Biswas BIO Institute Pvt. Ltd.

 

The Joint CSIR-UGC JRF/LS (NET) Examination comprises 2 papers:
PAPER I
Time given…2 hours and 30 minutes
Maximum marks…200
Part ‘A’
40 questions of General Science
5 questions each from …
Physical Science,
Chemical Science,
Mathematical Science,
Life Science and
Computer science.
Candidate is required to answer a maximum of 25 questions.
Part ‘B’
100 questions
Candidate is required to answer a maximum of 75 questions
Most of the questions(5-10 ) are from the following:
Cell Biology
Genetics
Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Ecology and Environment
Biodiversity and Taxonomy
All questions shall be of two marks eachand will carry negative marking for wrong answers.
PAPER II
Time given…2 hours and 30 minutes
Maximum marks…200
Consists of about 45 short answer type questions requiring descriptive answers in a single sheet provided.
There shall be one compulsory question of twenty Marks.
The first question is compulsory and is from Basic research aptitude and Analytical chemistry.
A candidate is required to answer a maximum of 15 questions of twelve marks each.
Paper II is evaluated only on the condition of securing minimum aggregate marks in Paper I as fixed by CSIR.

Who can appear for the examination under Life Sciences ?
Students with a Post Graduate degree in different areas of Biology (Botany, Zoology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Life Sciences etc.) can appear for this examination

What are the strategies to qualify CSIR-UGC Test for JRF ?

1.Selection of right study material.
2.Time management
3.Attitude to succeed in the examination

LIFE SCIENCE Syllabus
PAPER I SECTION B

1. Cell Biology: Structure and function of cells and intracellular organelles (of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes), mechanism of cell division (including mitosis and meiosis) cell differentiation: Cell-cell interaction malignant growth, immune response: Dosage compensation and mechanism of sex determination
2. Biochemistry: Structure of atoms, molecules and chemical bonds; principles of physical chemistry: Thermodynamics, Kinetics, dissociation and association constants; Nucleic acid structure, genetic code, replication, transcription and translation: Structure, function and metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins; Enzymes and coenzyme; Respiration and photosynthesis.
3. Physiology: Response to stress: ‘Active transport across membrane ; Plant and animal hormones: Nutrition (including vitamins); Reproduction in plants, microbes and animals.
4. Genetics: Principles of Mendelian inheritance, chromosome ‘Structure and-function; Gene Structure and regulation of gene expression: Linkage and genetic mapping; Extrachromosomal inheritance (episomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts); Mutation: DNA damage and repair, chromosome aberration: Transposons; Sex-linked inheritance and genetic disorders; Somatic cell genetics; Genome organization (in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes).
5. Evolutionary Biology: Origin of life (including aspects of prebiotic environment and molecular evolution); Concepts of evolution; Theories of organic evolution; Mechanisms of speciation; Hardy Weinberg genetic equilibrium, genetic polymorphism and selection; Origin and evolution of economically important microbes, plants and animals.
6. Environmental Biology: Concept and dynamics or ecosystem, components, food chain and energy flow, productivity and biogeochemical cycles; Types of ecosystems, Population ecology and biological control;Community structure and organisation;Environmental pollutionSustainable development; Economic importance of microbes, plants and animals
7. Biodiversity and Taxonomy: Species concept; Biological nomenclature theories of biological classification, Structural biochemical and molecular systematic; DNA finger printing, numerical taxonomy, Biodiversity, characterization, generation maintenance and loss; Magnitude and distribution of biodiversity, economic value, wildlife biology, conservation strategies, cryopreservation.

PAPER II
1. Principles of Taxonomy as applied to the systemic and Classification of Plant Kingdom: Taxonomic structure; Biosystematics; Plant geography; Floristic.
2. Patterns of variation in morphology and life history in plants; Broad outlines of classification AND evolutionary trends among algae, fungi, bryophytes and pteridophytes; Principles of palaeobotany; Economic importance of algae, fungi and lichens.
3. Comparative anatomy and developmental morphology of gymnosperms and angiosperms; Histochemical and ultra structural aspects of development; Differentiation and morphogenesis.
4. Androgensis and gynogenesis; Breeding system; Pollination biology; structural and functional aspects of pollen and pistil; Male sterility; Self and inter-specific incompatibility; Fertilization; Embryo and seed development.
5. Plants and civilization; Centre of origin and gene diversity; Botany, utilization, cultivation and improvement of plants of food, drug, fiber and industrial values, Unexploited plants of potential economic value; Plants as a source of renewable energy; Genetic resources and their conservation.
6. Water Relation; Mineral nutrition; Photosynthesis and photorespiration; Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Sulphur metabolism; Stomatal physiology; Source and sink relationship.
7. Physiology and biochemistry and seed dormancy and germination; Hormonal regulation of growth and development; Photo regulation: Growth responses, Physiology of flowering: Senescence.
8. Principles of plant breeding; important conventional methods of breeding self and cross-pollinated and vegetatively propagated crops; Non conventional methods; Polyploidy: Genetic variability; Plant diseases and defensive Mechanisms.
9. Principles of taxonomy as applied to the systematics and classification of the animal kingdom; Classification and interrelationship amongst the major invertebrate phyla; Minor invertebrate phyla, Functional anatomy of the Nonchordates; Larval forms and their evolutionary significance.
10. Classification and comparative anatomy of protochordates and chordates; Origin, evolution and distribution of Chordates groups: Adaptive radiation.
11. Histology of mammalian organ systems, nutrition, digestion and absorption; Circulation (open and closed circular, lymphatic systems, blood composition and function); Muscular contraction and electric organs; Excretion and osmoregulation: Nerve conduction and neurotransmitters; major sense organs and receptors; Homeostatis (neural and hormonal); Bioluminescence; Reproduction.
12. Gametogenesis in animals: Molecular events during fertilization, Cleavage patterns and fate maps, Concepts of determination, competence and induction, totipotency and nuclear transfer experiments: Cell differentiation and differential gene activity: Morphogenetic determinants in egg cytoplasm; Role of maternal contributions in early embryonic development; Genetic regulations of early embryonic development in Drosophila; Homeotic genes.
13. Feeding, learning, social and sexual behavior of animals; Parental care; Circadian rhythms; Mimicry; Migration of fishes and birds; Sociobiology; Physiological adaptation at high altitude
14. .Important human and veterinary parasites (protozoans and helminthes); Life cycle and biology of Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, Ascaris, Wuchereria, Fasciola, Schistosoma and Leishmania; Molecular, cellular and physiological Basis of host – parasite interactions.
15. Arthropods and vectors of human diseases (mosquitoes, lice, flies and ticks); Mode of transmission of pathogens by vectors,; Chemical, biological and environmental control of anthropoid vectors; Biology and control of chief insect pests of agricultural importance; Plant host-insect interaction, insect pest management; useful insects: Silkworm
16. The law of DNA constancy and C-value paradox; Numerical, and structural changes in chromosomes; Molecular basis of spontaneous and induced mutations and their role in evolution; Environmental mutagenesis and toxicity Testing; Population genetics.
17. Structure of pro-and eukaryotic cells; membrane structure and function; intracellular compartments, protein sorting, secretory and endocytic pathway; cytoskeleton, nucleus; mitochondria and chloroplast and their genetic organization; cell cycle; structure and organization of chromatin; polytene and lamp brush chromosomes; dosage compensation and sex determination and sex linked inheritance.
18. Interactions between environment and biota; Concept of habitat and ecological niches; Limiting factor; Energy flow, food chain, food web and tropic levels; Ecological pyramids and recycling, biotic community-concept, structure, Dominance, fluctuation and succession; N.P.C. and S cycles in nature
19. Ecosystem dynamics and management; Stability and complexity of ecosystems; Speciation and extinctions; environmental impact assessment; Principles of conservation; Conservation strategies; sustainable development.
20. Physico-chemical properties of water; Kinds of aquatic habitats (fresh water and marine); Distribution of and impact of environmental factors on the aquatic biota; Productivity, mineral cycles and biodegradation in different aquatic ecosystems; Fish and Fisheries of India with respect to the management of estuarine, coastal water systems and man-made reservoirs; Biology and ecology of reservoirs.
21. Structure, classification, genetics, reproduction and physiology of bacteria and viruses (of bacteria, plants and animals); Mycoplasma, protozoa and yeast (a general accounts).
22. Microbial fermentation; Antibiotics, organic acids and vitamins; Microbes in decomposition and recycling processes; Symbiotic and asymbiotic N2-fixation; Microbiology of water, air, soil and sewage: Microbes as pathological agents in plants, animals and man; General design and applications of a biofermenter, Biofertilizer.
23. Antigen; structure and functions of different classes of Igs; primary and secondary immune response; lymphocytes and accessory cell; humoral and cell mediated immunity; MHC; mechanism of immune response and generation of immunological diversity; genetic control of immune response; effector mechanisms; applications of immunological techniques.
24. Enzyme Kinetics (negative and positive cooperativity); Regulation of enzymatic activity; Active sites; Coenzymes: Activators and inhibitors, isoenzymes, allosteric enzymes; Ribozyme and abzyme.
25. Van der Waal’s, electrostatic, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction; Primary structure and proteins and nucleic acids; Conformation of proteins and polypeptides (secondary, Tertiary, quaternary and domain structure);Reverse turns and Ramachandran plot; Structural polymorphism of DNA, RNA and three dimensional structure of tRNA; Structure of carbohydrates, polysaccharides, glycoproteins and peptido-qlycans: Helix coil transition; Energy terms in biopolymer conformational calculation.
26. Glycolysis and TCA cycle; Glycogen breakdown and synthesis; Gluconeogenesis; Interconversion of hexoses and pentoses; Amino acid metabolism; Coordinated control of metabolism; Biosynthesis of purines and pyrimidines;Oxidation of lipids; Biosynthesis of fatty acids; Triglycerides; Phospholipids; Sterols.
27. Energy metabolism (concept of free energy); Thermodynamic principles in biology; Energy rich bonds; Weak interactions; Coupled reactions and oxidative phosphorylations; Group transfer; Biological energy transducers;Bioenergietics.
28. Fine structure of gene, Eukaryotic genome organization (structure of chromatin, coding and non-coding sequences, and satellite DNA); DNA damage and repair, DNA replication, amplification and rearrangements.
29. Organization of transcriptional units; Mechanism of transcription of prokaryotes and eukaryotes; RNA processing (capping, polyadenylation, splicing, introns and exons); Ribonucleoproteins, structure of mRNA; Genetic code and protein synthesis.
30. Regulation of gene expression in pro and eukaryotes; Attenuation and antitermination; Operon concept; DNA methylation; Heterochromatization; Transposition; Regulatory sequences and transacting factors; Environmental regulation of gene expression.
31. Biochemistry and molecular biology of cancer Oncogenes; Chemical carcinogenesis; Genetic and metabolic disorder; Hormonal imbalance ;Drug metabolism and detoxification ;Genetic load and genetic counseling
32. Lysogeny and lytic cycle in bacteriophages; Bacterial transformation; Host cell restriction; Transduction; Complementation; Molecular recombination; DNA ligases;Topoisomerases;Gyrases;Methylases;Nucleases;Restrictionendonucleases; Plasmids and bacteriophage base vectors for cDNA and genomic libraries.
33. Principles and methods of genetic engineering and Gene targeting; Applications in agriculture, health and industry.
34. Cell and tissue culture in plants and animals; Primary culture; Cell line; Cell clones; Callus cultures; Somaclonal variation; Micropropagation; Somatic embryogenesis; Haploidy; Protoplast fusion and somatic hybridization; Cybrids; Gene transfer\methods in plants and in animals; Transgenic biology; Allopheny; Artificial seeds; Hybridoma technology.
35. Structure and organization of membranes; Glycoconjugates and proteins in membrane systems; Ion transport,Na+/K+ATPase;Molecular basis of signal transduction in bacteria, plants and animals; Model membranes;Liposomes.
36. Principles and application of light phase contrast, fluorescence, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Cytophotometry and flow cytometry, fixation and staining.
37 .Principles and applications of gel-filtration, ion-exchange and affinity chromatography; Thin layer and gas Chromatography; High pressure liquid (HPLC) chromatography; Electrophoresis and electrofocussing; Ultracentrifugation (velocity and buoyant density).
38. Principles and techniques of nucleic acid hybridization and Cot curves; Sequencing of Proteins and nucleic acids; Southern, Northern and South-Western blotting techniques; Polymerase chain reaction; Methods for measuring nucleic acid and protein interactions.
39. Principles of biophysical methods used for analysis of biopolymer structure, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence,UV, ORD/CD, Visible, NMR and ESR spectroscopy; Hydrodynamic methods; Atomic absorption and plasma emission spectroscopy.
40. Principles and applications of tracer techniques in biology; Radiation dosimetry; Radioactive isotopes and half life of isotopes; Effect of radiation on biological system; Autoradiography; Cerenkov radiation; Liquid scintillation Spectrometry.
41. Principles and practice of statistical methods in biological research, samples and populations; Basic statistics average, statistics of dispersion, coefficient of variation; Standard error; Confidence limits; Probability distributions(biomial, Poisson and normal; Tests of statistical significance; Simple correlation of regression; Analysis of variance.

 1.Which of the following is NOT a property of the phospholipid component of the membrane ?

A The phospholipid bilayer functions as an electrical capacitor

B Phospholipids are sometimes involved in signal transduction

C Electrical current can flow across the phospholipid bilayer

D The phospholipid bilayer allows ions and water to freely pass across it

E The phospholipid bilayer allows steroid hormones to freely pass across it

  

2. What is the difference between the efferent pathways of the somatic system and the autonomic nervous system?

A the neuromuscular synapses in the autonomic system are normally inhibitory

B the autonomic system has two-neuron efferent circuits rather than single-neuron efferent circuits

C only the somatic system uses acetyl choline as a neurotransmitter

D the efferent autonomic neurons are sensory, and not motor

E all of the above are true
 

3. Which of the following are true about ALL neurotransmitter receptors ?
A they are only found on the postsynaptic membrane

B they are activated by calcium

C they form part of an ion channel complex

D they interact with ion channels through GTP-binding proteins

E none of the above are true

  

4. Which statement about chemical synaptic transmission is TRUE ?

A calcium is released into the synaptic cleft and binds to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron

B neurotransmitter is released into the synaptic cleft and binds to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron

C calcium is secreted from the presynaptic terminal through exocytosis

D calcium enters the presynaptic terminal through gap junction channels

E neurotransmitter depolarizes the postsynaptic neuron by activating potassium channels

 

5. If a cell at 18°C has an extracellular Ca2+ concentration of 2.0 mM, and an intracellular Ca2+ concentration of 0.2 mM, what would the Ca2+ equilibrium (Nernst) potential be?

A 10 mV                                  B 2 mV

C 58 mV                                  D 29 mV                                  E 58 V  

6. In most neurons, the resting membrane potential is not exactly equal to the potassium equilibrium potential because

A the cell membrane is only permeable to potassium ions

Bthe membrane is depolarized by activity of the sodium/potassium pump

C of the time constant of the membrane

D the cell membrane is permeable to more than one type of ion

E All are true

7. What is the input resistance of a cell if a sustained 5 nA current injection causes a 25 mV sustained change in membrane potential ? (Hint: n = 10-9 ; M = 106; m = 10-3 )

A 1 nA                                              B 5 x 106 Ohms

C 5 Ohms                                        D 5 mV                                           E 5 x 103 Ohms

8. Which of the following is True about the Length Constant ?

A It is affected by membrane resistance and membrane capacitance

B It represents the time after the start of current injection where the membrane potential has changed by 63% of the total change

C It helps determine the conduction velocity of the action potential

D It helps determines the amplitude of the action potential

E All of the above are TRUE

9. Which is true about the relative refractory period ?

A It occurs before the absolute refractory period

B It is associated with a decrease in the relative permeability to potassium

C It is associated with an increase in the relative permeability to sodium

D It It is impossible to trigger a new action potential during the relative refractory period

E None of the above are True.
 

10. In a typical neuron, what is the effect of replacing the normal extracellular saline with one that contains a lower concentration of potassium ?

A the resting membrane potential becomes more depolarized

B the relative permeability to potassium goes up

C the relative permeability to potassium goes down

D the voltage activated potassium channels become inactivated

E the resting membrane potential becomes more hyperpolarized

……………………………………………………………………………………….

 CSIR UGC  NET      LIFE SCIENCE  : CELL BIOLOGY

 1. A scientist wanted to genetically engineer a new type of corn plant that could withstand cold temperatures. He decided to try to change the composition of the plant’s membranes to lower the temperature of phase transition. Which of the following membrane changes might be expected to improve the cold tolerance of the plants?

(a) increasing the length of the fatty acyl chains.
(b) eliminating all steroids.
(c) increasing the frequency of unsaturated fatty acyl chains.
(d) decreasing the frequency of unsaturated fatty acyl chains.
(e) eliminating all transmembrane proteins.

2. Which statement is FALSE?

(a) Lipids in some specific membranes may flip-flop relatively fast.
(b) Proteins never flip-flop.
(c) The two leaflets of a membrane may contain different polar lipids.
(d) Proteins usually move laterally much faster in natural membranes
than they do in artificial membranes.
(e) Carbohydrates that are attached to components of membranes are
almost always found on the exoplasmic face of a membrane.

3. Which of the following is an example of passive diffusion?

(a) The movement of a lipid-soluble molecule across a membrane along its concentration gradient without any involvement of transport proteins.
(b) The movement of an ion along its concentration gradient through a membrane ion channel.
(c) The movement of sucrose through a sucrose/proton antiporter.
(d) The movement of protons across the plant plasma membrane.
(e) The movement of glucose through a uniporter.

4. Which of the following types of ion channel proteins is primarily responsible for the animal plasma membrane potential in an unstimulated cell?

(a) stretch-activated
(b) Ligand gated
(c) voltage gated
(d) resting
(e) aquaporins

5. Which of the following is an example of active transport?

(a) The movement of protons through an F-class ATPase.
(b) the movement of glucose through the sodium/glucose symporter.
(c) the movement of water through a water channel.
(d) the movement of oxygen across a membrane.
(e) The movement of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) across a membrane.

6. What happens to the rate of uptake of glucose into a red blood cell when you gradually increase the concentration of glucose on the outside of the cell?

(a) the rate of uptake increases in a linear manner.
(b) the rate of uptake stays the same.
(c) the rate of uptake decreases.
(d) uptake of glucose stops immediately.
(e) the rate of uptake increases and then levels off.

7. Which of the following features is the most vital for the polarized transport of glucose in an animal epithelial cell?

(a) gap junctions
(b) tight junctions
(c) membrane fluidity
(d) lateral movement of proteins in the plasma membrane
(e) glucose uniporters

8. A scientist mutated an animal cell so that 4 amino acids in a particular protein were changed. The protein in normal cells and mutated cells was not secreted. However, the mutant cells secreted many more types of proteins than did normal cells. Which statement best explains these results?

(a) the 4 changed amino acids were part of the signal sequence.
(b) the 4 changed amino acids were a K.DEL sequence.
(c) the mutated protein was a KDEL receptor.
(d) the normal protein was a regulated secretory protein.
(e) the normal protein was a lysosomal protein.

9. A scientist used red and yellow fluorescent antibodies to label proteins A and B, respectively, on the plasma membrane of an animal cell. She then added a water-soluble hormone to the cell. 20 minutes later, when the scientist examined the cell under the fluorescence microscope, she saw that the plasma membrane still fluoresced red, but it did not have any yellow fluorescence. However, she saw small fluorescent yellow “dots” in the cell cytoplasm. When she added a dye that fluoresced green at pH levels below 5, these yellow dots now fluoresced green.
These dots were probably:

(a) ribosomes
(b) Golgi vesicles,
(c) sorting vesicles.
(d) lysosomes.
(e) coated vesicles.

10. You are a student hired by a lab doing research on signal transduction
in plant cells. You are asked to design a simple preliminary experiment to test whether the IP3 signaling pathway is involved in the response to water-soluble hormone X. Which is the best experiment to choose?

(a) measure the change in calcium level in the cell cytosol after hormone treatment.
(b) measure the change in calcium level in the whole cell after hormone treatment.
(c) measure the change in the amount of phospholipase C after hormone treatment.
(d) measure the change in kinase activity in the cytosol after hormone treatment.
(e) measure the change in level of IP3 in the cell cytosol after hormone treatment.

11. Which statement is correct?

(a) Microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules are typically static structures.
(b) Microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules are found in all cells.
(c) Microfilaments and microtubules are long polymers composed of globular monomers.
(d) Microtubules are solid rod-like polymers.
(e) All are correct

12. Which statement is incorrect?

(a) The cytoskeleton supports finger-like cellular protrusions by forming bundles of cross linked fibers.
(b) Motor molecules are not involved in microtubule-based movements.
(c) Microtubules drive the rhythmic beating of cilia.
(d) Polymerization and depolymerization of the cytoskeletal fibers can both push and pull cellular components.
(e) All are wrong.

Physical Science (UNITS FOR MEASUREMENT)

1.The dimensions of calories are f
(a) [ML2T-2]
(b) [MLT-2]
(c) [ML-2T-1]
(d) [ML2T-1]

2. Planck’s constant has the dimension of
(a) force
(b) energy
(c) linear momentum
(d) Angular momentum

3. The dimensions of solar constants are
(a) [MLT-2]
(b) [M0L0T0]
(c) [ML2T-2]
(d) [ML0T-3]

Chemical Sciences

(Physical chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry)

4. The inventor of electron, proton and neutron respectively are
(a) J.J.Thomson, James Chadwick, Dalton
(b) J.J.Thomson, Goldstein and Chadwick
( c) James Chadwick, Goldstein, J.J.Thomson
(d) Tore, Moseley and J.J.Thomson

5. First organic compound synthesized in the laboratory was
(a) Methane
(b) Urea
( c) Acetic acid
(d) Glucose

6. Silicon is an important constituent of
(a) rocks
(b) vegetables
( c) alloys
(d) animals

Mathematical Sciences

 
7. One way to determine whether a number (n) is prime or not is to divide it by numbers less than itself. The number of divisions required is
(a) n/2
(b) n-1
( c) 2 n
(d) less than n

8. The largest decimal number that a four byte integer can represent is approximately
(a) 105
(b) 107
(c) 109
(d) 1011

9. The minimum number of multiplications required to evaluate the expression a+bx+cx2+dx3+ex4
(a) 4
(b) 5
(c) 3
(d) 7

Life Sciences

 
10. LSD is a _______ drug
(a) opiate
(b) hallucinogen
(c) sedative
(d) depressant

11. The term, ‘ecosystem’ was proposed by
(a) Odum
(b Tanseley
(c) Mishra
(d) Gardner

12. Swine flu is caused by
(a) H1N1
(b) H3N2
(c) H1N2
(d) All of these

13. Relenza is the famous effective drug against
(a) cholera
(b) tuberculosis
(c) swine flu
(d) All of these

14. The first transposons were discovered in the 1940s by Barbara McClintock in
(a) Drosophila
(b) Neurospora
( c) Zea mays
(d) Arabidopsis thaliana

15. Who is called fruit fly of plant kingdom
(a) Escherichia coli
(b) Neurospora
(c) Zea mays
(d) Arabidopsis thaliana

 

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