Q.Diaphragms are contraceptive devices used by the females. Choose the correct option from the statements given below:
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health Significance — A First Look
Think of health as a state of complete well-being — not just the absence of disease. Now apply that to the part of your life that involves reproduction, the biological process by which new individuals are created. That is reproductive health: it is not merely about being free from infections or disorders of the reproductive system. It means having a healthy body, a clear understanding of reproductive processes, and the ability to make informed, responsible choices.
The NCERT textbook defines reproductive health as "a total well-being in all aspects of reproduction — physical, emotional, behavioural, and social." That is the core idea. It is not a narrow medical term; it is a broad, positive concept that touches every person, regardless of gender or age.
Why does it matter?
Reproductive health is significant because it directly affects the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities. When people are reproductively healthy, they can:
- Make informed decisions about marriage, family size, and childbearing.
- Prevent and manage sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS.
- Avoid unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, which are major causes of maternal death.
- Ensure safe motherhood — proper care during pregnancy, delivery, and after birth reduces risks for both mother and child.
- Recognise and address problems like infertility, menstrual disorders, or reproductive cancers early.
Reproductive health is not only about problems. It also includes positive aspects like sexual well-being, the ability to have a satisfying and safe sex life, and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to reproduce.
The bigger picture
On a national scale, reproductive health is linked to population control, maternal and child mortality rates, and the spread of diseases. The Indian government has run programmes like the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme to improve access to services, education, and contraception. The goal is not just to reduce numbers — it is to ensure that every birth is wanted, every pregnancy is safe, and every child is healthy.
Reproductive health is a fundamental right, not a privilege. It requires awareness, access to healthcare, and the removal of social taboos that prevent open discussion.
Key components you should know
- Family planning — spacing and limiting births through contraception. …
Diaphragms are barrier methods of contraception. They are not inserted into the uterus; instead, they are placed to cover the cervix — the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Their function is purely physical: they block sperm from entering the uterus. They do not release any spermicidal chemicals on their own, though they are often used with a spermicidal cream or jelly.
- Statement (i) is wrong — diaphragms are placed in the vagina, not the uterus.
- Statement (ii) is correct — they cover the cervical region.
- Statement (iii) is correct — they act as a physical barrier. …
Diaphragms are barrier contraceptives placed over the cervix to physically block sperm entry — they are not inserted into the uterus and do not act as spermicides on their own.
Diaphragms belong to the category of barrier methods of contraception. The core idea behind any barrier method is simple: create a physical wall that prevents sperm from meeting the egg. For females, these devices are designed to be placed inside the vagina, but their exact position and function are often confused.
Let’s look at what the NCERT textbook says. A diaphragm is a soft, dome-shaped rubber or silicone cup that a woman inserts into her vagina before intercourse. Crucially, it is not pushed deep into the uterus. The uterus is a muscular organ above the vagina, and inserting a device into it would be both unnecessary and unsafe. Instead, the diaphragm is positioned to cover the cervix — the narrow, neck-like opening of the uterus that projects into the upper vagina. By covering the cervix, the diaphragm acts as a physical barrier, stopping sperm from swimming through the cervical canal into the uterus.
Now, consider the four statements:
- (i) They are introduced into the uterus — This is incorrect. The diaphragm stays in the vagina, covering the cervix, not inside the uterus itself.
- (ii) They are placed to cover the cervical region — This is correct. That is exactly how a diaphragm works.
- (iii) They act as physical barriers for sperm entry — This is correct. The diaphragm blocks the path of sperm. …
Showing the 12 most recent of 38 on this concept.
- KCET 2026Set UNKNOWN1 markMCQQ.Which of the following Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are not completely curable? (A) AIDS, Genital warts (B) Chlamydiasis, Gonorrhoea (C) Genital warts, Hepatitis B (D) AIDS, Genital herpes
›Reveal solutionSolution
Curability of an STI depends on its causative organism: bacterial infections respond fully to antibiotics, while the viral infections that establish persistent or lifelong infection in the body cannot be completely cured.
Step 1 — Recall the common STIs and their causative agents
Common STIs include gonorrhoea, syphilis, genital herpes, genital warts, chlamydiasis, trichomoniasis, hepatitis-B and HIV/AIDS. Of these, chlamydiasis and gonorrhoea are caused by bacteria.
Step 2 — Assess curability of the bacterial infections
Bacterial STIs like chlamydiasis and gonorrhoea are completely curable if detected early and treated properly with the correct antibiotic course, since the causative bacteria can be eliminated from the body.
Step 3 — Assess curability of AIDS and genital herpes …
- KCET 2026Set UNKNOWN1 markMCQQ.Which of the following statements is NOT true about 'Saheli'? (A) It is a non-steroidal preparation (B) It is a 'once-a-week' pill (C) It has low contraceptive value (D) It has fewer side effects
›Reveal solutionSolution
Saheli's actual advantages are that it is non-steroidal, taken only once a week, and has few side effects with good contraceptive effectiveness — so the claim that it has low contraceptive value is the incorrect statement.
Step 1 — Recall what Saheli is
Saheli is an oral contraceptive developed by Indian scientists at the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow. It is non-steroidal in nature, which distinguishes it from most other hormonal contraceptive pills. This matches statement (A), which is true.
Step 2 — Check the dosage schedule
Saheli is taken as a 'once-a-week' pill, unlike conventional oral contraceptives that require daily intake. This matches statement (B), which is true.
Step 3 — Check its side-effect profile and efficacy …
- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.Choose the correct sequence of sperm transport during ejaculation (A) Seminiferous tubules → rete testis → epididymis → vasa efferentia → vas deferens → ejaculatory duct (B) Seminiferous tubules → vasa efferentia → rete testis → epididymis → vas deferens → ejaculatory duct (C) Seminiferous tubules → rete testis → epididymis → vas deferens → vasa efferentia → ejaculatory duct (D) Seminiferous tubules → rete testis → vasa efferentia → epididymis → vas deferens → ejaculatory duct
›Reveal solutionSolution
Trace the male duct system in anatomical order: seminiferous tubules → rete testis → vasa efferentia → epididymis → vas deferens → ejaculatory duct.
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Site of production. Spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testicular lobules.
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Rete testis. The seminiferous tubules open, through the short straight tubules (tubuli recti), into the rete testis — a network of channels inside the testis.
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Vasa efferentia. From the rete testis the sperm leave the testis through the vasa efferentia, which emerge from the testis and open into the epididymis.
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Epididymis. The vasa efferentia lead into the epididymis, located along the posterior surface of each testis, where sperm are stored and complete their maturation.
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Vas deferens. The epididymis is continuous with the vas deferens, which ascends into the abdomen and loops over the urinary bladder.
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Ejaculatory duct. The vas deferens receives the duct of the seminal vesicle to form the ejaculatory duct, which stores sperm and carries them into the urethra during ejaculation.
So the path is: …
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- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.Out of the following options, identify which one is NOT a natural method of contraception ? (A) Implants (B) Lactational amenorrhea (C) Periodic abstinence (D) Coitus interruptus
›Reveal solutionSolution
Natural methods use no device or drug; implants release progestogens from under the skin, so implants are the non-natural method.
Step 1 — What makes a method 'natural'
Natural / traditional methods work by avoiding the meeting of sperm and ovum — no drug, no device, no hormone. They have no side effects, but their chances of failure are high.
Step 2 — Classify each option
- Periodic abstinence (C) — the couple avoids coitus from day 10 to day 17 of the cycle (the fertile period, when ovulation and hence conception is most likely). ✓ Natural.
- Coitus interruptus / withdrawal (D) — the male withdraws the penis before ejaculation, so semen is not deposited in the vagina. ✓ Natural.
- Lactational amenorrhea (B) — during intense breast-feeding after childbirth, ovulation and hence the menstrual cycle do not resume. Effective up to about six months post-partum. ✓ Natural. …
- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.In zygote intrafallopian tube transfer, the embryo upto …………. stage is transferred into the fallopian tube (A) 16 blastomeres (B) 8 blastomeres (C) 32 blastomeres (D) 2 blastomeres
›Reveal solutionSolution
ZIFT transfers the zygote/early embryo up to the 8-blastomere stage into the fallopian tube; beyond 8 blastomeres the embryo goes into the uterus (IUT).
Step 1 — Where ZIFT sits among the ART techniques
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) are used when a couple cannot conceive naturally. After in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) — the so-called 'test-tube baby' programme — the ovum is fertilised in the laboratory and the resulting embryo must be put back into the female body.
Step 2 — The two transfer routes, split by embryo stage
- ZIFT — Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer: the zygote or early embryo (up to 8 blastomeres) is transferred into the fallopian tube. The embryo is still at the stage where, naturally, it would be travelling down the fallopian tube — so the tube is the physiologically right place for it. …
- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.Read the following ststements : Statement I : MTP is to get rid off wanted pregnancies due to a causal unprotected intercourse or failure of contraceptives used during coitus or rapes Statement II : MTPs are performed legally by qualified doctors by giving proper medical justification Choose the correct answer from the options given below : (A) Statements I and II are incorrect (B) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect (C) Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct (D) Statements I and II are correct
›Reveal solutionSolution
MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) is meant to address UNWANTED pregnancies, not "wanted" ones — Statement I misstates this (whether from the exam's own printed wording or a scan/OCR artifact, the statement as it reads is incorrect); Statement II correctly describes the legal requirement for MTP.
Statement I — incorrect. MTP is legally and medically intended for UNWANTED pregnancies (due to casual/unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure, or rape) — the statement as printed says "wanted," which is not what MTP addresses. …
- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.Identify which one of the given pair of options is correct with respect to Down's syndrome and Turner's syndrome.
Option Down's syndrome symptoms Turner's syndrome symptoms (a) | Short-statured individual | Gynaecomastia in man | |(b) | Round head, partially open mouth | Overall masculine development | |(c) | Broad palm, physical and mental development retarded | Sterile females with rudimentary ovaries | |(d) | Additional copy of an X-chromosome | Absence of an X-chromosome | (A) b (B) c (C) d (D) a›Reveal solutionSolution
Check both halves of each row: Down's = trisomy 21 (broad palm, retarded development); Turner's = 45,X0 (sterile female, rudimentary ovaries). Only row (c) gets both right, and the option naming row c is (B).
Step 1 — Fix the two disorders firmly.
Down's syndrome Turner's syndrome Karyotype Trisomy of chromosome 21 — 47 chromosomes; an autosomal aneuploidy 45, X0 — one X missing; an allosomal monosomy Sex Either sex Female Features Short statured, small round head, furrowed tongue, partially open mouth, broad palm with characteristic palm crease, physical, psychomotor and mental development retarded Sterile female, rudimentary ovaries, lack of other secondary sexual characters A useful contrast that the wrong rows below quietly borrow from: Klinefelter's syndrome (47, XXY) is the one with an additional X chromosome and gynaecomastia (feminine breast development) in an otherwise masculine male.
Step 2 — Test each row.
- Row (a): Down's — "short-statured individual" ✓ (true of Down's). Turner's — "gynaecomastia in man" ✗: gynaecomastia in a male is Klinefelter's, and Turner's individuals are females. Row fails.
- Row (b): Down's — "round head, partially open mouth" ✓. Turner's — "overall masculine development" ✗: Turner's females lack secondary sexual characters; they are not masculinised. Row fails. …
- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.The drug prescribed to the patients who have undergone organ transplant is ______ and is produced by ______. (A) Stain, Monascus purpureus (B) Cyclosporin-A, Trichoderma polysporum (C) Statin, Trichoderma polysporum (D) Cyclosporin-A, Monascus purpureus
›Reveal solutionSolution
Two microbial products are commonly confused here; keep the drug and its producer paired correctly — cyclosporin-A ← Trichoderma polysporum, statin ← Monascus purpureus.
Step 1 — Identify the drug from its clinical use.
Organ-transplant patients need an immunosuppressant, so that the recipient's immune system does not reject the grafted organ. The bioactive molecule used as an immunosuppressive agent is cyclosporin-A. This immediately eliminates the statin options (A) and (C), because statins are used to lower blood cholesterol — they act by competitively inhibiting the enzyme responsible for cholesterol synthesis, not by suppressing immunity.
Step 2 — Identify the producer organism.
The two microbes to keep apart:
Product Produced by Use Cyclosporin-A Trichoderma polysporum (a fungus) Immunosuppressant in organ transplant Statins Monascus purpureus (a yeast) Lowering blood cholesterol Step 3 — Combine. …
- KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.With respect to limitation of Ecological pyramids, which of the following statements are correct? a) It does not take into account the same species belonging to two or more trophic levels. b) It assumes a simple food chain, something that almost never existed in nature. c) It accommodates saprophytes d) It does not accommodate a food web (A) a and b only (B) a, b and c only (C) a, b and d only (D) b, c and d only
›Reveal solutionSolution
Test each statement against the four NCERT limitations of ecological pyramids; (c) is the odd one out because saprophytes are excluded from pyramids, not accommodated.
Step 1 — Recall the limitations of ecological pyramids (NCERT, Ecosystem).
An ecological pyramid is a neat abstraction, and its neatness is exactly its weakness:
- It does not take into account the same species belonging to two or more trophic levels.
- It assumes a simple food chain, something that almost never exists in nature.
- It does not accommodate a food web.
- Saprophytes are not given any place in ecological pyramids, even though they play a vital role in the ecosystem.
Step 2 — Evaluate each printed statement.
# Statement Verdict a 'Does not take into account the same species belonging to two or more trophic levels.' TRUE — this is limitation 1 verbatim. A sparrow eating seeds and insects sits in two levels; the pyramid cannot show that. ✓ b 'Assumes a simple food chain, something that almost never existed in nature.' TRUE — limitation 2. ✓ c 'It accommodates saprophytes.' FALSE — this is the opposite of the truth. Saprophytes (decomposers) are given no place in the pyramid. The limitation is that it does not accommodate them. ✗ - KCET 2025Set C-41 markMCQQ.Match the plant growth hormones of Column-I with suitable chemical derivatives present in Column-II and choose the correct option given below:(A) a – iii, b – i, c – iv, d – ii (B) a – iii, b – iv, c – i, d – ii (C) a – iii, b – i, c – ii, d – iv (D) a – i, b – ii, c – iii, d – iv
Column-I (Hormone) Column-II (Chemical derivative) a. Abscisic acid i. Adenine derivative b. Gibberellins ii. Indole acetic acid c. Kinetin iii. Carotenoid derivative d. Auxin iv. Terpene ›Reveal solutionSolution
Recall the chemical parentage of the four hormones — ABA from carotenoids, gibberellins as terpenes, kinetin as a modified adenine (purine), auxin as an indole compound — and the matching follows.
Step 1 — (a) Abscisic acid → (iii) Carotenoid derivative
ABA is a sesquiterpenoid synthesised from a carotenoid precursor (cleavage of a xanthophyll). It is the “stress hormone”: it closes stomata under water stress, induces and maintains dormancy in seeds and buds, and antagonises gibberellins.
Step 2 — (b) Gibberellins → (iv) Terpenes
Gibberellins (GA₁, GA₃, … over 100 known) are diterpenoid acids — i.e. terpenes. They cause bolting, internode elongation, delay senescence, and break seed dormancy (opposing ABA).
Step 3 — (c) Kinetin → (i) Adenine derivative
Kinetin is a cytokinin, and cytokinins are modified purines — derivatives of adenine (kinetin itself is N6‑furfurylaminopurine). It was discovered from autoclaved herring sperm DNA, which is exactly why it is a purine/adenine derivative. Cytokinins promote cell division and delay leaf senescence (Richmond–Lang effect).
Step 4 — (d) Auxin → (ii) Indole acetic acid …
- KCET 2024Set B-41 markMCQQ.The process in which a small part of the vas deferens is removed or tied up through a small incision, is called (A) MTP (B) Vasectomy (C) Tubectomy (D) GIFT
›Reveal solutionSolution
Vas deferens cut/tied → vasectomy (male sterilisation). The name literally contains the duct involved.
Step 1 — Sterilisation as a contraceptive method
Surgical sterilisation is a terminal contraceptive method — it blocks gamete transport, and is therefore highly effective but essentially irreversible. It comes in two forms:
Procedure Sex Duct cut/tied Site of incision Vasectomy Male Vas deferens Scrotum Tubectomy Female Fallopian tube Abdomen / vagina Step 2 — Match the stem
The stem says a small part of the vas deferens is removed or tied up through a small incision. The vas deferens is the male duct that carries sperm from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct — so cutting it prevents sperm from reaching the semen. That is vasectomy.
Note what vasectomy does not do: it does not stop testosterone, erection, or ejaculation — only the sperm are absent from the ejaculate.
Step 3 — Eliminate the other options …
- KCET 2024Set B-41 markMCQQ.Find the incorrect statement among the following: (A) In sex linked recessive traits the gene is transmitted from unaffected carrier female to some of male progeny (B) Accumulation of phenylpyruvic acid in brain results in mental retardation (C) Individuals affected by Down’s Syndrome will have congenital heart defect and are more intelligent (D) Turner’s Syndrome is caused due to the absence of one X-chromosome
›Reveal solutionSolution
Down's syndrome causes mental retardation — so the claim that such individuals are "more intelligent" is the incorrect statement.
Step 1 — Evaluate (A): sex-linked recessive inheritance
"In sex-linked recessive traits the gene is transmitted from unaffected carrier female to some of male progeny."
For an X-linked recessive (e.g. haemophilia, colour blindness): a carrier female is XAXa — she is unaffected because her normal allele masks the defective one. Her sons receive either XA or Xa, and a son who gets Xa has no second X to mask it, so he is affected.
XAXa×XAY⟶21 sons XAY (normal),21 sons XaY (affected)
TRUE.
Step 2 — Evaluate (B): phenylketonuria
"Accumulation of phenylpyruvic acid in brain results in mental retardation."
PKU is an inborn error of metabolism: the enzyme that converts phenylalanine → tyrosine is missing. Phenylalanine therefore accumulates and is converted into phenylpyruvic acid and other derivatives, which accumulate in the brain and cause mental retardation (the excess is also excreted in urine, because renal reabsorption is poor). TRUE.
Step 3 — Evaluate (C): Down's syndrome — the false one
Down's syndrome arises from trisomy of chromosome 21 (2n=47; an extra copy of chromosome 21, usually from non-disjunction). The affected individual is:
- short statured, with a small round head, furrowed tongue and partially open mouth,
- palm broad with characteristic palm crease,
- physical, psychomotor and mental development retarded — i.e. mentally retarded,
- often with congenital heart disease. …
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