UPSC Prelims 1995 · General Studies
Question 129: Science and Technology
“It begins as a single cell and grows into a merciless disease that claims millions of lives year after year. But scientists are steadily unlocking its mysteries, and the fight against it may now have reached a dramatic turning point. New discoveries promise better therapies and hope in the war against ...” The disease referred to in the above quotation is
AnswerThe answer is (a).
A disease that begins in a single cell, grows into a merciless condition and kills millions every year fits cancer, which starts when one cell changes and multiplies without control. Tuberculosis and AIDS are infections caused by organisms, and Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder. Remember: cancer starts as one abnormal cell that grows without control.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Right: cancer.
- (b) AIDS is caused by a virus entering the body, not by a single changed cell.
- (c) Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium.
- (d) Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease, not one that begins in a single cell and spreads.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1995, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.