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Q79 (IAS/2021) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Microbiology and immunity Official Key

Consider the following : 1. Bacteria 2. Fungi 3. Virus Which of the above can be cultured in artificial/synthetic medium?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 1 (1 and 2 only). This distinction is based on the fundamental biological nature of the organisms involved.

  • Bacteria and Fungi: These are independent living organisms. They possess the necessary cellular machinery for metabolism and reproduction. They can be grown in laboratories using artificial or synthetic media (such as agar or nutrient broth) that provide essential nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and vitamins.
  • Viruses: Unlike bacteria and fungi, viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. They lack their own metabolic machinery and cannot replicate outside a living host cell. Therefore, they cannot be cultured in synthetic, non-living media. They require living systems, such as cell cultures, embryonated eggs, or whole organisms, for cultivation.

Since bacteria and fungi can thrive on artificial nutrients while viruses cannot, only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

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Q. Consider the following : 1. Bacteria 2. Fungi 3. Virus Which of the above can be cultured in artificial/synthetic medium? [A] 1 and …
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 6.7/10 · 3.3/10
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This is a fundamental 'Definition of Life' question disguised as a technology question. It relies entirely on the Class VIII/XI NCERT definition of a Virus as an 'obligate parasite' that lacks its own metabolic machinery. If it can't metabolize, it can't 'eat' synthetic nutrients; it needs a living host to hijack.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Can bacteria be cultured in artificial or synthetic culture media?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"microorganisms must obtain nitrogen sources, carbon sources, vitamins, inorganic salts, trace elements, and various necessary growth factors from media in microbiology. ...culture media, including natural and synthetic culture medium, have received increasing attention, and culturing has become an important discipline of biological science."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states microorganisms obtain required nutrients from media used in microbiology.
  • Says culture media include natural and synthetic culture medium and that culturing is an established discipline.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"The culture medium provides essential environmental requirements for the proliferation and differentiation of cells, leading to improved quality and nutritional content (Wikandari et al., 2021). Many substances are added to the culture media, including basal cultures, serum, antibiotics and antifungals, cell signaling substances, cell matrix, and other nutrients (Lee et al., 2023)."
Why this source?
  • States that culture medium provides essential environmental requirements for cell proliferation.
  • Describes that the type of medium affects productivity and many substances are added to media to support growth.

Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: How do Organisms Reproduce? > Tissue culture > p. 118
Strength: 5/5
“In tissue culture, new plants are grown by removing tissue or separating cells from the growing tip of a plant. The cells are then placed in an artificial medium where they divide rapidly to form a small group of cells or callus. The callus is transferred to another medium containing hormones for growth and differentiation. The plantlets are then placed in the soil so that they can grow into mature plants. Using tissue culture, many plants can be grown from one parent in disease-free conditions. This technique is commonly used for ornamental plants.”
Why relevant

Describes cells placed in an artificial medium where they divide and form callus — establishes that living cells can be grown outside the organism in a man-made nutrient medium.

How to extend

A student could generalize that if plant cells grow in artificial media, microorganisms (which are simpler/smaller) might also be grown in appropriately formulated artificial media under controlled conditions.

Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye > Our scientific heritage > p. 19
Strength: 4/5
“Manure formation occurs at optimal temperature and appropriate moisture level. Isn't it interesting? By now, you must have understood that bacteria and some fungi are types of microorganisms that play an important role in our lives. And guess what, these helpful bacteria can also decompose animal wastes like dung! From Activity 2.7, we can also infer that microorganisms not only help in plant growth, but also clean our environment by breaking down waste.”
Why relevant

States that bacteria grow and act under optimal temperature and moisture and decompose wastes — highlights that microbes have specific physical and chemical requirements for growth.

How to extend

A student could infer that supplying those optimal conditions (temperature, moisture, nutrients) in an artificial medium could support bacterial growth in the lab.

Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye > Table 2.4: Testing for curd formation using milk in different conditions > p. 22
Strength: 4/5
“That is why curd is formed in bowl A but not in bowl B. We can categorise the microorganisms into different categories, such as protozoa, fungi, bacteria, some algae, and more. Some bacteria, such as Rhizobium, form the swollen regions called nodules and live in them as shown in Fig. 2.12. Roots of certain legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils have root nodules that contain Rhizobium bacteria. These bacteria trap nitrogen from the air and make it useful for the plants. This helps plants grow better without chemical fertilisers. That is why farmers grow legumes in rotation with other crops.”
Why relevant

Explains that Lactobacillus causes curd formation in milk — an example of bacteria proliferating in a nutrient-containing medium (milk) supplied by humans.

How to extend

A student could analogize that milk is a natural culture medium and reason that synthetic media could be formulated with similar nutrients to culture bacteria artificially.

Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye > Snapshots > p. 25
Strength: 3/5
“• Microorganisms can be beneficial or harmful to us.• Some microorganisms decompose the plant and animal waste into simple substances and clean up the environment.• Some microorganisms reside in the root nodules of legumes, such as peas, beans, and lentils. They trap nitrogen from the air and increase the soil fertility.• Yeasts are fungi which are used in the process of making breads, cakes, pastries, idlis, dosas, and bhaturas.• Lactobacillus is used in the curd formation at home and fermentation process in food industry.”
Why relevant

Notes that yeasts and Lactobacillus are used in food processes and industry — implying humans manage and harness microbial growth for specific outcomes.

How to extend

A student might extend this to the idea that industries cultivate microbes under controlled conditions using prepared media, suggesting artificial media can support microbial growth.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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