About this quiz
Public Health, Food and Nutrition: Nutrients, Deficiency Diseases, Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases
This Lok Sewa practice set has 50 multiple-choice questions (Subject: General Science · For: Kharidar · Level: Medium). Take the quiz above first; after that, use the study list below to revise every question with its correct answer and a short explanation.
Study list: all 50 questions with answers and explanations
Night blindness is caused by lack of:
- A) Vitamin A ✔
- B) Vitamin C
- C) Vitamin D
- D) Vitamin K
Why: Vitamin A is needed to see in dim light, so its lack causes night blindness. Sources: carrots, green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs. Nepal gives vitamin A capsules to children.
Scurvy is caused by lack of:
- A) Vitamin B1
- B) Vitamin C ✔
- C) Vitamin D
- D) Iron
Why: Lack of vitamin C causes scurvy: bleeding gums and slow healing. Citrus fruits, amla, guava and tomatoes are rich in vitamin C.
Rickets is caused by lack of:
- A) Vitamin A
- B) Vitamin D ✔
- C) Vitamin K
- D) Iodine
Why: Lack of vitamin D causes rickets (soft, bent bones) in children, because vitamin D helps absorb calcium.
Goitre is caused by lack of:
- A) Iron
- B) Calcium
- C) Iodine ✔
- D) Protein
Why: Lack of iodine causes goitre, a swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck. Iodised salt prevents it.
Anaemia is mainly due to lack of:
- A) Iron ✔
- B) Iodine
- C) Vitamin C
- D) Fat
Why: Iron is needed to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in blood, so iron deficiency is the main cause of anaemia.
Which vitamin is water-soluble?
- A) A
- B) D
- C) C ✔
- D) K
Why: Vitamin C (and the B vitamins) dissolve in water and are not stored much, so they must be eaten regularly. A, D, E and K are fat-soluble.
Beriberi is caused by lack of:
- A) Vitamin B1 ✔
- B) Vitamin B12
- C) Vitamin A
- D) Vitamin E
Why: Lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine) causes beriberi, which affects nerves and the heart. It was common where people ate only polished rice.
Malaria is spread by:
- A) Aedes mosquito
- B) Female Anopheles mosquito ✔
- C) Housefly
- D) Sandfly
Why: Malaria is spread by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito, which carries the Plasmodium parasite.
Dengue is caused by a:
- A) Bacterium
- B) Virus ✔
- C) Protozoan
- D) Fungus
Why: Dengue is a viral disease spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite in the daytime. Outbreaks have grown in Nepal in recent years.
Tuberculosis is caused by:
- A) Virus
- B) Bacteria ✔
- C) Protozoa
- D) Worms
Why: Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs.
Kala-azar is spread by:
- A) Sandfly ✔
- B) Mosquito
- C) Rat flea
- D) Tick
Why: Kala-azar is spread by the bite of the sandfly, mainly in the Terai.
The first treatment for diarrhoea is:
- A) Antibiotics
- B) ORS ✔
- C) Painkillers
- D) Surgery
Why: ORS (oral rehydration solution) replaces water and salts lost in diarrhoea, preventing dangerous dehydration. Zinc tablets are also given to children.
Which is a non-communicable disease?
- A) Cholera
- B) Diabetes ✔
- C) Malaria
- D) Typhoid
Why: Diabetes does not spread from person to person, so it is a non-communicable disease, linked to diet, inactivity and genes.
World Health Day is celebrated on:
- A) 7 April ✔
- B) 5 June
- C) 1 December
- D) 31 May
Why: World Health Day is 7 April, the anniversary of WHO's founding in 1948.
A normal Body Mass Index (BMI) is:
- A) Below 18.5
- B) 18.5 to 24.9 ✔
- C) 25 to 29.9
- D) Above 30
Why: A BMI of 18.5–24.9 is normal. Below 18.5 is underweight, 25–29.9 is overweight and 30 or more is obese.
Kwashiorkor is caused by lack of:
- A) Protein ✔
- B) Vitamin C
- C) Iron
- D) Iodine
Why: Kwashiorkor is caused by severe protein deficiency in children, with swelling of the legs and belly.
Marasmus is caused by lack of:
- A) Protein and energy ✔
- B) Iodine only
- C) Vitamin D
- D) Calcium only
Why: Marasmus is caused by severe lack of both protein and energy (calories), making the child extremely thin.
Iodised salt prevents:
- A) Goitre ✔
- B) Scurvy
- C) Rickets
- D) Anaemia
Why: Iodised salt supplies iodine and prevents goitre and other iodine-deficiency disorders.
Carbohydrates mainly give:
- A) Energy ✔
- B) Body building
- C) Protection only
- D) Water
Why: Carbohydrates, from rice, wheat, maize and potatoes, are the body's main source of energy.
Proteins are called:
- A) Body-building food ✔
- B) Protective food
- C) Energy food only
- D) Roughage
Why: Proteins are body-building foods: they build and repair muscles and tissues. Sources: pulses, meat, eggs, milk.
Vitamins and minerals are called:
- A) Protective food ✔
- B) Energy food
- C) Body-building food
- D) Junk food
Why: Vitamins and minerals are protective foods because they protect the body from disease and keep it working well.
Roughage (fibre) helps in:
- A) Digestion and bowel movement ✔
- B) Energy
- C) Clotting
- D) Vision
Why: Fibre from vegetables, fruits and whole grains helps digestion and prevents constipation.
Which vitamin is produced in skin in sunlight?
- A) Vitamin D ✔
- B) Vitamin A
- C) Vitamin C
- D) Vitamin B12
Why: The skin makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, so it is called the 'sunshine vitamin'.
Pellagra is caused by lack of:
- A) Niacin (B3) ✔
- B) Vitamin A
- C) Vitamin C
- D) Vitamin K
Why: Lack of niacin (vitamin B3) causes pellagra, with skin problems, diarrhoea and confusion.
Which disease is spread by contaminated water?
- A) Cholera ✔
- B) Malaria
- C) Dengue
- D) Tuberculosis
Why: Cholera spreads through water or food contaminated with the cholera bacterium, causing severe watery diarrhoea.
ORS is used to treat:
- A) Dehydration from diarrhoea ✔
- B) Malaria
- C) Fracture
- D) Burns
Why: ORS treats dehydration caused by diarrhoea or vomiting by replacing water and salts.
BCG vaccine protects against:
- A) Tuberculosis ✔
- B) Polio
- C) Measles
- D) Hepatitis
Why: BCG vaccine, given at birth, protects children against severe forms of tuberculosis.
Polio is caused by a:
- A) Virus ✔
- B) Bacterium
- C) Fungus
- D) Worm
Why: Polio is caused by the poliovirus and can cause paralysis. Nepal was certified polio-free with the South-East Asia region in 2014.
Measles is caused by a:
- A) Virus ✔
- B) Bacterium
- C) Protozoan
- D) Fungus
Why: Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, prevented by the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.
Japanese encephalitis is spread by:
- A) Culex mosquito ✔
- B) Aedes
- C) Anopheles
- D) Sandfly
Why: Japanese encephalitis, a viral brain infection, is spread by Culex mosquitoes, mainly in the Terai.
Malaria parasite is:
- A) Plasmodium ✔
- B) Bacteria
- C) Virus
- D) Fungus
Why: Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, a protozoan, spread by Anopheles mosquitoes.
Rabies is transmitted by:
- A) Bite of infected animals ✔
- B) Water
- C) Mosquito
- D) Air
Why: Rabies spreads through the bite of infected animals, mainly dogs. It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, so vaccination after a bite is vital.
Leprosy is caused by:
- A) Bacteria ✔
- B) Virus
- C) Fungus
- D) Protozoa
Why: Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It is curable with multi-drug therapy.
Hepatitis affects the:
- A) Liver ✔
- B) Kidney
- C) Lungs
- D) Heart
Why: Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, often caused by viruses (A, B, C, D, E).
COVID-19 is caused by:
- A) SARS-CoV-2 virus ✔
- B) Bacteria
- C) Fungus
- D) Parasite
Why: COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which spread worldwide from 2020.
Diabetes, cancer and heart disease are:
- A) Non-communicable diseases ✔
- B) Communicable
- C) Waterborne
- D) Vector-borne
Why: These are non-communicable diseases (NCDs), now the main cause of death in Nepal.
Scabies is a disease of the:
- A) Skin ✔
- B) Eyes
- C) Lungs
- D) Liver
Why: Scabies is a skin disease caused by tiny mites, causing intense itching. It spreads by close contact.
WHO headquarters is in:
- A) Geneva ✔
- B) New York
- C) Paris
- D) Rome
Why: WHO (World Health Organization), founded in 1948, has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
World AIDS Day is on:
- A) 1 December ✔
- B) 7 April
- C) 24 March
- D) 31 May
Why: World AIDS Day is on 1 December.
World TB Day is on:
- A) 24 March ✔
- B) 1 December
- C) 7 April
- D) 14 November
Why: World TB Day is on 24 March, the day Robert Koch announced the discovery of the TB bacterium in 1882.
World No Tobacco Day is on:
- A) 31 May ✔
- B) 7 April
- C) 5 June
- D) 1 December
Why: World No Tobacco Day is on 31 May.
World Diabetes Day is on:
- A) 14 November ✔
- B) 24 March
- C) 1 December
- D) 10 October
Why: World Diabetes Day is on 14 November, the birthday of Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin.
BMI is calculated as:
- A) Weight (kg) ÷ height² (m²) ✔
- B) Height ÷ weight
- C) Weight × height
- D) Age ÷ weight
Why: BMI = weight in kg ÷ (height in m)². Example: 60 kg ÷ (1.6 × 1.6) ≈ 23.4, which is normal.
A BMI of 30 or more indicates:
- A) Obesity ✔
- B) Underweight
- C) Normal weight
- D) Healthy athlete only
Why: A BMI of 30 or more indicates obesity, which raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Nepal's national immunisation programme started in:
- A) 1979 AD (2034 BS) ✔
- B) 1950 AD
- C) 2000 AD
- D) 2015 AD
Why: Nepal's national immunisation programme started around 2034 BS (late 1970s), first with BCG and DPT vaccines.
Food poisoning is commonly caused by:
- A) Contaminated or spoiled food ✔
- B) Sunlight
- C) Exercise
- D) Vaccines
Why: Food poisoning comes from eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses or toxins, often due to poor storage or hygiene.
Pasteurisation of milk:
- A) Kills harmful microbes ✔
- B) Adds vitamins
- C) Removes fat
- D) Freezes milk
Why: Pasteurisation heats milk to a set temperature for a short time to kill harmful microbes, then cools it quickly. It was developed by Louis Pasteur.
Anaemia in pregnant women is prevented by giving:
- A) Iron and folic acid ✔
- B) Vitamin C only
- C) Iodine
- D) Calcium only
Why: Pregnant women are given iron and folic acid tablets to prevent anaemia and protect the baby.
Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) in Nepal mainly support:
- A) Community health and mothers/children ✔
- B) Tax collection
- C) Road building
- D) Elections
Why: FCHVs (महिला सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य स्वयंसेविका) support community health, especially mothers and children, through counselling, vitamin A distribution and referrals.
Kala-azar is caused by:
- A) Leishmania (protozoan) ✔
- B) Virus
- C) Bacteria
- D) Fungus
Why: Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) is caused by the Leishmania protozoan, spread by sandflies.