HALF-YEARLY EXAMINATION 2024-2025

Subject: BIOLOGY Grade: XII Max Marks: 70

Name of the Student: Date: Time: 3Hrs

General Instructions:

1. All questions are compulsory.

2. The question paper has five sections and 33 questions. All questions are compulsory.

3. Section—A has 16 questions of 1 mark each; Section—B has 5 questions of 2 marks each;

Section—C has 7 questions of 3 marks each; Section—D has 2 case-based question of 4 marks;

Section—E has 3 questions of 5 marks each.

4. Wherever necessary, neat and properly labeled diagrams should be drawn.

5. There is no overall choice.

SECTION-A

1.The entry of pollen tube into the ovule through micropyle is called:

a) Anisogamy b) Chalazogamy c) Mesogamy d) Porogamy

2. Which of the following plant contain unisexual flower:
a) Rose b) Papaya c) Hibiscus d) Lotus
3. Mature Graafian follicle is generally present in the ovary of a healthy human female around:
a) 18-23 day of menstrual cycle b) 11-17 day of menstrual cycle
c) 24-28 day of menstrual cycle d) 5-8 day of menstrual cycle
4. Amniocentesis is a method to:
a) Medical termination of pregnancy b) Fertilize the egg
c) Sperm Count d) Detect genetic disorder

5. Which of the following is wrongly matched?

A. IUI - Semen collected from husband or donor is artificially introduced either into the vagina or into
the uterus.
B. GIFT - Transfer of embryos with more than 8 blastomeres into the Fallopian tube
C. ICSI - Sperm directly injected into the ovum
D. ZIFT - Transfer of embryos upto 8 blastomeres into the Fallopian tube.

6. When a gene pair in an organism contains two identical alleles, the organism is
a) Homozygous b) Heterozygous c) Genotypic d) Phenotypic
7. What is the smallest part of a DNA molecule that can be changed by a point mutation?
a) Oligonucleotide b) Codon c) Gene d) Nucleotide
8. Variations caused due to mutations are
a) random and directionless b) random and directional
c) random and small d) random, small and directional
9. A patient was advised to have a kidney transplant. To suppress the immune reaction,
the doctor would administer him:
a) statins produced from Monascus purpureus
b) statins produced from Streptococcus thermophilus
c) cyclosporin A produced from Trichoderma polysporum
d) cyclosporin A produced from Clostridium butylicum
10. The main objective of production of pest resistant GM crops is to
a) encourage eco-friendly pesticides
b) reduce pesticide accumulation in food chain
c) eliminate pests from the field without the use of manual labour
d) retain maximum nutritional content in the crop
11. Which one of the following is a pathogen of common cold:
a) Rhinovirus b) Haemophilous influenzae c) Wuchereria d) Salmonella
12. Which of the following enzyme is used to break the bacterial cell wall to release
DNA and other biomacromolecules?
(a) Lysozyme (b) Cellulase (c) Chitinase (d) Collagenase

13. Assertion : Histamine is related with allergic and inflammatory reactions.

Reason : Histamine is a vasodilator.
(a) Both Assertion and Reason are correct and Reason is the correct explanation of
Assertion.
(b) Both Assertion and Reason are correct, but Reason is not the correct explanation of
Assertion.
 (c) The Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect.
(d) Both the Assertion and Reason are incorrect.

14. Assertion : Agrobacterium tumefaciens is popular in genetic engineering because this bacterium
is associated with the roots of all cereal and pulse crops.
Reason : A gene incorporated in the bacterial chromosomal genome-gets automatically

transferred
to the crop with which the bacterium is associated.
15. Assertion : Chasmogamous flowers require pollinating agents.
Reason : Cleistogamous flowers do not expose their sex organs
16. Assertion : Histones are basic proteins of major importance in packaging of eukaryotic DNA. DNA
and histones comprise chromain forming the bulk of eukaryotic chromosome.
Reason : Histones are of five major types H1, HAHB 2 2 , , H3 and H4 .
SECTION-B
17. Three codons on mRNA are not recognised by transfer RNA. What are they? What is the general
term used for them? What is their significance in protein synthesis?
18. Describe the mechanism of evolution as explained by Hugo de Vries.
19. Describe the responsibility of GEAC, set up by the Indian Government.
20. Name the hormones involved in regulation of spermatogenesis.
21. Explain how do the following act as contraceptives: 1. Cu-T 2. Saheli
SECTION-C
22.State why plant breeders are interested in artificial hybridisation program. How do they carry out this
process?
23. With the help of a Punnett Square, find the percentage of heterozygous individuals in a F2
population of a cross involving a true-breeding pea plant with green pods and a true-breeding pea plant
with yellow pods, respectively.
24. How does the process of natural selection affect Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Explain. List any two
factors that disturb the equilibrium

25. Trace the life cycle of Plasmodium in human from the stage of entry until it is picked up by the
female Anopheles.

26. How do mycorrhizae act as biofertilizers? Explain name a genus of fungi that forms a mycorrhizal
association with plants.
27.Explain the role of the following during the sewage treatment?
1) FLOCS 2)ANAEROBIC SLUDGE DIGESTER

28. Observe the figure of the plasmid pBR322.

(i) Identify the selectable marker in the given figure.
(ii) How is the coding sequence of the b–galactosidase considered a better marker than the
ones identified by you in the figure.
(iii) Why is it necessary to have a selectable marker in the cloning vector ?
SECTION-D
29. Read the following and answer any four questions: ABO blood groups in human beings are
controlled by the gene I. The gene I has three alleles. IA, lB and i. Since there are three different
alleles six different genotypes are possible. If two persons with AB blood group marry and have
sufficient large number of children, there children could be classified as A blood group : AB blood
group : B blood group in 1 : 2 : 1 ratio. Modern technique of protein electrophoresis reveals
presence of both A and B type proteins in AB’ blood group individuals.
i. How many types of phenotypes can occur in ABO blood group?
a. Six b. Two c. Three d. Four
ii. ABO blood grouping in human beings cites the example of
a. incomplete dominance b. co-dominance
c. multiple allelism d. both co-dominance and multiple allelism
iii. The presence of both A and B type proteins in AB blood group individuals is an example of
a. partial dominance b. incomplete dominance
c. co-dominance d. complete dominance
iv. If a man of A blood group marries a woman of AB blood group. Which type of progeny indicates
that man is heterozygous?
a. O b. B c. A d. AB
30. In 1972, Cohen and Boyer isolated the antibioticresistance gene by cutting out a piece of DNA
from a plasmid which was responsible for conferring antibiotic resistance and produced a
recombinant DNA as shown in the figure given below :

(i) How was it possible for them to cut DNA at a specific position ?
(ii) Name the processes involved in producing a recombinant DNA.
(iii) Which enzyme was used to ligate the DNA and produce a recombinant DNA ?
SECTION E

31. The image below shows the menstrual cycle of a human female. On the basis of this cycle,
answer the questions that follows:
 i. Explain the menstrual phase in a human female. State the level of ovarian and pituitary
hormones during this phase.
ii. Why is follicular phase in the menstrual cycle also referred as proliferative phase? Explain.
iii. Explain the events that occur in a Graafian follicle at the time of ovulation and thereafter.

32. a. How did Meselson and Stahl reach the conclusion that DNA replication is semiconservative while
working with E. coli in their experiment?
b. Explain the contribution of Taylor and his colleagues in DNA replication in flowering plants.
Or
32. Study the schematic representation of the genes involved in the lac operon given below and answer
the questions that follow:
p i p o z y a

(i) Identify and name the regulatory gene in this operon.

(ii) What is the role of inducer in the given figure?
(iii) Why is the lac operon’s regulation referred to as negative regulation?
(iv) Name the inducer molecule and the products of the genes ‘z’ and ‘y’ of the operon. Write
the functions of these gene products
33.(i)Explain the process of replication of retro virus after it gains entry into the human body.
(ii)How does HIV infected patient loose immunity
(iii)List any two symptoms of this disease
Or
33. Read the text carefully and answer the questions:
Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal
cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Cancer
often has the ability to spread throughout your body. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the
world.
 (a) How does a cancerous cell differ from a normal cell?
(b) Benign tumor is less dangerous than malignant tumor.
(c) Why? Describe causes of cancer.
(d)Mention two methods of treatment of the disease.