NOTE :-
Candidates are requested to note that the last years Question Paper for the Aptitude
Test (Ph.D., 2010 - 2011) given here is only indicative and it is not necessary that the
same pattern shall be followed for this year’s Test. The pattern may differ this year
which may kindly be noted.
MAHARASHTRA ANIMAL & FISHERY SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR – 01
Entrance Test for Ph.D. (By Coursework) in Veterinary & Animal Sciences (2010 - 2011)
Code No.
Name of Student………………………………………………………………………………………………
Exam Seat No. MAFSU-……………………………………
Year - 2010-11
th
Day & Date of Examination - 8 May 2011, 12.00 to 14.30 Hrs.
No. of supplements tied together…………………
Signature of candidate
Signature of Supervisor/ Invigilator
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MAHARASHTRA ANIMAL & FISHERY SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR –01
Entrance Test for Ph.D. (By Coursework) in Veterinary & Animal Sciences (2010 - 2011)
CODE NO.
Q.
No.
1
Max.
Marks
28
2
20
3
05
4
05
5
12
6
10
7
10
8
10
No. of Supplements tied…………
Instructions to the Candidates
Marks
obtained
9
10
Total
100
1. Enter your name, exam seat number and number of supplements used correctly
only at the space provided.
2. Obtain the signature of Supervisor/Invigilator on the front page after completing all
the entries.
3. Do not write your name/exam number/any identity in any part of the answer book
except at the space provided. Violation of this is liable for punishment.
4. Answer book should be returned to the Invigilator whether written or blank, after
completion of examination.
5. Exchange of any writing material/stencil/mathematical instrument etc. is strictly
prohibited.
6. No. candidate will be allowed to leave the Exam. Hall for at least half an hour after
the start of examination and during the last half an hour.
7. A warning bell will be given ten minutes before the end of examination. At the
second bell, keep answer books ready for handing over to the Invigilator. Do not
leave the seat until all the answer books are collected by the Invigilator.
8. Candidates must be in their seats as per the time notified. Candidates coming late
shall not be admitted to the examination hall. However, the Associate Dean, NVC
& Chairman may permit the candidate, coming up to 30 minutes late, on valid
ground.
Name of Evaluator and
Signature with date
PART A (OBJECTIVE)
Please note this part of the paper must be attempted in the pace provided under each subset
****************************************************
Q. 1.
1.
Choose the correct choice for each statement by ticking (
) against the appropriate bracket
[Marks28]
A group of agitators …..........….. the mob to break down the Vice-Chancellors door and the ViceChancellor’s …. ..... answer led to an outcry from the students
(Select the correct pair fitting the two spaces, respectively)
1
(a) wished – uncontrolled (b) incited - evasive
persuasive
(c) threatened - unjustified
(d) – excited -
2. A researcher is interested in understanding the association of milk production with ambient
temperature of the area where the farm is located. He collects last six months weather data of the
villages from the weather observatory and daily milk production data of that period for analysis. This
type of the data and the type of study would be:
(a) Tertiary data – cohort design study, (b) primary data – perspective study, (c) secondary data –
retrospective study, (d) secondary data – longitudinal study
3. Which one of the following is a discrete variable?
(a) Age;
(b) Nationality;
(c) Test Score;
(d) Income
4. Which of the following sentences is NOT punctuated correctly?
(a) We only expect three things from our dog loyalty, affection and tail wagging,
(b) I need you to pick up several boxes of paperclips, pens and pencils; three pounds each of
potatoes, carrots and peas; and my dry cleaning,
(c) Marcy, my parrot, squawked for an hour, before finally calming down,
(d) All are punctuated correctly
5. What does the following formula stands for:
(a) Standard error
(b) regression coefficient
X-µ
s / √n
(c) Student’s ‘t’ test, (d) Chi Square test
6. A drug is to be evaluated and compared with placebo for its galactogauge activity in lactating
buffaloes. It is feared that the stage of lactation and parity as variables would distort the results in the
proposed perspective study design. The most convenient and prudent method to control such variables
when sufficient number of experimental units (lactating buffaloes) is available would be:
(a) randomization; (b) matching; (c) mathematical adjustments; (d) Nothing would work
7. In India cattle and buffalo population as per the last Census is:
(a) 200 million and 97 million, (b) 100 million and 50 million, (c)
(d) 50 million and 25 million
500 million and 300 million and
8. As per the Dairy Development Department of Maharashtra statistics currently the number of primary
dairy cooperatives and taluka dugdh sanghs that are functioning are:
(a) Around 5000 and 25, respectively; (b) Around 19,000 – 75, respectively;
(c) Around 70,000 and 750, respectively; (d) Around 1000 – 45, respectively.
9.
In India CSWRI is concerned with the development of :
(a) Cattle; (b) Sheep; (c) Goat; (d) None of above
10.
Progeny testing evaluates: (a) The performance of progeny; (b) Sire’s worth by the
performance of the progeny; (c) Performance of both sire and dam of the animal progeny
tested; (d) Sire’s individual performance
2
11.
The first signs of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad cow disease were noted in:
(a) USA; (b) Britain; (c) Canada; (d) Thailand
12.
Ovum is:
(a) the largest cell in the human body; (b) one of the largest cells in the human body; (c)
one of the smallest cells in the human body; (d) the smallest cell in the human body
13.
Correlation is:
(a) Perfect positive; (b) Perfect negative; (c) No correlation; (d) All of the above
14.
For comparison of two small sample means following test is used
a.
b.
c.
d.
Q. 2.
1.
‘ t ‘ test
χ2 test
ANOVA
Z test
Please fill in the blanks with appropriate responses:
Marks 20
In a goat farm the weight gain (g per day) data in bucks was recorded as under;
140, 200, 180, 140, 200, 140, 140, 100, 182, 140, 250, 100, 200, 250, 148, 220
Calculate mean ……………..
Calculate mode ……………..
2. Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University offers undergraduate (B.V.Sc. & A. H.)
programs in ……. Colleges whereas ……… colleges offer degree course in fishery science
3. Full form of the following abbreviations:
MAIRA
APEDA
GATT
IVRI
4. As per the latest livestock policy of the Government of Maharashtra notified in 2010, the non-descript
buffaloes should be bred with any descript breed buffaloes, except with …...................... and
…..................… breeds
5.
The four ‘Rs’ in animal experimentation stands for:
(a) ……...............…… (b) ........................., (c)...........................
(d).........................………
3
6.
Bovine semen is to be stored in liquid nitrogen at temperature ..............………. , whereas it should
be thawed at …......................…. temperature
7.
In Maharashtra the vaccination of cattle for ….......................…… disease is discontinued as it has
been eradicated whereas vaccination in goat for an analogous disease called
….............................................. is still undertaken
8.
Indicate the name given to the following specially produced animals:
First sheep to be cloned from an adult cell
……………
First buffalo calf cloned from fetal tissues
……………..
9.
…............................……….. and ……......................…… are public-health importance diseases of
cattle caused by intracellular bacteria.
10.
Explain why the following statement is not correct from the point of view of statistics (two
reasons)
Assuming that there could be maximum five defective tags in each bag, a farm manager claims
that the probabilities that the RFID tag consignment containing 0,1,2,3,4 or 5 defective tags are:
0.11, 0.24, 0.36, 0.16 and 1.14
(a)
(b)
Q. 3
Insert appropriate ‘articles’ where necessary
Marks - 5
(Please note: it is possible that some places no article is needed in that case you should
indicate by writing ‘zero’).
One day [1]…. woman went to [2] … house of .. .[3] doctor. She said to [4]…. doctor, ‘My dog is very
ill. Will you please come and see him?’ [5]… doctor smiled and said, ‘All my patients are [6]… men.
I don’t see ….[7]. animals. You better go to [8]… veterinary surgeon. [9] … woman felt greatly
puzzled. ‘Do you mean to say [10]… person who can cure human beings cannot cure animals?
Q. 4.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense and make whatever other changes that maybe
necessary.
Marks - 5
A university (stand)1 for humanism, tolerance, reason, the adventure of ideas, and the search for
truth. It (symbolize)2 the onward march of the human race towards even higher objectives. If
the Universities (discharge)3 their duty adequately, then it is well with the nation and the people.
But if the temple of learning itself (become)4 a home of narrow bigotry and petty objectives, how
then the nation (prosper)5 or people grow in stature?
1
2
4
5
3
4
Q. 5.
Please read the following paragraphs carefully and answer the questions given below in your
own language:
`
[Marks 12]
All research must respect the rights of the research participants. It must avoid causing
them harm or distress. Before starting a study, researchers typically submit a description of
their planned research to a local research ethics committee, which follows ethical guidelines
published by national bodies such as the British Psychological Society and the Amer54ican
Psychological Association. Although cognitive psychology experiments may generally seem fairly
innocuous, there are still ethical pitfalls. For example, if you want to see how much people
remember incidentally, without trying to, then you may want to give them a surprise memory
test. This involves an element of deception, because you cannot warn participants in advance
that their memory will be tested. Indeed, you may use a cover story (a fictitious account of the
aims of the experiment) to distract them from the real purpose of the experiment. At the end of
the experiment, it is important to explain them why the deception was necessary, not least
because you do not want them to try to remember everything in every subsequent psychology
experiment they take part in, just in case there will be surprise memory test. This explanation at
the end of an experiment is called debriefing. Some cognitive psychology research can be
stressful because it involves looking at the distressing images or hearing threatening words. In
such cases, participants should be warned that the experiments involve such stimuli. If an
experiment involves a manipulation of mood, then it is important to reverse that manipulation
in case it adversely affects behavior outside the test environment.
Key elements of ethical conduct of research include:
•
•
•
Ensuring that participants are told enough about the study in advance that they can give
informed consent to take part in it. In psychological research, this can require careful
judgment. Telling people too much about the aims of the experiments can lead them to try
to behave in the way they believe the experimenter wants them to behave, rather than
behaving ‘naturally’. This is known as responding to the demand characteristic of the
experiments. Telling people too little about the experiments not only prevents them giving
truly informed consent, but also encourages them to form their own hypothesis about the
aims of the experiments and to behave in apparently bizarre ways to satisfy those aims.
Informing participants that they may refuse to take part or may withdraw from the study at
any time without giving a reason and without adverse effects (e.g. without compromising
their treatment in a medical study).
Debriefing participants at the end of study: Debriefing means explaining why the
experiment was conducted, revealing any hidden manipulation or deception, and reversing
any manipulations of mood or believes.
Answer the following in 2-3 sentences
(a) What should be the first step before start of any experiment?
5
(b) Mention one example of the pitfalls described in the above text
(c) What is meant by ‘debriefing’?
(d) Describe in one sentence the key elements of the ethical conduct of the researcher
mentioned in the above text.
(e) Why the participating people (in the experiment) should not be told more about the
experiment, the procedures and the effects? Is this ethical (in your opinion)?
**********************************************************
(Please see Part B for Descriptive Questions)
6
PART B (To be written on separate answer sheets)
Please strictly follow the words limit as excess number of words will invite negative marks
(Please do not mention your examination seat number on the supplement)
Please note that in this section questions are directed at evaluating your communication skills, related
real-life issues with science and technology and science comprehension. Please be diligent and careful
with language, especially grammar.
Q. 6
Super bugs that are resistant to most of the antibiotics and anti-bacterial available commercially
are posing real public health threat more so because the inventory of the modern drugs is
already exhausted and it would take at least ten more years to see a new antibiotic on the drug
store shelves. One theory going round is that fillip to generating of resistance is mostly from
random and irrational use of drugs, especially antibiotics, in food animals and birds. As an ace
researcher you have decided to apply for funding to Bill Gates and Melinda Gates Foundation
which has invited single page concept paper on an innovative program to be implemented in
rural sector focused on reducing the use of antibiotics. Write the concept paper with heads: (a)
problem statement; (b) Innovative approach and methodology and (c) expected outcome
`
[Marks 10]
Please Note:
Your response will be evaluated for (a) out-of box thinking; (b) skill to write concisely but ability to cover
all the relevant issues and (c) command over science language and grammar.
Please ensure that you restrict to the word limit (500 words).
Q.7
Your Supervisor has asked you to develop a brief research program for your Ph.D. degree which
is to be submitted to the Advisory Committee. Write in brief the proposed program under the
heads: (a) Title; (b) problem statement and rationale; (c) proposed technical strategy (do not
worry about citing methods, etc; only describe the basic approach & justification) and (d)
alternate strategy if the proposed strategy fails and (e) what is expected outcome. The write up
should not exceed two A4 size pages
[Marks 10]
Do not worry about citing references as it is not expected.
Please note that the marks will be allotted for: (a) Suitable title and selection of the problem; scientific
rationale and justification of the program and ability to select the correct technical program.
Q. 8
There has been a series of adverse reports in the national newspapers about the laboratory
animal facility of your institute, criticizing pain and suffering of animals, diverse and unnecessary research undertaken for which irrationally large number of laboratory animals are
being used. The Institute has asked you to write a 200 words rejoinder to be sent to the most
important newspaper. You have been asked to cover the issues, such as: the facilities you have
provided to ensure animal comfort, why animal experimentation is necessary to advance the
knowledge and what measures the institute is taking to ensure welfare of the animals and
rationalization of animal experimentations. Please restrict to word limit. [Marks 10]
7
Answer Key: Ph.D. Entrance Examination
Q. 1.
1. (b)
Incited -evasive
2. (c) Secondary data – retrospective study
3. (b)
Nationality
4. (Withdrawn
8. (a) 200 million – 97 million
12. (b) Britain
9. (b)
13. (a) Largest cell
)5. (a)
19,000 -75
14.
6. (c) Student’s T test
10. (b) Sheep
(d)
7. (b) Matching
11. (b)
15. (a) ‘t’ test
Q. 2.
1. 170.62; 140
3,
2. Five; two
MAIRA - Maharashtra Animal Identification and Recording Authority
Agricultural and processed Food Product Export Development Authority
General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade
Indian Veterinary Research Institute
4.
Mehsana and Jaffarabadi
5.
Replacement, Reduction, Refinement and Rehabilitation
6.
- 196 and 37 degree Celsius
7.
Rinderpest
8.
Dolly and Garima
9.
Tuberculosis and Brucellosis / Para-tuberculosis (John’s disease, Listeriosis (Any two)
10.
(a) Probability cannot be more than 1
PPR
(b) the addition of all probabilities should be 1
Q. 3.
1
a
2
the
3
a
4
the
5
the
6
zero
7
zero
8
a
9
the
10
a
1.
stands
2
symbolizes
3
discharge
4.
became
5
prosper
Q. 4.
Q. 5.
1.
What should be the first step before start of any experiment?
8
The researcher must submit the research plan to the local ethics Committee which conducts its
business as per national rules and guidelines.
2.
Deception – to evaluate incidental memory
Fictitious story to hide the real experiment
3.
Explaining at the end of experiment that deception was used and is called briefing. It is
important here to mention at the end of the experiment, else it is wrong
4.
(a) Participants are briefed enough about the experiment details so as to obtain informed
consent
(b) That the experiment participants are aware that they can withdraw from their experiments
Debriefing at the end of experiment
(c) Participants are debriefed at the end of the experiment
Q. 6.:
It is expected that the write up is in the form of ‘Concept paper’, which is a scientific write up for
describing a novel concept. The essential elements are: (a) the problem is stated correctly and
here the node at which antibiotics usage in animals is high must be stated; (b) the basic concept
that should emerge is that the orientation must change to herd management rather than
curative alone; (c) it should be logical; for example in India when it comes to dairy animals the
source of contamination is milk and not meat; in case of broilers now a days antibacterial are not
used as feed supplement. Replacing chemicals with herbs is not a solution as herbs also contain
toxic elements. The question envisaged a concept that can be implemented in rural area hence
describing lab based experiments for purifying herbal formulation would not be acceptable.
Since it is a concept paper, you must mention in brief where it will be done, how many farmers,
how many animals and for how many years, what data will be collected and how analyzed.
Q. 7.
This is a straight forward question. You are required to develop a research program. Since it is a
Ph.D. program the topic should be original and not repetitive. It should have a sound rationale
that is directed at solving the problem. The method approach must be described in scientific
words. Since it is a Ph.D. program where you are required to conduct research at least for one
and half year, the program should be elaborate to fit the time available.
Q. 8.
In this question it is expected that the text would be in the form of letter to editor but the
content addressed to common reader. It should mention in first few lines why animal
experimentation is important to serve both human and animals; then you must mention about
how your institute has been able to achieve breakthrough in technologies that has helped; few
sentences on facilities available in the lab house. Here the important points to mention are: the
facility has been inspected and approved by the CPCSEA; that you have an Ethics Committee that
approves individual experiments and animal usage on which you have experts as well as animal
welfare people from civic society and that your institute follows 4Rs.
*****************************************************************************
9