NDA General Studies · Biology · 28 questions · 2017 to 2026

NDA Nutrition, health and disease previous year questions with solutions

Nutrition, health and disease is about one General Studies question in seventy, usually one a sitting, four in 2025 (I) and none in 2026. Every question is one fact: a vitamin and its deficiency disease, a disease and its pathogen or vector. Every question UPSC has set on it since 2017, solved. Grouped by the method each needs, newest first; open a question for its answer and worked solution.

17.1 Food and nutrients: the balanced diet and the modes of nutrition (5)17.2 Vitamins and minerals: sources and deficiency diseases (6)17.3 Diseases and their pathogens: viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi and worms (8)17.4 How diseases spread: vectors, water-borne and air-borne infection, and prevention (4)17.5 Immunity, vaccines and antibiotics (5)

17.1 Food and nutrients: the balanced diet and the modes of nutrition

1. NDA 2024 (II)

Which one among the following combinations most appropriately represent the components of balanced diet?

(a) Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water(b) Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat and minerals(c) Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, minerals and water(d) Vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water

Answer and solution

Answer: (a) Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water

Method. Components of a balanced diet

A balanced diet has carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre (roughage) and water: all seven, which is option (a). The other options each omit at least one. Class 6 nutrients table (standard result).

2. NDA 2023 (I)

Organisms capable of using CO₂ as principal carbon source are called:

(a) Autotrophs(b) Heterotrophs(c) Parasites(d) Decomposers

Answer and solution

Answer: (a) Autotrophs

Method. Autotrophs

Organisms that use CO₂ as principal carbon source and make organic food are autotrophs (plants, algae, some bacteria). Heterotrophs need organic carbon. Standard result.

3. NDA 2021 (I)

The major source of vitamins and minerals for vegetarians is

(a) black gram and wheat.(b) rice and mustard.(c) vegetables and fruits.(d) soya bean and milk.

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) vegetables and fruits.

Method. Source of vitamins and minerals

Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of vitamins and minerals for vegetarians; grains and pulses mainly give carbohydrates and proteins, soya and milk proteins. Class 6 nutrients table (standard result).

4. NDA 2017 (II)

Intake of which one of the following food components should be minimized by patients having Gouty Arthritis due to elevated serum uric acid level?

(a) Food fibres(b) Nucleic acids(c) Lipids(d) Carbohydrates

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Nucleic acids

Method. Purine metabolism and gout

Gout comes from excess uric acid, the end product of purine (nucleic acid) breakdown. Hence nucleic-acid-rich foods (organ meats, etc.) are restricted. Standard result.

5. NDA 2017 (I)

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

(a) All proteins are enzymes.(b) Mostly enzymes are proteins.(c) All fats are energy rich compounds.(d) Glucose is a common carbohydrate.

Answer and solution

Answer: (a) All proteins are enzymes.

Method. Negative stem: pick the false statement

The question asks for the NOT correct statement. (b) is true: nearly all enzymes are proteins (ribozymes are the RNA exception). (c) fats give 9 kcal/⁠g, the richest food energy source; (d) glucose is the commonest simple carbohydrate. (a) is false: many proteins (haemoglobin, collagen, insulin, antibodies) are not enzymes. Standard result.

17.2 Vitamins and minerals: sources and deficiency diseases

6. NDA 2025 (II)

Iodized salt is a vital part of our diet as it is essential for the synthesis of

(a) Estrogen(b) Thyroxin(c) Insulin(d) Adrenalin

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Thyroxin

Method. Role of iodine

Iodine is required for the thyroid hormone thyroxine (and T3); deficiency causes goitre. Oestrogen, insulin and adrenaline do not contain iodine. Standard result.

7. NDA 2025 (I)

Vitamin B1 is also known as

(a) Riboflavin(b) Thiamin(c) Retinol(d) Tocopherol

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Thiamin

Method. Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is thiamine (thiamin); its lack causes beriberi. Riboflavin is B2, retinol is A, tocopherol is E. Class 6 nutrients table (standard result).

8. NDA 2024 (II)

Which one among the following diseases is caused due to deficiency of Vitamin D in humans?

(a) Beriberi(b) Scurvy(c) Rickets(d) Pneumonia

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Rickets

Method. Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children (soft bones). Beriberi is B1 deficiency, scurvy vitamin C, pneumonia an infection. Class 6 nutrients table (standard result).

9. NDA 2021 (II)

Intestinal bacteria are main source of which one of the following vitamins?

(a) Vitamin E(b) Vitamin C(c) Vitamin B₁₂(d) Vitamin A

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Vitamin B₁₂

Method. Vitamin made by gut bacteria

Intestinal bacteria synthesise vitamin K and several B vitamins (B12, biotin, folate). Of the options only B12 qualifies; E, C and A are not made by gut flora.

10. NDA 2019 (II)

Which one of the following diseases may be caused by the deficiency of vitamin C?

(a) Rickets(b) Rabies(c) Hepatitis(d) Scurvy

Answer and solution

Answer: (d) Scurvy

Method. Vitamin C deficiency

Deficiency of vitamin C(ascorbic acid) causes scurvy (bleeding gums, poor wound healing). Rickets is vitamin D; rabies and hepatitis are viral. Class 6 nutrients table (standard result).

11. NDA 2017 (II)

Which one of the following vitamins has a role in blood clotting?

(a) Vitamin A(b) Vitamin D(c) Vitamin E(d) Vitamin K

Answer and solution

Answer: (d) Vitamin K

Method. Vitamin K and clotting

Vitamin K is needed to make prothrombin and other clotting factors in the liver; its deficiency prolongs bleeding time. A is for vision, D for calcium absorption, E is an antioxidant. Standard result (Class 6 nutrients table).

17.3 Diseases and their pathogens: viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi and worms

12. NDA 2025 (I)

Which of the following pairs is/⁠are correctly matched?
1. Malaria: Mycobacterium
2. TB: Plasmodium
Select the answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer and solution

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Method. Matching disease and pathogen

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium and TB by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Both pairs as printed swap these, so both are wrong: neither 1 nor 2. Standard result.

13. NDA 2023 (II)

An important cause of tooth decay by the bacterium Streptococcus mutans is because of their ability to attach to teeth surface by producing slime layer from

(a) Sugar(b) Alcohol(c) Saliva(d) Teichoic acid

Answer and solution

Answer: (a) Sugar

Method. Dental plaque formation

S. mutans converts dietary sucrose into sticky glucans (dextran) by glucosyltransferase; this slime layer lets it adhere to enamel and form plaque, and its acids cause caries. Saliva and alcohol do not give the slime; teichoic acid is a cell-wall component, not its source. Standard result.

14. NDA 2022 (I)

Which one of the following is caused by a bacterial pathogen?

(a) AIDS(b) Dengue fever(c) COVID-19(d) Typhoid fever

Answer and solution

Answer: (d) Typhoid fever

Method. Bacterial disease

Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella typhi, a bacterium. AIDS (HIV), dengue and COVID-19 are viral. Standard result.

15. NDA 2021 (II)

Which one of the following viruses used to be responsible for highly infectious disease Smallpox?

(a) Adenovirus(b) Variola virus(c) Aichi virus(d) Coxsackie virus

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Variola virus

Method. Smallpox virus

Smallpox was caused by the Variola virus (eradicated 1980). Adenovirus causes colds, Coxsackie hand-foot-mouth disease. Standard result.

16. NDA 2019 (II)

Which one of the following is a bacterium that causes disease in the human body?

(a) Varicella zoster(b) Trypanosoma gambiense(c) Salmonella typhi(d) Plasmodium falciparum

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Salmonella typhi

Method. Bacterial pathogen

Salmonella typhi is a bacterium (typhoid). Varicella zoster is a virus (chickenpox), Trypanosoma gambiense and Plasmodium falciparum are protozoa. Standard result.

17. NDA 2018 (I)

AIDS is caused by a virus whose genetic material is

(a) single stranded circular DNA(b) double stranded DNA(c) single stranded RNA(d) double stranded RNA

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) single stranded RNA

Method. HIV genetic material

HIV is a retrovirus with single-stranded RNA, copied by reverse transcriptase into DNA. Class 12 Biology 'Human Health and Disease'.

18. NDA 2017 (II)

Which one of the following is the scientific name of the causal organism of elephantiasis?

(a) Ascaris lumbricoides(b) Culex pipiens(c) Wuchereria bancrofti(d) Fasciola hepatica

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Wuchereria bancrofti

Method. Causal organism of elephantiasis (filariasis)

Elephantiasis is caused by the filarial worm Wuchereria bancrofti, transmitted by the Culex mosquito. Ascaris causes ascariasis, Culex pipiens is the vector (not the causal organism), Fasciola is the liver fluke. Class 12 Biology 'Human Health and Disease'.

19. NDA 2017 (I)

Sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease of humans and other animals. It is caused by

(a) Histomonas(b) Trypanosoma(c) Angomonas(d) Naegleria

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Trypanosoma

Method. Pathogen of sleeping sickness

Sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense/rhodesiense, spread by the tsetse fly. Histomonas, Angomonas and Naegleria are not its agents (Naegleria causes amoebic meningoencephalitis). Standard result.

17.4 How diseases spread: vectors, water-borne and air-borne infection, and prevention

20. NDA 2025 (I)

The vector of malaria parasites is

(a) Male Anopheles mosquito(b) Male Culex mosquito(c) Female Anopheles mosquito(d) Female Culex mosquito

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Female Anopheles mosquito

Method. Malaria vector

Malaria parasites (Plasmodium) are transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito; only females bite to take blood. Class 12 Biology 'Human Health and Disease'.

21. NDA 2019 (I)

Which one of the following statements regarding Cholera is correct?

(a) Cholera is a disease that causes loss of memory(b) Cholera is a disease of muscles due to consumption of alcohol(c) Cholera is a disease due to consumption of contaminated food or water(d) Cholera is a genetic disease

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Cholera is a disease due to consumption of contaminated food or water

Method. Cholera

Cholera is caused by Vibrio cholerae, spread by contaminated food or water; it causes severe watery diarrhoea. It is not a memory, muscle or genetic disease. Class 9 NCERT 'Why Do We Fall Ill' (standard result).

22. NDA 2018 (II)

Which one of the following is a waterborne disease?

(a) Jaundice(b) Tuberculosis(c) Rabies(d) Arthritis

Answer and solution

Answer: (a) Jaundice

Method. Waterborne disease

Jaundice (hepatitis A/⁠E) spreads through contaminated water. TB is airborne, rabies spreads by animal bites, arthritis is not infectious. Class 9 NCERT 'Why Do We Fall Ill' (standard result).

23. NDA 2017 (I)

Dengue virus causes high fever, rashes and reduces the number of a particular type of blood cells. Those blood cells are

(a) Monocytes(b) Platelets(c) Eosinophils(d) Neutrophils

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Platelets

Method. Dengue and blood cell counts

Dengue causes thrombocytopenia, a fall in platelets (thrombocytes), which explains the bleeding tendency. Standard result; Class 12 Biology 'Human Health and Disease'.

17.5 Immunity, vaccines and antibiotics

24. NDA 2025 (II)

Which one of the following blood cells type secrete large number of antibodies during an immune response of the body?

(a) Neutrophils(b) Eosinophils(c) Lymphocytes(d) Monocytes

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Lymphocytes

Method. Antibody secretion

Plasma cells from B-lymphocytes secrete large amounts of antibodies in an immune response. Of the options only lymphocytes. Class 12 Biology 'Human Health and Disease' (standard result).

25. NDA 2025 (I)

Initial discovery of antibiotic penicillin was done by

(a) Francis Crick(b) Maurice Wilkins(c) Charles Darwin(d) Alexander Fleming

Answer and solution

Answer: (d) Alexander Fleming

Method. Discovery of penicillin

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 from Penicillium notatum. Crick and Wilkins worked on DNA structure; Darwin on evolution. Standard result.

26. NDA 2024 (I)

Which one among the following cells produces antibodies against a foreign antigen?

(a) Lymphocytes(b) Erythrocytes(c) Eosinophils(d) Platelets

Answer and solution

Answer: (a) Lymphocytes

Method. Antibody-producing cells

Antibodies are secreted by plasma cells, which derive from B-lymphocytes. Of the options only lymphocytes is right. Class 12 Biology 'Human Health and Disease'.

27. NDA 2020 (I)

Which one of the following statements is correct about effects of antibiotics on viruses?

(a) Viruses are “non-living” entities but it can interact with antibiotics(b) Taking antibiotics cures viral infections(c) Viruses do not possess metabolic pathways on which antibiotics can function, whereas bacteria have such pathways(d) Viruses are resistant to antibiotics

Answer and solution

Answer: (c) Viruses do not possess metabolic pathways on which antibiotics can function, whereas bacteria have such pathways

Method. Why antibiotics do not act on viruses

Antibiotics block bacterial pathways (cell-wall synthesis, protein synthesis by 70S ribosomes, etc.). Viruses have no metabolic machinery of their own and use the host's, so they have no such target. (b) is false; (a) is wrong as antibiotics do not act on them; (d) states a result, not the reason, and 'resistant' implies a susceptible state. Class 9 NCERT 'Why Do We Fall Ill' (standard result).

28. NDA 2019 (I)

Which one of the following statements regarding Penicillin is correct?

(a) Penicillin resistant bacteria can store this antibiotic in vacuole(b) Penicillin resistant bacteria can degrade this antibiotic by an enzyme called β-lactamase(c) Penicillin resistant bacteria can degrade this antibiotic by an enzyme called lactic acid dehydrogenase(d) Penicillin is not absorbed by bacteria; so most bacteria are resistant

Answer and solution

Answer: (b) Penicillin resistant bacteria can degrade this antibiotic by an enzyme called β-lactamase

Method. Penicillin resistance by beta-lactamase

Resistant bacteria make beta-lactamase (penicillinase), which hydrolyses the beta-lactam ring of penicillin. Bacteria have no vacuole storage of the drug, lactic acid dehydrogenase is unrelated to antibiotics, and penicillin does act on bacterial cell-wall synthesis. Standard result.

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