Choose the correct statements from the following:
A. Genetic modification of organisms can have unpredictable results when such organisms are introduced into the ecosystem.
B. The Indian Government has set up GEAC, which will make decisions regarding the validity of GM research.
C. Some ethical standards are required to evaluate the morality of all human activities that might help or harm living organisms.
D. The developing and the underdeveloped world is poor in biodiversity and traditional knowledge related to bio-resources.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B and C only
Genetic engineering changes living organisms, so its use is guided by ethics and by rules. The questions it raises are about morality, about the effect on the ecosystem, and about who owns biological resources.
A. Genetic modification of organisms can have unpredictable results when such organisms are introduced into the ecosystem. — True. A GM organism released into nature may behave in ways that cannot be foreseen. This is the biological concern behind regulation.
B. The Indian Government has set up GEAC, which will make decisions regarding the validity of GM research. — True. GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) decides on the validity of GM research and on the safety of introducing GM-organisms for public services.
C. Some ethical standards are required to evaluate the morality of all human activities that might help or harm living organisms. — True. The book says the manipulation of living organisms cannot go on without regulation, and ethical standards are needed to judge it.
D. The developing and the underdeveloped world is poor in biodiversity and traditional knowledge related to bio-resources. — False. It is the other way round. The developing and underdeveloped world is rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge, while most industrialised nations are rich financially but poor in biodiversity.
NCERT Extract:
Ethical Issues – “The manipulation of living organisms by the human race cannot go on any further, without regulation. Some ethical standards are required to evaluate the morality of all human activities that might help or harm living organisms. Going beyond the morality of such issues, the biological significance of such things is also important. Genetic modification of organisms can have unpredicatable results when such organisms are introduced into the ecosystem. Therefore, the Indian Government has set up organisations such as GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee), which will make decisions regarding the validity of GM research and the safety of introducing GM-organisms for public services.”
Ethical Issues – “… Most of the industrialised nations are rich financially but poor in biodiversity and traditional knowledge. In contrast the developing and the underdeveloped world is rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge related to bio-resources.”