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Q99·GS Paper 1 · Prelims 2022

Applications of DNA Barcoding

S&TBiotechnology & GeneticsStatement-basedMediumStatic

Question

Consider the following statements: DNA Barcoding can be a tool to: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1.

    assess the age of a plant or animal.

  2. 2.

    distinguish among species that look alike.

  3. 3.

    identify undesirable animal or plant materials in processed foods.

Options

a

1 only

b

3 only

c

1 and 2

d

2 and 3

Answer

Explanation

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. DNA barcoding uses short genetic sequences from a standard genome part to universally identify a species, making it perfect for distinguishing look-alike species and exposing fraudulent/undesirable ingredients in processed foods. Statement 1 is incorrect; DNA identifies what species an organism is, but it cannot determine the chronological age of the specific individual animal or plant.

DNA is a biological fingerprint (identity), not a biological clock (age).

Answer: (d).

Question details

Year

2022

Paper

GS Paper 1

Question

Q99

Subject

Science & Technology

Sub-topic

Biotechnology & Genetics

Type

Statement-based

Difficulty

Medium

Nature

Static

Source hint

Mitochondrial DNA Barcoding / Molecular Species Identification Tech

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