Health and Diseases – Immunology: NEET MCQs with Answers

15 free questions on Health and Diseases – Immunology 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: Immunology: Basic concepts of immunology-vaccines;

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Question 1

Previous-year question
Identify the wrong statement with reference to immunity. [NEET 2020]
  1. When ready-made antibodies are directly given, it is called passive immunity
  2. Active immunity is quick and gives a full response
  3. The foetus receives some antibodies from the mother, which is an example of passive immunity
  4. When exposed to an antigen (living or dead), antibodies are produced in the host's body and this is called active immunity
Show answer
Answer: (B) Active immunity is quick and gives a full response
Explanation: Active immunity is slow to develop because the body has to produce its own antibodies, though the protection is long lasting. It is passive immunity that acts immediately, but only for a short period.

Question 2

Previous-year question
Which of the following immune responses is responsible for the rejection of a kidney graft? [NEET 2019]
  1. Auto-immune response
  2. Humoral immune response
  3. Inflammatory immune response
  4. Cell-mediated immune response
Show answer
Answer: (D) Cell-mediated immune response
Explanation: Graft rejection is brought about by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes of the recipient acting directly on the donor tissue, hence it is a cell-mediated immune response and not an antibody-mediated one.

Question 3

Previous-year question
Colostrum, the yellowish fluid secreted by the mother during the initial days of lactation, is essential for the newborn because it contains [NEET 2019]
  1. Natural killer cells
  2. Monocytes
  3. Macrophages
  4. Immunoglobulin A
Show answer
Answer: (D) Immunoglobulin A
Explanation: Colostrum is rich in IgA antibodies which coat the mucosa of the infant's gut and prevent pathogens from attaching. The infant thus receives ready-made antibodies, i.e. natural passive immunity.

Question 4

Previous-year question
Which of the following is NOT an autoimmune disease? [NEET 2018]
  1. Psoriasis
  2. Rheumatoid arthritis
  3. Vitiligo
  4. Alzheimer's disease
Show answer
Answer: (D) Alzheimer's disease
Explanation: Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain, not by an immune attack on self tissue. Psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and vitiligo all involve autoimmunity.

Question 5

Previous-year question
MALT constitutes about ______ percent of the lymphoid tissue in the human body. [NEET 2017]
  1. 20
  2. 70
  3. 10
  4. 50
Show answer
Answer: (D) 50
Explanation: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lines the respiratory, digestive and urogenital tracts and accounts for about 50% of the lymphoid tissue of the human body, guarding the mucosal portals of entry.

Question 6

Previous-year question
Transplantation of tissues or organs fails often due to non-acceptance by the patient's body. Which type of immune response is responsible for such rejections? [NEET 2017]
  1. Cell-mediated immune response
  2. Hormonal immune response
  3. Physiological immune response
  4. Autoimmune response
Show answer
Answer: (A) Cell-mediated immune response
Explanation: Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes recognise the foreign HLA antigens of the graft and destroy it, so the rejection is cell mediated. This is why the recipient must take immunosuppressants throughout life.

Question 7

Previous-year question
In higher vertebrates the immune system can distinguish self cells from non-self. If this property is lost due to a genetic abnormality and the system attacks self cells, it leads to [NEET 2016]
  1. Allergic response
  2. Graft rejection
  3. Auto-immune disease
  4. Active immunity
Show answer
Answer: (C) Auto-immune disease
Explanation: Loss of self-recognition makes lymphocytes attack the body's own tissues, producing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Graft rejection, in contrast, is a normal response directed against genuinely foreign tissue.
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Question 8

Previous-year question
An antivenom injection contains preformed antibodies, while polio drops that are administered into the body contain [NEET 2016]
  1. Activated pathogens
  2. Harvested antibodies
  3. Gamma globulin
  4. Attenuated pathogens
Show answer
Answer: (D) Attenuated pathogens
Explanation: Oral polio vaccine contains live but weakened (attenuated) polio virus, which stimulates the body's own antibody production and gives active immunity. Antivenom supplies ready-made antibodies and gives passive immunity.

Question 9

Previous-year question
A grafted kidney may be rejected in a patient due to [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Cell-mediated immune response
  2. Passive immune response
  3. Innate immune response
  4. Humoral immune response
Show answer
Answer: (A) Cell-mediated immune response
Explanation: The recipient's T-lymphocytes recognise the HLA antigens of the donor kidney as non-self and destroy the graft. Hence tissue matching before transplantation and lifelong immunosuppressive therapy afterwards are essential.

Question 10

Previous-year question
If you suspect a major deficiency of antibodies in a person, in which of the following would you look for confirmatory evidence? [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Serum albumins
  2. Haemocytes
  3. Serum globulins
  4. Fibrinogen in plasma
Show answer
Answer: (C) Serum globulins
Explanation: Antibodies are gamma globulins, a fraction of the serum globulins. Estimating serum globulin levels therefore reveals whether the immunoglobulin content of the blood is deficient.

Question 11

Previous-year question
Which one of the following immunoglobulins constitutes the largest percentage in human milk? [AIPMT 2015]
  1. IgM
  2. IgA
  3. IgG
  4. IgD
Show answer
Answer: (B) IgA
Explanation: IgA is the predominant immunoglobulin in human milk and colostrum. It coats the mucosal lining of the infant's digestive tract and prevents the attachment of pathogens, thus conferring passive protection.

Question 12

Previous-year question
Asthma may be attributed to [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Bacterial infection of the lungs
  2. An allergic reaction of the mast cells in the lungs
  3. Inflammation of the trachea
  4. Accumulation of fluid in the lungs
Show answer
Answer: (B) An allergic reaction of the mast cells in the lungs
Explanation: In asthma the allergen binds IgE on mast cells in the bronchial wall, causing release of histamine. This produces bronchoconstriction, oedema and mucus secretion, giving wheezing and difficulty in breathing.

Question 13

Previous-year question
Match each disease with its correct type of vaccine. (A) Tuberculosis, (B) Whooping cough, (C) Diphtheria, (D) Polio, with (I) harmless virus, (II) inactivated toxin, (III) killed bacteria, (IV) harmless bacteria. [AIPMT 2015]
  1. A–I, B–II, C–IV, D–I
  2. A–IV, B–III, C–II, D–I
  3. A–I, B–II, C–IV, D–III
  4. A–II, B–I, C–III, D–IV
Show answer
Answer: (B) A–IV, B–III, C–II, D–I
Explanation: The BCG vaccine for tuberculosis uses an attenuated, harmless strain of bacteria; the whooping cough vaccine uses killed Bordetella pertussis; the diphtheria vaccine is a toxoid, i.e. inactivated toxin; and the oral polio vaccine uses an attenuated, harmless virus.

Question 14

Previous-year question
Cells involved in the immune mechanism are [AIPMT 1993]
  1. erythrocytes
  2. lymphocytes
  3. eosinophils
  4. thrombocytes
Show answer
Answer: (B) lymphocytes
Explanation: Lymphocytes are agranulocytes that play the key role in immunological reactions. They are of two types — B-lymphocytes, which give antibody-mediated (humoral) immunity, and T-lymphocytes, which give cell-mediated immunity.

Question 15

Previous-year question
Which one of the following diseases is due to an allergic reaction? [AIPMT 1995]
  1. Goitre
  2. Skin cancer
  3. Hay fever
  4. Enteric fever
Show answer
Answer: (C) Hay fever
Explanation: Hay fever is an allergic reaction in which pollen grains, dust and suspended particulate matter act as antigens. Its symptoms include closure of the bronchial tubes causing difficulty in normal breathing, skin rashes and eosinophilia.

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