Health and Diseases – AIDS and Cancer: NEET MCQs with Answers

15 free questions on Health and Diseases – AIDS and Cancer for NEET (UG), starting with previous-year NEET and AIPMT questions. Try each one, then tap Show answer for the answer and a short explanation.

Syllabus covered: AIDS and Cancer: Cancer, HIV and AIDS

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Question 1

Previous-year question
Which of the following statements is NOT true for cancer cells in relation to mutations? [NEET 2016]
  1. Mutations in proto-oncogenes accelerate the cell cycle
  2. Mutations destroy telomerase inhibitors
  3. Mutations inactivate the cell control mechanism
  4. Mutations inhibit the production of telomerase
Show answer
Answer: (D) Mutations inhibit the production of telomerase
Explanation: Cancer cells actually show enhanced telomerase activity, which maintains their telomeres and makes them effectively immortal. Inhibition of telomerase would limit their division, so this statement is not true of cancer cells.

Question 2

Previous-year question
HIV, which causes AIDS, first starts destroying [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Leucocytes
  2. Helper T-lymphocytes
  3. Thrombocytes
  4. B-lymphocytes
Show answer
Answer: (B) Helper T-lymphocytes
Explanation: After entering the body the virus infects macrophages and then attacks helper T-lymphocytes, in which it replicates. The progressive loss of these cells is the fundamental defect in AIDS.

Question 3

Previous-year question
At which stage of HIV infection does a person usually show the symptoms of AIDS? [AIPMT 2014]
  1. Within 15 days of sexual contact with an infected person
  2. When the infected retrovirus enters the host cells
  3. When HIV damages a large number of helper T-lymphocytes
  4. When the viral DNA is produced by reverse transcriptase
Show answer
Answer: (C) When HIV damages a large number of helper T-lymphocytes
Explanation: There is a time lag of five to ten years between infection and the appearance of symptoms. Symptoms develop only after the virus has destroyed a large number of helper T-lymphocytes, so that immunity collapses and opportunistic infections appear.

Question 4

Previous-year question
Blood cancer is known as [AIPMT 1995]
  1. haemolysis
  2. haemophilia
  3. leukaemia
  4. thrombosis
Show answer
Answer: (C) leukaemia
Explanation: Leukaemia or blood cancer is characterised by an abnormal increase in WBC count (20000–1000000/mm³) due to their increased formation in the bone marrow. Haemolysis is breakdown of RBCs, haemophilia is slow clotting and thrombosis is clot formation inside blood vessels.

Question 5

Previous-year question
Retroviruses are implicated as a cause of cancer in humans because they [AIPMT 1996]
  1. carry the gene for reverse transcriptase
  2. may carry cellular proto-oncogenes in their genome
  3. may carry v-oncogenes in their genome
  4. carry single-stranded RNA as their genetic material
Show answer
Answer: (C) may carry v-oncogenes in their genome
Explanation: According to NCERT, cancer-causing (oncogenic) viruses carry genes called viral oncogenes (v-onc); cellular proto-oncogenes are normal genes present in our own cells, which can be activated to oncogenes.

Question 6

Previous-year question
Which of the following is expected to be curable in the next two decades? [AIPMT 1997]
  1. Tuberculosis
  2. Cancer
  3. Poliomyelitis
  4. None of the above
Show answer
Answer: (B) Cancer
Explanation: Completion of the human genome project has profoundly changed biomedical research. Cancer is caused by malfunctioning genes, either through activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumour suppressor genes, and comparing active genes in tumour and normal cells raises hope of a cure.

Question 7

Previous-year question
Which of the following symptoms indicate radiation sickness? [AIPMT 1997]
  1. Red and ulcerated skin
  2. Nausea and anaemia
  3. Nausea and loss of hair
  4. Ulcerated skin, nausea and loss of hair
Show answer
Answer: (D) Ulcerated skin, nausea and loss of hair
Explanation: Even lower doses of radiation cause serious damage such as skin burns and ulceration, nausea, loss of hair and nails, and changes in blood cell counts. Prolonged exposure causes tumours and cancer, while a lethal dose may cause instant death.
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Question 8

Previous-year question
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has a protein coat and a genetic material which is [AIPMT 1998]
  1. single-stranded DNA
  2. single-stranded RNA
  3. double-stranded RNA
  4. double-stranded DNA
Show answer
Answer: (B) single-stranded RNA
Explanation: AIDS was first reported in the USA in 1981 and is caused by HIV, a member of the retroviruses. These are so named because they contain reverse transcriptase, which forms DNA from RNA; the genetic material of HIV is single-stranded RNA (ssRNA).

Question 9

Previous-year question
A cause of lung cancer among industrial workers is exposure in a [AIPMT 2001]
  1. coal mine
  2. calcium fluoride plant
  3. cement factory
  4. bauxite mine
Show answer
Answer: (C) cement factory
Explanation: Lung cancer is a cancer of the epithelial tissue of the lungs. It is mainly (about 95%) caused by smoking, but it may also occur in people working in a cement factory owing to the constant inhalation of fine dust.

Question 10

Previous-year question
Cancerous cells can easily be destroyed by radiation because of their [AIPMT 2002]
  1. rapid cell division
  2. lack of nutrition
  3. fast mutation
  4. lack of oxygen
Show answer
Answer: (A) rapid cell division
Explanation: The ability of radiation to kill cells is greatest in tissues with the highest number of dividing cells. Tumour cells proliferate rapidly and are therefore killed more readily by radiation than normal tissue.

Question 11

Previous-year question
ELISA is used to detect viruses; the key reagent used in it is [AIPMT 2003]
  1. DNA probe
  2. RNase
  3. alkaline phosphatase
  4. catalase
Show answer
Answer: (C) alkaline phosphatase
Explanation: ELISA relies on an enzyme-labelled antibody or antigen. The enzymes used for labelling include alkaline phosphatase, horseradish peroxidase, β-galactosidase and lactoperoxidase; among the options given, alkaline phosphatase is the key reagent.

Question 12

Previous-year question
Carcinoma refers to [AIPMT 2003]
  1. malignant tumours of the colon
  2. benign tumours of the connective tissue
  3. malignant tumours of the connective tissue
  4. malignant tumours of the skin or mucous membrane
Show answer
Answer: (D) malignant tumours of the skin or mucous membrane
Explanation: Carcinoma is a malignant or metastatic tumour arising in epithelial tissue and glands, such as the skin or mucous membrane. Breast, skin, stomach, lung and pancreas cancers are examples.

Question 13

Previous-year question
Which one of the following statements is correct? [AIPMT 2009]
  1. Patients who have undergone surgery are given cannabinoids to relieve pain
  2. Benign tumours show the property of metastasis
  3. Heroin accelerates body functions
  4. Malignant tumours may exhibit metastasis
Show answer
Answer: (D) Malignant tumours may exhibit metastasis
Explanation: Malignant tumour cells go beyond the adjacent tissue, enter the blood and lymph, and migrate to distant sites where they continue dividing — this is metastasis, a property of malignant, not benign, tumours. Morphine, not cannabinoid, is the sedative used post-surgery, and heroin is a depressant.

Question 14

Previous-year question
Which one of the following techniques is safest for the detection of cancers? [AIPMT 2010]
  1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  2. Radiography (X-ray)
  3. Computed tomography (CT)
  4. Histopathological studies
Show answer
Answer: (A) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Explanation: MRI uses strong magnetic fields and non-ionising radiation to detect physiological changes in the tissue concerned. Since no ionising radiation is involved, it is the safest of these techniques for cancer detection.

Question 15

Previous-year question
Which one of the following statements is correct with respect to AIDS? [AIPMT 2010]
  1. HIV can be transmitted by eating food together with an infected person
  2. Drug addicts are least susceptible to HIV infection
  3. AIDS patients are being fully cured 100 per cent with proper care and nutrition
  4. The causative HIV retrovirus enters helper T-lymphocytes, thus reducing their numbers
Show answer
Answer: (D) The causative HIV retrovirus enters helper T-lymphocytes, thus reducing their numbers
Explanation: HIV enters and destroys CD4-bearing helper T-lymphocytes, reducing their number. Transmission occurs by sexual contact, transfusion of contaminated blood and sharing of infected needles, not by eating together; drug addicts are highly susceptible; and treatment is only partially effective.

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