Introduction India, with its immense human capital and burgeoning economy, is at a pivotal juncture…
MCQs along with answers on the topic “Role of Science in Developing Vaccines and Combating Diseases”
1. Which of the following is the primary purpose of vaccines?
A) To cure diseases
B) To prevent diseases
C) To improve immunity temporarily
D) To treat symptoms of diseases
Answer: B) To prevent diseases
2. What is the first step in the development of a vaccine?
A) Identifying the disease-causing pathogen
B) Testing the vaccine on animals
C) Mass production of the vaccine
D) Clinical trials on humans
Answer: A) Identifying the disease-causing pathogen
3. Which type of vaccine uses a weakened form of the pathogen to induce immunity?
A) Inactivated vaccine
B) Live attenuated vaccine
C) Subunit vaccine
D) mRNA vaccine
Answer: B) Live attenuated vaccine
4. What is the role of adjuvants in vaccines?
A) To make the vaccine more potent
B) To increase the shelf-life of the vaccine
C) To enhance the body’s immune response to the vaccine
D) To cure the disease after infection
Answer: C) To enhance the body’s immune response to the vaccine
5. Which of the following diseases has been eradicated through vaccination?
A) Polio
B) Smallpox
C) Tuberculosis
D) Malaria
Answer: B) Smallpox
6. The development of mRNA vaccines was accelerated by the need to fight which pandemic?
A) Swine flu
B) COVID-19
C) Ebola
D) Zika virus
Answer: B) COVID-19
7. Which of the following scientists developed the first successful smallpox vaccine?
A) Edward Jenner
B) Louis Pasteur
C) Alexander Fleming
D) Robert Koch
Answer: A) Edward Jenner
8. Which technique was used to develop the first polio vaccine?
A) Attenuation
B) Inactivation
C) Recombinant DNA technology
D) Subunit vaccine development
Answer: B) Inactivation
9. Which of the following is a key feature of mRNA vaccines?
A) They require the use of live pathogens
B) They contain the DNA of the pathogen
C) They use messenger RNA to instruct cells to produce proteins to trigger an immune response
D) They are derived from antibodies
Answer: C) They use messenger RNA to instruct cells to produce proteins to trigger an immune response
10. Which of the following best describes the concept of herd immunity?
A) When a high percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, making its spread unlikely
B) When only individuals who have been vaccinated are protected
C) When a disease affects a very small number of people
D) When a vaccine is administered to all individuals in the population
Answer: A) When a high percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, making its spread unlikely
11. What is the role of CRISPR technology in vaccine development?
A) It is used to create genetic immunity in humans
B) It can be used to edit genes of the virus to make vaccines more effective
C) It is used to kill viruses in the body
D) It replaces traditional vaccine methods entirely
Answer: B) It can be used to edit genes of the virus to make vaccines more effective
12. Which of the following vaccines is based on DNA technology?
A) Hepatitis B vaccine
B) COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer)
C) Chickenpox vaccine
D) Rabies vaccine
Answer: A) Hepatitis B vaccine
13. Which type of vaccine uses only a part of the pathogen (like a protein) to stimulate the immune system?
A) Inactivated vaccine
B) Live attenuated vaccine
C) Subunit vaccine
D) DNA vaccine
Answer: C) Subunit vaccine
14. Which of the following is a major challenge in the development of vaccines for diseases like HIV and malaria?
A) Lack of sufficient research funds
B) The complexity and mutation rate of the pathogens
C) The absence of a functioning immune system
D) The inability to grow pathogens in the lab
Answer: B) The complexity and mutation rate of the pathogens
15. What was the major achievement of the “Global Polio Eradication Initiative”?
A) The development of a polio vaccine
B) The complete eradication of polio worldwide
C) The creation of a global surveillance system
D) The complete vaccination of all children in the world
Answer: B) The complete eradication of polio worldwide
16. What is an “adjuvant” in the context of vaccines?
A) A type of vaccine used for specific diseases
B) A substance added to vaccines to enhance the immune response
C) A type of pathogen used in vaccines
D) A method to stabilize vaccines
Answer: B) A substance added to vaccines to enhance the immune response
17. Which of the following vaccine types is most likely to provide lifelong immunity?
A) Inactivated vaccines
B) Live attenuated vaccines
C) Subunit vaccines
D) mRNA vaccines
Answer: B) Live attenuated vaccines
18. Which of the following diseases still does not have a vaccine, despite extensive research?
A) Polio
B) Malaria
C) Smallpox
D) Measles
Answer: B) Malaria
19. Which of the following is an example of a vector-based vaccine?
A) Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine
B) Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
C) Polio vaccine
D) Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine
Answer: A) Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine
20. What is the role of vaccine efficacy studies in the vaccine development process?
A) To measure the cost-effectiveness of the vaccine
B) To test the safety and adverse reactions of the vaccine
C) To determine how well the vaccine prevents the disease in real-world conditions
D) To measure the shelf-life of the vaccine
Answer: C) To determine how well the vaccine prevents the disease in real-world conditions
21. The “cold chain” in vaccine distribution refers to what?
A) The use of cold temperatures to preserve vaccines during storage and transportation
B) The process of freezing vaccines for long-term storage
C) The chain of refrigeration systems in manufacturing units
D) The global network of vaccine distribution systems
Answer: A) The use of cold temperatures to preserve vaccines during storage and transportation
22. Which of the following is NOT a common side effect of vaccines?
A) Fever
B) Swelling at the injection site
C) Nausea
D) Chronic disease
Answer: D) Chronic disease
23. Which of the following vaccines is administered in a series of doses to ensure long-term immunity?
A) Influenza vaccine
B) COVID-19 vaccine
C) Tetanus vaccine
D) Polio vaccine
Answer: C) Tetanus vaccine
24. What is the mechanism of herd immunity?
A) The immunity of the entire population is dependent on the highest-risk individuals
B) The immunity of a few individuals reduces overall disease spread
C) When a large portion of the population is immune to a disease, the spread of the disease is limited
D) Immunity is not important in preventing disease outbreaks
Answer: C) When a large portion of the population is immune to a disease, the spread of the disease is limited
25. Which type of vaccine requires the use of the actual virus or bacteria in its production?
A) Live attenuated vaccine
B) mRNA vaccine
C) Subunit vaccine
D) DNA vaccine
Answer: A) Live attenuated vaccine
26. What major breakthrough in vaccine development occurred in the 1990s with the introduction of recombinant DNA technology?
A) The development of the Hepatitis B vaccine
B) The eradication of smallpox
C) The creation of mRNA vaccines
D) The development of the polio vaccine
Answer: A) The development of the Hepatitis B vaccine
27. Which vaccine was first administered to children worldwide as part of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) initiated by WHO?
A) Polio vaccine
B) MMR vaccine
C) Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine
D) Measles vaccine
Answer: C) Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine
28. Which factor is the primary reason for vaccine hesitancy in some communities?
A) Lack of access to vaccines
B) Fear of side effects and misinformation
C) High cost of vaccines
D) Unavailability of trained medical staff
Answer: B) Fear of side effects and misinformation
29. Which organization plays a central role in setting global vaccine standards and providing immunization guidance?
A) World Health Organization (WHO)
B) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
C) European Medicines Agency (EMA)
D) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Answer: A) World Health Organization (WHO)
30. Which of the following methods is used for developing vaccines for emerging diseases like COVID-19?
A) Live virus isolation
B) mRNA and DNA technology
C) Use of animal models
D) Only traditional inactivated virus techniques
Answer: B) mRNA and DNA technology
