Question 1

Which of the following best defines a transgenic organism?

Accepted Answer

An organism whose genome has been altered by the addition of a foreign gene from another species.

Question 2

Which bacterium is most commonly used for the genetic transformation of dicotyledonous plants?

Accepted Answer

Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Question 3

What is the primary function of the T-DNA region in the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens?

Accepted Answer

It is transferred into the plant genome and carries genes for tumor formation.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a method used for plant transformation?

Accepted Answer

Blue/white screening

Question 5

In the context of plant tissue culture, what does 'totipotency' refer to?

Accepted Answer

The ability of a single plant cell to regenerate into a whole plant.

Question 6

Which of the following is a real-world example of antisense technology in genetically modified crops?

Accepted Answer

Flavr Savr tomato

Question 7

Golden Rice was engineered to address which nutritional deficiency?

Accepted Answer

Vitamin A deficiency

Question 8

Which of the following is a selectable marker gene commonly used in plant transformation?

Accepted Answer

Antibiotic resistance gene

Question 9

A scientist wants to confirm the presence of a transgene in a plant. Which technique would be most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the role of the CaMV35S promoter in transgenic plants?

Accepted Answer

It drives constitutive expression of the transgene in most plant tissues.

Question 11

Which of the following is a major advantage of genetic engineering over classical plant breeding?

Accepted Answer

Genes from any organism can be introduced, not limited by species boundaries.

Question 12

A plant cell is exposed to a high ratio of auxin to cytokinin in tissue culture. What is the most likely outcome?

Accepted Answer

Root formation is promoted.

Question 13

Which of the following is a real-world application of micropropagation?

Accepted Answer

Rapid production of disease-free banana plants for commercial agriculture.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in plant biotechnology is correct?

Accepted Answer

It naturally transfers a segment of its DNA (T-DNA) into the plant genome.

Question 15

Which of the following is a key step in blue/white screening for bacterial transformants?

Accepted Answer

The presence of the lacZ gene allows blue colonies to form on X-gal media.

Question 16

A researcher is using microprojectile bombardment to transform a monocot plant. What is the main reason for choosing this method?

Accepted Answer

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is less efficient in monocots.

Question 17

Which of the following is a correct sequence of steps for creating a transgenic plant using Agrobacterium tumefaciens?

Accepted Answer

Clone gene of interest → Insert into Ti plasmid → Transform Agrobacterium → Infect plant cells → Select transformants → Regenerate plant

Question 18

Which of the following is a function of the selectable marker gene in a plasmid vector?

Accepted Answer

It allows identification of cells that have successfully taken up the plasmid.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the 'hardening off' stage in micropropagation?

Accepted Answer

To acclimatize plantlets to external environmental conditions before transfer to soil.

Question 20

A scientist is using the GUS reporter gene in a plant transformation experiment. What is the expected result if the gene is expressed?

Accepted Answer

Transformed plant tissues will stain blue when incubated with X-Gluc.

Plant Biotechnology: Genetic Manipulation and Propagation Techniques

Study Guide - Practice Questions