Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Yeasts, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have been used for centuries to produce alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, whisky, brandy, and rum. These beverages are made through the fermentation of malted cereals and fruit juices by yeast, specifically brewer's yeast. During fermentation, yeast undergoes metabolic reactions that result in the production of ethanol, the primary alcohol in alcoholic beverages. Different types of alcoholic drinks are obtained based on the raw materials used and the processing methods employed. Wine and beer are produced without distillation, while whisky, brandy, and rum are produced by distilling the fermented mixture. On the other hand, antibiotics, which are chemical substances produced by certain microbes, are considered one of the significant discoveries of the twentieth century. They have greatly contributed to the well-being of human society. Antibiotics are capable of killing or inhibiting the growth of disease-causing microbes, thereby having a positive impact on human health.
Read the following statements about the word ‘antibiotic’:
A. ‘Anti’ is a Greek word that means ‘against’.
B. The two parts of the word antibiotic, ‘anti’ and ‘bio’, together mean ‘pro life’.
C. In the context of disease-causing organisms, antibiotics are ‘against life’.
D. With reference to human beings, antibiotics are ‘pro life’.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, C and D only
The word antibiotic is made of two Greek parts: ‘anti’ (against) and ‘bio’ (life). Taken literally it means ‘against life’, which is true for the disease-causing organisms that antibiotics kill. For human beings, who are cured by them, antibiotics are ‘pro life’.
A. ‘Anti’ is a Greek word that means ‘against’. — True. This is the meaning NCERT gives for ‘anti’.
B. The two parts of the word antibiotic, ‘anti’ and ‘bio’, together mean ‘pro life’. — False. Together the two parts mean ‘against life’. ‘Pro life’ describes what antibiotics do for human beings, not the meaning of the word.
C. In the context of disease-causing organisms, antibiotics are ‘against life’. — True. Antibiotics kill or retard the growth of disease-causing microbes, so for these organisms they are against life.
D. With reference to human beings, antibiotics are ‘pro life’. — True. By curing infections, antibiotics protect human life, so for us they are pro life and not against it.
Statements A, C and D are correct.
NCERT Extract:
Antibiotics – “Antibiotics produced by microbes are regarded as one of the most significant discoveries of the twentieth century and have greatly contributed towards the welfare of the human society. Anti is a Greek word that means ‘against’, and bio means ‘life’, together they mean ‘against life’ (in the context of disease causing organisms); whereas with reference to human beings, they are ‘pro life’ and not against. Antibiotics are chemical substances, which are produced by some microbes and can kill or retard the growth of other (disease-causing) microbes.”