Pest-Resistant Plants - RNA Interference - Unsolved Practice Set

Q1. RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which:

1. Double-stranded RNA leads to the silencing (inactivation) of a specific gene by blocking its mRNA expression
2. mRNA is always translated into protein without regulation
3. DNA is directly destroyed by a virus
4. Ribosomes are permanently deactivated

Q2. RNAi was originally identified as a natural defence mechanism in certain organisms mainly against:

1. Bacterial infections only
2. Viruses and transposons (mobile genetic elements)
3. Fungal infections only
4. Extreme temperature stress

Q3. In the development of nematode-resistant tobacco plants using RNAi technology, scientists introduced genes to produce double-stranded RNA that specifically silences a gene essential for:

1. Plant photosynthesis
2. The nematode's survival within the host plant
3. Human digestion
4. Bacterial cell division

Q4. The nematode-resistant tobacco plants developed using RNAi work by preventing:

1. The plant's own normal growth
2. The nematode from completing its life cycle by silencing a gene it depends on inside the host
3. Photosynthesis in the nematode
4. The plant from producing any RNA at all

Q5. RNAi technology is considered valuable in biotechnology mainly because it allows for:

1. Non-specific, random gene silencing across an entire genome
2. Highly specific silencing of a particular target gene's expression
3. The complete destruction of an organism's DNA
4. Uncontrolled gene expression