This set of Biochemical Engineering Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “Biological Basics”.
1. What amount of agar should be added to prepare nutrient agar medium?
a) 3g
b) 5g
c) 15g
d) 20g
View Answer
Explanation: Nutrient agar medium has a composition of 5g peptone, 3g beef extract and 15g agar. These constituents are dissolved in 1litre of double distilled water. Nutrient broth contains the same composition except the addition of agar to it.
2. Some fastidious organisms require a specialized medium for growth. What factor is improvised when compared to normal growth media?
a) Excess amount of micro nutrients
b) Excess amount of water
c) Different environmental conditions
d) Excess amount of macro nutrients
View Answer
Explanation: Growth media for fastidious organisms contain complex nutrients. Hence, it requires a specialized environment for its growth.
3. Which component is added in cell culture media for instant growth?
a) Hormones
b) Micronutrients
c) Macronutrients
d) Trace elements
View Answer
Explanation: Cells derived from organisms require hormones for instant growth in laboratories. The other mentioned options are importantly required for growth throughout the period of culture.
4. Which medium contains all the elements for growth?
a) Minimal medium
b) Culture medium
c) Selective medium
d) Differential medium
View Answer
Explanation: Culture media contains all elements for growth. It is not selective in nature. Bacteria can be cultivated and maintained in culture media for laboratory purposes.
5. An undefined media can also be known as ___________
a) Synthetic medium
b) LB medium
c) Chemically defined medium
d) Basal medium
View Answer
Explanation: Undefined medium is known as basal medium or complex medium. This type of medium contains variety of components with unknown compositions.
6. Minimal media contains minimum nutrients. Which element is absent in this medium?
a) Amino acids
b) Sugars
c) Lipids
d) Mineral salts
View Answer
Explanation: Minimal media is generally prepared without the presence of vitamins and amino acids. The cells cultured in this media have the property of synthesizing these absent nutrients by themselves.
7. Which of the below, is a selective media which is toxic to gram-negative bacteria?
a) Eosin methylene blue medium
b) Mac Conkey agar medium
c) Mannitol salt agar medium
d) Baird-Pasker agar medium
View Answer
Explanation: Mac Conkey agar medium is used for toxic gram negative bacteria. The rest of the medium mentioned above are used for gram positive bacteria.
8. Which media can be used to distinguish the types of microorganisms growing upon the medium?
a) Selective media
b) Basal media
c) Differential media
d) Transport media
View Answer
Explanation: Differential medium is also called indicator media. Use of indicators can indicate the growth of microorganisms in specific nutrients, pH. This helps in the differentiation of microbes growing on the same media.
9. X-gal plates are a differential medium, used for lac-operon mutants.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: X-gal is similar to lactose. It will be hydrolyzed by the enzyme β-galactosidase, cleaving the β-glycosidic bond in D-lactose. This helps in the identification of the lac Z gene.
10. What is chocolate agar medium?
i) It is an enriched medium.
ii) It is made of chocolate.
iii) It is has a pH of 7.9
iv) It is heat treated around 40-45°C.
a) Statement (i) is only correct
b) Statement (ii), (iii) and (iv) are correct
c) Both statement (i) and (iv) are correct
d) Both statement (ii) and (iii) are correct
View Answer
Explanation: Enriched blood agar medium when heated to 40-45°C forms a brown chocolate color medium called Chocolate agar medium. The pH of chocolate agar is almost 7.2.
11. Which of these is considered as an enriched medium for the growth of fastidious organisms?
a) Blood agar medium
b) Nutrient agar slope
c) Charcoal-blood agar medium
d) Buffered charcoal yeast agar medium(BCYA medium)
View Answer
Explanation: Blood agar is used for the growth of fastidious organisms like streptococcus. Whereas, nutrient agar slope is used for preservation of basic bacterial cultures, Charcoal-blood agar medium is used for the isolation of Bordetella pertunis. BCYA medium is used for the isolation of Legionella.
12. What are the conditions for medium sterilization in an autoclave?
a) 15 psi, 121℃ for 15 min
b) 10 psi, 121℃ for 10 min
c) 10 psi, 131℃ for 5 min
d) 15 psi, 121℃ for 5 min
View Answer
Explanation: Autoclave works under pressure. The pressure of the equipment should be maintained at 15 psi and temperature 121℃. The holding time should be 15 minutes for better sterilization.
13. What type of compounds are used in the synthetic media?
a) Dilute and reproducible solution of pure compounds
b) Strong and reproducible solution of pure compounds
c) Dilute and reproducible solution of un-pure compounds
d) Strong and reproducible solution of un-pure compounds
View Answer
Explanation: Synthetic media contains dilute and reproducible solution of pure inorganic and organic compounds. This media is mainly used for research activities.
14. What is the maximum amount of mammalian serum required for animal growth media?
a) 25%
b) 20%
c) 15%
d) 10%
View Answer
Explanation: 2% to 20% by volume mammalian blood serum should be provided in animal growth medium. This serum helps in the culture viability.
15. Selective growth media is used for cell culture to ensure the cell survival and proliferation.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
Explanation: Selective growth media checks the properties like antibiotic resistance or the ability to synthesize a metabolite. Selective media contains marker genes.
Sanfoundry Global Education & Learning Series – Biochemical Engineering
To practice all areas of Biochemical Engineering, here is complete set of 1000+ Multiple Choice Questions and Answers.
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