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VITEEE Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) Flashcards
59 question-and-answer cards covering Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) as it is examined in VITEEE. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
Name the enzyme in saliva and the substrate it acts on.
Salivary amylase (ptyalin) acts on starch, breaking it down into maltose.
What is the role of haemoglobin and where is most CO₂ transported?
Haemoglobin in red blood cells transports oxygen (as oxyhaemoglobin) and some CO₂. Most CO₂ (about 70%) is transported in plasma as bicarbonate ions (HCO₃⁻).
What gas exchange surface is used in human lungs and what is its functional unit?
The alveoli are the functional units; their thin, moist, highly vascular walls allow O₂ and CO₂ exchange by diffusion.
What are the components of blood and the approximate composition?
Blood is plasma (about 55%) and formed elements (about 45%): red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and platelets (thrombocytes).
Define homeostasis and name the hormone pair regulating blood glucose.
Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable internal environment. Insulin (lowers blood glucose) and glucagon (raises blood glucose), both from the pancreas, regulate blood glucose.
What is the lymphatic system's role in body fluids?
It collects excess interstitial (tissue) fluid as lymph and returns it to the blood, absorbs fats from the intestine, and houses immune cells to fight infection.
Distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction.
Asexual reproduction involves a single parent, no gamete fusion, and produces genetically identical offspring (clones); sexual reproduction involves two parents, fusion of gametes, and produces genetically variable offspring.
What is double fertilization in angiosperms?
One male gamete fuses with the egg to form the diploid zygote (syngamy); the second male gamete fuses with two polar nuclei to form the triploid (3n) primary endosperm nucleus (triple fusion).
Name the gonadotropins from the pituitary and their roles in human reproduction.
FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) stimulates follicle/sperm development; LH (luteinizing hormone) triggers ovulation and corpus luteum formation (and testosterone secretion in males).
What pathogen causes malaria and which vector transmits it?
Malaria is caused by the protozoan Plasmodium (e.g., P. vivax, P. falciparum) and is transmitted by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.
Distinguish between active and passive immunity.
Active immunity develops when the body's own immune system produces antibodies after exposure to an antigen (infection or vaccine) and is long-lasting; passive immunity is the transfer of ready-made antibodies (e.g., mother to fetus, antiserum) and is short-lived.
What are the goals and one technique of plant breeding for crop improvement?
To develop crops with higher yield, disease resistance, and better nutrition. A key technique is hybridization — crossing genetically different plants to combine desirable traits, often followed by selection.
What two enzymes are essential tools in recombinant DNA technology, and what does each do?
Restriction endonucleases cut DNA at specific recognition sequences producing fragments (often with sticky ends); DNA ligase joins DNA fragments together.
What is a cloning vector and name a commonly used one?
A cloning vector is a DNA molecule (e.g., plasmid such as pBR322) that carries foreign DNA into a host cell and replicates it; it must have an origin of replication, selectable markers, and restriction sites.
What is PCR and what are its three main steps?
PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) amplifies a specific DNA segment in vitro using Taq polymerase. Steps: denaturation (strand separation by heat), annealing (primers bind), and extension (DNA polymerase synthesizes new strands).
Name one major application of biotechnology in agriculture and one in medicine.
Agriculture: Bt cotton — a transgenic crop carrying a Bacillus thuringiensis gene for insect (pest) resistance. Medicine: production of human recombinant insulin (Humulin) using genetically engineered bacteria.
In an ecosystem, distinguish between a food chain and a food web, and define a trophic level.
A food chain is a linear sequence of who eats whom (producer → herbivore → carnivore); a food web is interconnected food chains. A trophic level is each feeding step in the chain through which energy passes.
State the 10% law (Lindeman's law) of energy flow in an ecosystem.
Only about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is transferred to and stored in the next higher trophic level; the rest is lost mainly as heat (metabolism), limiting food chain length.
What is biodiversity and what are its three hierarchical levels?
Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life. Its three levels are genetic diversity (within a species), species diversity (number of species in a region), and ecological/ecosystem diversity (variety of habitats and ecosystems).
Distinguish between in-situ and ex-situ conservation with one example each.
In-situ conservation protects species in their natural habitat (e.g., national parks, biosphere reserves, sanctuaries); ex-situ conservation protects species outside their habitat (e.g., zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks).
What gases are chiefly responsible for the greenhouse effect and global warming?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), water vapour, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs); CO₂ is the largest contributor.
What causes ozone layer depletion and what is its main harmful consequence?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) release chlorine that breaks down stratospheric ozone (O₃). Depletion increases harmful UV-B radiation reaching Earth, raising risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and damage to ecosystems.
What is biomagnification (biological magnification)?
The progressive increase in concentration of a non-degradable toxic substance (e.g., DDT, mercury) at successive trophic levels of a food chain, becoming highest in top consumers.
What is BOD and what does a high BOD value indicate about water?
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by microorganisms to decompose organic matter in water. A high BOD indicates heavy organic pollution and poor water quality.
What this deck covers
The Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) deck follows the VITEEE Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) syllabus — 6 chapters and 18 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 9.8 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 185 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) flashcards FAQ
How many Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) flashcards are in this VITEEE deck?
59 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these VITEEE flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 59-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) cards cover?
They follow the VITEEE Biology (Alternative to Mathematics) syllabus — 6 chapters and 18 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.