TN State Board 12th Zoology Question Paper 2022

Radioactive waste remains hazardous for thousands of years, making secure, long-term containment essential. A deep geological repository, located in stable rock formations deep underground, is the scientifically accepted method for isolating this waste. Composting, burning, and surface impoundments are unsuitable and dangerous for radioactive materials.

Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of gametes from two parents, which leads to genetic recombination and independent assortment, resulting in variations among offspring. Asexual reproduction and parthenogenesis (a form of asexual reproduction) produce genetically identical clones, showing minimal to no variation.

Amphibians are highly sensitive to changes in both aquatic and terrestrial environments (biphasic lifestyle). Due to their permeable skin and dependence on moist habitats, they are often considered bioindicators and are currently at the highest risk of extinction globally due to habitat destruction and pollution.

According to Bridges' Genic Balance Theory in Drosophila, sex is determined by the ratio of X chromosomes to sets of autosomes (X/A ratio). Here, $X = 2$ and $A = 3$, so the ratio is $2/3 \approx 0.67$. Ratios between 0.5 and 1.0 result in intersex individuals. Therefore, the fly will be an intersex.

The Human Genome Project determined that the human genome consists of approximately 3.1647 billion nucleotide base pairs. Thus, 3.1 billion is the correct estimate for the number of nitrogenous bases.