Biotechnology — MCQ Practice Questions & Answers

Question 1

Which of the following is the most commonly used culture medium for animal cell culture in laboratories?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: A. DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium) — DMEM is the most widely used culture medium for mammalian/animal cell culture due to its balanced nutrient composition. LB broth is for bacteria, PDA for fungi, and Czapek Dox for fungi.

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B. Luria-Bertani broth

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C. Potato dextrose agar

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D. Czapek Dox medium

Question 2

What is the primary purpose of using a laminar flow hood in cell culture?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. To maintain aseptic conditions and prevent contamination — Laminar flow hoods create unidirectional airflow through HEPA filters, maintaining a sterile environment and preventing microbial contamination during cell culture operations.

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A. To increase the temperature of the culture medium

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C. To enhance cell growth rate by 50%

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D. To reduce the cost of culture media

Question 3

Which of the following characteristics is essential for continuous cell lines?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. Unlimited replicative potential and ability to divide indefinitely — Continuous cell lines (like HeLa, CHO) have unlimited replicative potential due to telomerase activation or genetic modifications, allowing indefinite division unlike primary cultures.

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A. Limited lifespan of 20-30 divisions

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C. Requirement for fresh serum every 6 hours

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D. Complete inability to survive in artificial media

Question 4

What is the normal pH range required for optimal mammalian cell culture?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. 7.2-7.4 — Mammalian cells require a pH of 7.2-7.4 (physiological pH) for optimal growth. This is maintained using buffers like bicarbonate or HEPES in culture media.

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A. 4.5-5.5

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C. 8.5-9.0

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D. 6.0-6.5

Question 5

Which growth factor is primarily responsible for promoting cell proliferation in mammalian cell culture media?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: A. Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) — EGF is a primary mitogenic growth factor that stimulates cell proliferation. While other factors support cell survival, EGF is specifically responsible for promoting cell division in mammalian cultures.

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B. Insulin

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C. Transferrin

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D. Albumin

Question 6

What is the primary purpose of using serum-free media (SFM) in industrial cell culture?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. To reduce batch variability and improve downstream processing — Serum-free media reduce lot-to-lot variability of serum batches, improve product purity, and simplify downstream purification processes, making them essential for pharmaceutical production.

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A. To increase cell density to 10^8 cells/mL

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C. To completely eliminate the need for bioreactors

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D. To replace all nutrient requirements with plant extracts

Question 7

Which of the following cell lines is commonly used for monoclonal antibody production?

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. Myeloma cells (NSO or SP2/0) — Myeloma cell lines (NSO or SP2/0) are immortal cells used to create hybridomas through fusion with B lymphocytes for monoclonal antibody production.

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A. HeLa cells

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C. Fibroblast cells

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D. Epithelial cells

Question 8

The doubling time of mammalian cells cultured in vitro typically ranges between:

Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. 12-24 hours — Most mammalian cell lines have doubling times of 12-24 hours under optimal culture conditions. Bacterial doubling times are much shorter (2-4 hours).

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A. 2-4 hours

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C. 48-72 hours

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D. 7-10 days

Biotechnology - MCQ Practice Questions