NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 12 Biotechnology and its Applications

According to the latest CBSE Syllabus 2025-26, this chapter has been renumbered as Chapter 10.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 10 Biotechnology and its Applications provides a detailed understanding of how biotechnology is used in various fields, including agriculture, medicine, and environmental conservation. This chapter covers important topics such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), biotechnological applications in health and industry, and ethical concerns related to genetic engineering. Students learn about the role of biotechnology in improving crop yields, developing vaccines, and addressing environmental challenges.

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1. NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Biology Biotechnology and its Applications
2. Access Detailed Biotechnology and its Applications Class 12 NCERT Solutions
3. Important Topics and Sub-topics of Biotechnology and its Applications
4. How do you solve NCERT Class 12 Biology Chapter 10 questions effectively?
5. Practice Questions for Class 12 Biology Biotechnology and its Applications
6. NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter-wise

The chapter also explains key concepts like gene therapy, biopesticides, biofertilizers, and the production of transgenic organisms. NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology offer step-by-step explanations of textbook questions in a clear and structured manner, helping students grasp complex biotechnological concepts with ease. These questions, with detailed explanations, are important for understanding the impact of biotechnology on society and its potential for future advancements.

NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Biology Biotechnology and its Applications

Students can download the complete questions with detailed answers in a PDF of this chapter for better learning:

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NCERT Exemplar for Class 12 Biology Chapter 10 Biotechnology and its Applications

Access Detailed Biotechnology and its Applications Class 12 NCERT Solutions

The detailed answers to all the questions in this chapter are given below:

Ques 1: Which part of the plant is best suited for making virus-free plants and why?

Ans: Meristematic tissue (e.g., shoot apical meristem) is most appropriate for the production of virus-free plants since it is generally free from viral infections. This is due to the fact that viruses find it difficult to reach actively dividing cells in the meristem.

Ques 2: What is the major advantage of producing plants by micropropagation?

Ans: Micropropagation enables one to produce large numbers of genetically uniform plants rapidly. It can be applied for the propagation of disease-free plants and the conservation of rare or endangered species.

Ques 3: Find out what the various components of the medium used for propagation of an explant in vitro are.

Ans: The medium used for in vitro propagation includes nutrients like sucrose (source of energy), minerals (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), vitamins, plant growth regulators (auxins and cytokinins), and agar (gelling agent).

Ques 4: Crystals of Bt toxin produced by some bacteria do not kill the bacteria themselves because-

(a) Bacteria are resistant to the toxin

(b) The toxin is immature

(c) Toxin is inactive

(d) Bacteria enclose toxins in a special sac.

Ans: Bt toxin crystals formed in bacteria do not kill the bacteria because the toxin is inactive. The Bt toxin is in an inactive state inside the bacteria and is only activated when it is ingested by insects, where it is activated by the alkaline pH of the insect gut.

Hence, the correct answer is (c) Toxin is inactive

Ques 5: What are transgenic bacteria? Illustrate using any one example.

Ans: Transgenic bacteria are those whose genomes have been altered by recombinant DNA technology to include foreign genes. A good example is transgenic E. coli, which has been genetically modified to produce human insulin by the introduction of DNA sequences encoding the A and B chains of insulin, thus allowing it to synthesize insulin for the treatment of diabetes.

Ques 6: Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the production of genetically modified crops.

Ans: The following table shows the advantages and disadvantages of GM crops:

Ques 7: What are Cry proteins? Name an organism that produces it. How has man exploited this protein to his benefit?

Ans: Cry proteins are insecticidal proteins carried by the cry genes, which are produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). They are toxic to many insect larvae, especially those belonging to the order Lepidoptera. Humans have utilized Cry proteins by transferring the cry genes into genetically modified crops like Bt cotton and Bt brinjal, rendering them resistant to certain insect pests.

Ques 8: What is gene therapy? Illustrate using the example of adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency.

Ans: Gene therapy includes methods to fix or substitute faulty genes that cause disease occurrence. ADA deficiency, for example, is a result of a mutation in the gene for the adenosine deaminase enzyme. In one important case, a 4-year-old patient received gene therapy in which his lymphocytes were grown, a viable ADA cDNA was introduced with a retroviral vector, and afterward, these converted cells were administered back into the patient's circulation.

Ques 9: Diagrammatically represent the experimental steps in cloning and expressing a human gene (say the gene for growth hormone) into a bacterium like E. coli.

Ans: Below is the diagram to represent the steps in DNA cloning.

Diagrammatic representation of steps in DNA cloning

Ques 10: Can you suggest a method to remove oil (hydrocarbon) from seeds based on your understanding of rDNA technology and the chemistry of oil?

Ans: By recombinant DNA technology, it is possible to silence genes involved in the synthesis of glycerol and fatty acids in seeds, thereby lowering or even abolishing oil content (hydrocarbons). This is possible through methods like RNA interference (RNAi).

Ques 11: Find out from the internet what is golden rice.

Ans: Golden rice is a genetically modified rice variety engineered to synthesize beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A, in its endosperm instead of merely in its leaves. This was achieved by introducing two genes: psy from daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and crtI from the bacterium Erwinia uredovora, both driven by endosperm-specific promoters.

Ques 12: Does our blood have proteases and nucleases?

Ans: Blood has no proteases or nucleases; rather, it has protease inhibitors that safeguard proteins from breakdown by proteases when circulating.

Ques 13: Consult the internet and find out how to make orally active protein pharmaceuticals. What is the major problem to be encountered?

Ans: To prepare orally active protein drugs, proteins or peptides are encapsulated in liposomes along with penetration enhancers for oral administration. The principal difficulty encountered is that the proteins can be hydrolyzed by the proteases of the stomach prior to exerting their therapeutic action, which requires alternative routes of administration directly to target locations.

Also Check NCERT Books and NCERT Syllabus here:

• NCERT Books Class 12 Biology

• NCERT Syllabus Class 12 Biology

• NCERT Books Class 12

• NCERT Syllabus Class 12

Important Topics and Sub-topics of Biotechnology and its Applications

The important topics are given below:

10. Biotechnology and its Applications

10.1 Biotechnological Applications in Agriculture

Biotechnological developments in agriculture have changed agricultural practice. The development of genetically modified (GM) crops is one such area. GM crops are designed to have desirable characteristics, including resistance to insects or better nutritional value.

• Benefits of GM Crops: GM crops have the possibility for increased yield, less use of pesticides, and better nutritional content (such as golden rice which is Vitamin A-rich).

• Drawbacks of GM Crops: There are concerns about the effect of GM crops on biodiversity and their possible allergenicity.

Class 12 Biotechnology and its Applications NCERT Solutions explores the difficulties of how the crops are made and the morals involved in their utilisation.

10.2 Biotechnological Applications in Medicine

Biotechnology applications in medicine are revolutionising healthcare. From creating life-saving medicines to creating sophisticated diagnostic tools, biotechnology is leading medical advances.

10.2.1 - Genetically Engineered Insulin

One of the first achievements of biotechnology was the development of genetically engineered insulin. This has given a safe and efficient treatment for diabetes. Biotechnology and its Applications NCERT solutions describe how bacteria such as E. coli can be genetically modified to synthesize human insulin.

10.2.2 - Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is the process of introducing genes into the cells of a patient to cure diseases. A typical example is the cure of Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) deficiency. During this therapy, functional genes are inserted into the lymphocytes of the patient. The NCERT solutions class 12 Biology Biotechnology and its Applications give a step-by-step explanation of this process.

10.2.3 - Molecular Diagnosis

Biotechnology has made it possible to produce highly sensitive molecular diagnostic methods. These methods can identify diseases at an early stage, improving the results of treatment.

10.3 Transgenic Animals

Transgenic animals are animals whose genes have been altered. They are used for several purposes, ranging from researching diseases to manufacturing useful proteins. The ethical concerns involving transgenic animals are also dealt with in the Class 12 Biology chapter on Biotechnology.

10.4 Ethical Issues

With the development of biotechnology, it is important to look at the ethical aspects of its applications. Problems like the safety of GM crops and the misuse of gene therapy must be given serious thought. The Class 12 Biology Biotechnology applications NCERT solutions urge students to think deeply about these ethical issues.

How do you solve NCERT Class 12 Biology Chapter 10 questions effectively?

To solve the textbook questions effectively, one needs to understand the concepts clearly first. The chapter has certain key terms, such as GM crops, genetically engineered insulin and transgenic animals. Making notes of the chapter is really important, highlighting all the important key points. The Biotechnology and its Applications NCERT Solutions has all the solved exercise questions, with to-the-point answers and necessary information. Therefore, one should practice these solutions to have an overall idea of the chapter and to answer the questions in the exams.

NCERT Exemplar Class 12 Solutions

Practice Questions for Class 12 Biology Biotechnology and its Applications

Below are a few solved practice questions:

Ques 1. Name the insect that attacks cotton crops and causes a lot of damage to the crop.

Ans: That insect is a bollworm.

Ques 2. How have Bt cotton plants overcome the problem of insect attacks on crops? Explain.

Ans: Bt cotton means Bacillus thuringiensis cotton. It forms protein crystals during a particular phase of their growth as it contains toxic insecticidal proteins and when an insect ingests the crop the toxin becomes active by reaching their gut due to the alkaline pH of the gut and the toxin causes swelling in the midgut epithelial cells of the insect and leads to death.

Ques 3. Name the type of DNA that forms the basis of DNA fingerprinting and mention two features of this DNA.

Ans: The type of DNA is Satellite DNA. Its features are:

• These consist of long stretches of tandemly repeated sequences.
• These repeats can vary in size and sequence composition, leading to different types of satellite DNA.

Ques 4. Which disease is controlled by the ‘Cry’ protein’ coded by gene Cry IAb?

Ans: The Cry protein is encoded by the gene “cry 1Ab”, which controls ‘Corn borer'. Each cry protein is known to be specific to the distinct pest or insect. Cry protein gets activated when ingested by the insects and results in the breakdown of epithelial cells in their guts. Then, it penetrates the wall of the gut and leads to the death of that insect.

Ques 5. Why GMOs are so-called? List the different ways in which GMO plants have benefitted and have become useful to humans.

Ans: Those organisms whose genes have been modified for the betterment are called genetically modified organisms.

Different ways in which GMO plants have benefitted and have become useful to humans are:

• Enhanced nutritional value of food.
• Reduced post-harvest losses.
• Made pest-resistant crops.
• Made abiotic stress-resistant crops.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter-wise

Below mentioned are the chapter-wise solutions:

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 10 Biotechnology and Its Applications are important for students in understanding the relevance of biotechnology to different sectors, such as healthcare, agriculture, and industry. The solutions offer clear-cut and step-by-step solutions to questions from textbooks, facilitating the learning of such complex concepts as genetic engineering, transgenic organisms, and gene therapy. Through the utilisation of these detailed answers and explanations, students can expand their problem-solving capabilities and better understand the influence of biotechnology on society. These also help in the preparation for exams, providing a solid understanding of the topic.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Subject-wise