hepatitis-B vaccine cannot give a person hepatitis because it contains:
Only a harmless part of the virus, not the whole virus
The full active virus
Bacteria
No antigen at all
Explanation: Using just a surface protein triggers immunity without any risk of the actual infection.
Question 7 of 7
Stem cells are valuable in medicine mainly because they can:
Develop into many different cell types to repair tissues
Only divide once
Never divide
Make antibiotics
Explanation: Their ability to form many cell types makes stem cells useful for regenerating damaged tissue.