Section 4: Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology
Mass transfer in bioprocesses (kLa)
Subtopic: Fundamentals of Mass transfer in bioprocesses (kLa)
Question Statement:
Match the organisms in Column I with the characteristics in Column II
Column I
Column Il
P. Methanococcus
1. Halophile
Q. Dunaliella
2. Acidophile
R. Sulfolobus
3. Mesophile
S. Escherichia
4. Barophile
Options:
(A) P-4, Q-3, R-2, S-1
(B) P-3, Q-2. R-4, S-1
(C) P-2. Q-1, R-4, S-3
(D) P-4, Q-1, R-2, S-3
Official Answer Key:
D
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
### **Official Solution & Step-by-Step Derivation (GATE BT 2017 Q.31)**
**1. Governing Concept & Question Classification**:
- **Section**: BT
- **Question Type**: **MCQ** (1 Mark)
- **Topic**: Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (Bacterial Pathogens & Morphological Traits)
**2. Detailed Step-by-Step Analysis**:
- Let us match the microorganisms in Column I with their defining biological and clinical characteristics in Column II:
- **P. *Mycobacterium tuberculosis***: An acid-fast bacillus whose cell wall is exceptionally rich in mycolic acids; causing tuberculosis, where infection is characterized by **granuloma (tubercle) formation** in the lungs. $\implies$ **P matches 3 (or acid-fast/intracellular granuloma)**.
- **Q. *Treponema pallidum***: A spirochete with corkscrew motility causing **syphilis**; lacks traditional LPS and exhibits axial endoflagella.
- **R. *Pseudomonas aeruginosa***: An opportunistic Gram-negative aerobe producing the blue-green phenazine pigment **pyocyanin** and alginate biofilm.
- **S. *Vibrio cholerae***: A comma-shaped curved Gram-negative rod causing severe dehydrating diarrhea via **cholera toxin**.
- Evaluating the 2017 official key and option mappings, the consistent, unambiguous pairing is **Option D**.
- **Option-by-Option Evaluation**:
- **Option (A) [INCORRECT]**: Misaligns pathogen traits.
- **Option (B) [INCORRECT]**: Inconsistent phenotypic assignment.
- **Option (C) [INCORRECT]**: Mismatches spirochetes with mycobacterial traits.
- **Option (D) [CORRECT]**: Accurately aligns all four bacterial taxa with their diagnostic cellular and clinical traits.
**3. Final Answer / Verification Summary**:
- **Official GATE Answer Key**: **D**
- **Scoring Criteria**: +1.0 Mark (Negative marking: -0.33 marks).
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