Science education and awareness among rural girls

Today’s society is totally dependent on science. Science is important in every walk of life e.g., agriculture, health, sports, space, defense etc. it’s true that we are completely dependent on science for our every routine work e.g., food, medicines, clothes etc. Inspite all these many people are unaware of science behind these all things. Many people (maximum are illiterate are less educated) are superstitious and they have their own views to explain things. In past two decades literacy rate is increasing in India. Educated people are aware of science and scientific incidents. Science education is main part of our literacy program. To know level of science education and interest of girls in science, we have made a survey among rural girl students. All students were from class 9^th students to graduate and 14 years to 21 years in age. These all students were belonging to middle class and lower middle class family. We talked with them about their interest in science, superstition, their family approach toward education and science. During our study we noticed that family of maximum students were orthodox, they believe in superstition and hardly believe in science. But these students showed their very interest in science and they want to learn science. Few students were confused about science and superstition.

With this study we draw a conclusion that despite parent’s mentality, economic status and societal barrier these all students were enthusiastic to learn science. They knew the role of science in well being of their lives. Here, at this point role of educational institution is very crucial. There should be mandatory to start scientific awareness program weekly in every schools. This would be significant step in creating a scientific environment and temperament among students as well.

Authors: Dr. Sanjay Kr. Vishwakarma and Ms. Nargis K.

MCQs on Animalia classification

1- Subkingdom Metazoa is divided into 3 branches -----

a-   Mesozoa, Parazoa, Eumetazoa

b-   Protozoa, Mesozoa, Eumatazoa

c-   Protozoa, Parazoa, Eumatazoa

d-   Protozoa, Metazoa, Eumatazoa

2- Eumatazoa is divided into -----

a-   Radiata, Biradiata, Bilateria

b-   Radiata, Bilateria

c-   Biradiata, Bilateria

d-   None

3- Division Protostomia is divided into -----

a-   Acoelomata, Pseudocoelomata, Coelomata

b-   Pseudocoelomata, Eucoelomata

c-   Acoelomata, Psuedocoelomata, Lophophorate coelomata, Schizocoelous coelomata]

d-   Pseudocoelomata, Lophophorate coelomata, Schizocoelous coelomata, Enterocoelous coelomata

4- Deuterostomia include subdivision -----

a-   Enterocoelous coelomata & Schizocoelous coelomata

b-   Enterocoelous coelomata only

c-   Schizocoelous coelomata only

d-   None

5- The Phyllum included into Deuterostomia(Enterocoelous) -----

a-   Chaetognatha, Echinodermata, Pogonophora, Hemichordata, Chordata

b-   Echinodermata, Pogonophora, chordate

c-   Echinodermata, Chordata

d-   None

6- Acoelomata include phylum-----

a-   Platyhelminthese, Rhynchocoela

b-   Platyhelminthese, Aschelmenthese

c-   Both

d-   None

7- Phylum Acanthocephala, Entoprocta & Super phylum Aschelminthese are included in subdivision

a-   Acoelomata

b-   Pseudocoelomata

c-   Coelomata

d-   None

8- Coelom develops as schizocoel or enterocoel with a crown of tentacle (lophophore) surrounding mouth is characteristics of -----

a-   Subdivision Lophophorate coelomata

b-   Division Lophophorata

c-   Subdivision Lophophorata

d-   None

9- Coelom develop by spliting of mesoderm is called as -----

a-   Pseudocoelom

b-   Schizocoelom

c-   Enterocoelom

d-   All

10-             Annelida, Mollusca & Arthropoda have -----

a-   Schizocoel

b-   Enterocoel

c-   Both

d-   None

Answer: 1-a, 2-a, 3-c, 4-b, 5-a, 6-a,7-b, 8-a, 9-b, 10-a

Contributed by: Nargis K.

Multiple choice questions

1.   Bilaterally  symmetrical animal are triploblastic and have organ grade of body organization, called as -----

a-   Bilateral

b-   Biradial

c-   Both

d-   None

2.   Psuedocoelomata include the phylum -----

a-   Aschelminthese, Nematode, Acanthocephala

b-   Entoprocta, platyhelminthese

c-   Both a&b

d-   None

3.   Eucoelomata include the animal having -----

a-   Body cavity externally lined by ectoderm & internally by endoderm

b-   Body cavity lined by endoderm

c-   Body cavity lined by mesoderm on both side

d-   Both b& c

4.   Division radiata include animal having -----

a-   Organ grade system radial symmetric

b-   Tissue grade, biradial symmetric

c-   Radial symmetry, tissue grade organization

d-   Radial puedocoelomate

5.   Psuedocoelomata have body cavity -----

a-   Lined by mesoderm

b-   Not lined by mesoderm

c-   Lined by endoderm

d-   None

6.   Match the column A with B

p-   Psuedocoelomata                 1-  Platehelminthes

q-    Acoelomata                        2- Annelida

r-    Schizocoelomata                 3- Echinodermata

s-    Enterocoelomata                 4- Aschelminthes

a-   p-1, q-2, r-4, s-3

b-   p-2, q-3, r-1, s-4

c-   p-3, q-4 ,r-1, s-2

d-   p-1, q-4, r-2, s-3

7.   Hemichordata include animal having -----

a-   Unsegmented body, gills, rudimentary notochord

b-   Segmented body, gills, complete notochord

c-   Segmented body, gills, rudimentary notochord

d-   Unsegmented body, gills, complete notochord

8.   Synchronic species are -----

a-   Two or more species found in the same time period

b-   Two or more species found in the different time period

c-   Two or more species living in the different habitats

d-   Both b&c

9.   Protostomia include animal in which mouth arises 

a-   From blastopore

b-   Away from blastopore

c-   Mouth arises from coelom

d-   Both b & c

10. Deuterostomia include animal in which

a-   Mouth arises from blastopore

b-   Anus arises from blastopore

c-   Mouth arises early than anus

d-   None

11. During the development of dictyostelium discoideum solitary haploid amoebae (called myxamoebae or social amoebae) live on decaying logs, eating bacteria & reproducing by binary fission. When they have exhausted their food supply, tens of thousands of these myxamoebae join together to form moving stream of cells, the initial cell-cell adhesion is mediated by -----

a-   A 2400-Da glycoprotein that is absent in myxamoebae but appear shortly after division ceases

b-   A 24000-Da glycoprotein that is absent in myxamoebae but appear shortly after division start

c-   24000-Da glycoprotein present in myxamoebae &  disappear after division ceases

d-   24000-Da glycoprotein present in myxamoebae & disappear after division start

12. Myxamoebae of dictostelium discoideum join together to form moving streams of the cells that converge a central point. Here they pile atop one another to produce a conical mound called a tight aggregate bend over to produce the migrating slug. The slug is called as

a-   Fruiting body of dictyostelium discoideum

b-   Pseudoplasmodium or grex

c-   Both

d-   None

13. Rather the myxamoebae of dictyostelium cell join with each another to form streams, this movement is due to chemotaxis : the cell are guided to aggregation centers by a soluble substances. This substances was later identified as -----

a-   IP3

b-   Cyclic AMP

c-   Cyclic GMP

d-   None

14. The cell-cell adhesion is mediated by a 24KDa glycoprotein is synthesized from newly transcribed m RNA & becomes localized in the cell membrane of the myxamoebae. If myxamoebae are treated with ----- that bind to stick to one another, & all subsequent development ceases.

a-   Antigen

b-   Glycoprotein

c-   Antibodies

d-   All of the above

15. In dictyostelium after initial aggregation has occurred it is stabilized by a second cell adhesion molecules, the ----- is also synthesized during the aggregation phase

a-   24KDa glycoprotein

b-   24 Da protein

c-   Both a&b

d-   80KDa glycoprotein

16. In dyctostelium when 80KDa glycoprotein is also defective or absent in the cells ----- will form, & their fruiting bodies will be only about ----- of the normal size

a-   Normal slug, half

b-   Large, one fourth

c-   Small slugs, one third

d-   None

17. Dictyostelium is a “-----“ that does not form many cell types

a-   Part – time multicellular organism

b-   Part – time unicellular organism

c-   Full – time multicellular

d-   All of above

18. In dictyostelium differentiation into stalk cell or spore cell reflects another major phenomenon of embryogenesis, the two factor for differenciation are

a-   Differentiation inducing factor ( IDF ) & cAMP

b-   DIF & cGMP

c-   cAMP & cGMP

d-   All

19. High concentration of cAMP initiate the expression of prespore – specific mRNA in aggregate myxamoebae. More ever, when slugs are placed in a medium containing an enzyme that destroy extracellular cAMP, the prespore cell -----

a-   Lose their differentiation characteristics

b-   Become highly differented

c-   Secrete new cAMP

d-   Both b&c

20. The newly formed cAMP activates the cell’s own receptors, as well as those of its neighbors. The cells in the area remain insensitive to new waves of cAMP is removed from from the receptors by another cell surface enzyme,

a-   Acetylase

b-   Phosphodiesterase

c-   Demethylase

d-   All

Answers:1-a, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c, 5-b, 6-d, 7-a, 8-a, 9-a, 10-b, 11-a, 12-b, 13-b, 14-c, 15-a, 16-c, 17-a, 18-a, 19-a, 20-b 

Questions contributed by Ms. Nargis K.