Biology · Science General

Disease Causative Agents

2,531 Questions

Disease causative agents questions test your understanding of viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, along with their transmission methods. These are common topics in general science sections of SSC and railways exams. Practice these questions to accurately identify disease pathogens and symptoms.

Viral diseasesFoodborne illnessesDisease transmission methodsExtrinsic disease factorsCommon pathogens

Disease Causative Agents Questions

Multiple choice

Which Virus is responsible for Chicken Pox?

  1. Epstein Barr

  2. Paramyxovirus

  3. Simplex

  4. Varicella-zoster
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Varicella-zoster virus is the specific pathogen responsible for chickenpox. The other options listed are different viruses associated with other conditions.

Multiple choice

Strep Throat is caused by what type of bacteria?

  1. Streptococcal

  2. Staphlococcus

  3. Treponema

  4. Salmonella
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Strep throat is caused by Streptococcus bacteria. The other options are different genera of bacteria that cause unrelated illnesses.

Multiple choice

Any disease easily transmitted by contact.

  1. Contagion

  2. Pathogen

  3. Carrier

  4. Carcinogen
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A contagion is a disease that spreads through direct or indirect contact between people. A pathogen is the agent (like a virus) that causes the disease.

Multiple choice

Organisms that cause human disease are typically

  1. mesophiles

  2. psychrophiles

  3. barophiles

  4. hyperthermophiles
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mesophiles are organisms that grow best at moderate temperatures, typically between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius, which includes the human body temperature.

Multiple choice

Give an example of a chronic illness

  1. Chicken Pox

  2. Heart attack

  3. Acne

  4. Asthma
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Asthma is a long-term condition that requires ongoing management, fitting the definition of a chronic illness.

Multiple choice

Disease in plants are caused by pathaogens such as............

  1. bacteria,fungi,viruses

  2. fungi,protozoa,paramecium

  3. none of these

  4. covid-19
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Plant diseases are caused by three main pathogen types: bacteria (blights, rots), fungi (rusts, mildews), and viruses (mosaics, leaf curls). Protozoa and paramecium are not plant pathogens, and COVID-19 affects humans.

Multiple choice

The Bubonic plague was spread by _______.

  1. rats infested with fleas carrying the bacterium.

  2. poisoned water from the town wells.

  3. an overall drop in temperatures known as a “little ice age.”

  4. the Great Famine.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Bubonic Plague was transmitted by fleas that lived on rats; these fleas carried the bacterium Yersinia pestis and spread it to humans.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is least likely to cause disease?

  1. algae

  2. viruse

  3. bacteria

  4. protozoa
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Algae are primarily aquatic photosynthetic organisms that rarely cause human diseases. In contrast, viruses, bacteria, and protozoa include many well-known pathogens responsible for illnesses ranging from colds to malaria. Note: option B has a typo (viruse should be virus).

Multiple choice

which one of the following is not a water borne disease?

  1. cholera

  2. malaria

  3. chicken pox

  4. giardia
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Cholera, malaria (vector-borne, but often associated with water), and giardia are commonly linked to water. Chicken pox is a viral disease spread primarily through respiratory droplets or contact, not water.

Multiple choice

Which disease killed Ramanujan?

  1. Cancer

  2. Malaria

  3. Diabetes

  4. Tuberculoses
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Ramanujan died of tuberculosis in 1920 at age 32. His health declined during his stay in England, and the disease claimed his life shortly after his return to India.