Previous year questions: Reproductive Health

The questions below come from actual CBSE board biology papers of 2023, 2024 and 2025. Where the original question printed options, the options are reproduced so that the item looks like the paper. The answers follow CBSE marking schemes, so use the key words that the examiner expects, and write the full form of every abbreviation once. Every item carries the marks that the paper printed, and the source PDF is listed in report.md so the label can be checked. Read the printed options carefully where they appear, answer in the number of points that the marks ask for, and keep the marking scheme key words intact.

Q1 (CBSE Board 2023, 1 mark)

Which of the following sexually transmitted diseases is not caused by a virus? (a) Genital herpes (b) Gonorrhoea (c) Genital warts (d) Hepatitis B

Answer: Option (b) Gonorrhoea. Genital herpes, genital warts and hepatitis B are caused by viruses, while gonorrhoea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Q2 (CBSE Board 2024, 3 marks)

Explain the mode of action of contraceptive pills taken by human females. Mention the schedule to be followed for effective outcome.

Answer: The pills contain either progestogen alone or a combination of progestogen and estrogen. They inhibit ovulation, alter the quality of cervical mucus so that sperm cannot move easily, and make the endometrium unsuitable for implantation. For the combined pill the schedule is one pill daily for 21 days, followed by a seven day gap during which withdrawal bleeding occurs, and the next course begins on the eighth day. The first course is started within the first five days of the menstrual cycle. The pill is a prescription method, so a doctor checks blood pressure and history first, and the method is stopped if side effects such as nausea or weight gain become troublesome. The seven day gap is not a rest period for the body; it is the week in which the endometrium breaks down and withdrawal bleeding appears.

Q3 (CBSE Board 2024, 2 marks)

Name any two copper releasing intra uterine devices. State two reasons that make them effective contraceptives.

Answer: Two copper releasing IUDs are CuT and Cu7; Multiload 375 is a third. The device raises the phagocytosis of sperm in the uterus, and copper ions lower sperm motility and their ability to fertilise. These two actions together make the devices effective contraceptives.

Q4 (CBSE Board 2026, 1 mark)

How many of the following features are related to Nirodh, a popular brand of condoms? (i) Prevention of sexually transmitted infections. (ii) Phagocytosis of sperms. (iii) Male contraceptive device. (iv) Acts as a chemical barrier. (v) Physiological changes in cervical mucus. (a) (i), (ii), (iv) (b) (i) and (iii) (c) (i), (ii), (v) (d) (ii) and (iv)

Answer: Option (B) (i) and (iii). Nirodh is a male barrier contraceptive made of thin latex, so it prevents the meeting of sperm and ovum and also lowers the risk of sexually transmitted infections. It does not cause phagocytosis of sperm, it is not a chemical barrier like a spermicidal jelly, and it does not change the cervical mucus; those three points belong to IUDs and hormonal methods.

Q5 (CBSE Board 2024, 2 marks)

Amniocentesis is a very useful and important technique, but due to some reason there is a statutory ban on amniocentesis. Justify this statement.

Answer: Amniocentesis is useful because it detects chromosomal disorders and genetic diseases in the developing foetus. It is misused in our society for female foeticide after the sex of the foetus is detected. The law therefore bans the use of amniocentesis for sex determination.

Q6 (CBSE Board 2025, 2 marks)

Explain what is meant by the term MTP. What was the main reason to legalise MTP by the Government of India?

Answer: MTP is medical termination of pregnancy, that is, an induced abortion performed by a registered medical practitioner. It was legalised mainly to prevent the deaths of women and girls who were undergoing unsafe, illegal abortions, and to bring such cases into safe medical care. The Act lays down who may perform the procedure and on what grounds, so that a woman is not forced to approach an untrained person.

Q7 (CBSE Board 2025, 3 marks)

Village women are confused as to how a thin metallic copper loop can provide protection against pregnancy. Explain the mode of action of IUDs. Give two points.

Answer: The device produces a foreign body reaction in the uterus that increases phagocytosis of sperm, which is the first point. The copper ions released by the device suppress sperm motility and reduce the fertilising capacity of sperm, which is the second point. The uterus also becomes a poor site for implantation, and the cervix turns hostile to sperm.

Q8 (CBSE Board 2025, 2 marks)

Explain what is meant by the term amniocentesis. How is this technique misused in India?

Answer: Amniocentesis is a technique in which a sample of amniotic fluid is withdrawn and the foetal cells and dissolved substances in it are analysed to detect genetic disorders. In India it has been misused to determine the sex of the foetus, and female foetuses are then aborted, which is why sex determination by this method is banned.

Q9 (CBSE Board 2025, 2 marks)

Write two features of an ideal contraceptive. Explain any one natural contraceptive method that makes the chances of conception almost nil.

Answer: An ideal contraceptive is user friendly and needs little medical help, is effective and reversible, has almost no side effects and is easily available. No single method meets every point perfectly, so a couple chooses according to age, health, number of children and personal preference. One natural method that makes conception almost nil is lactational amenorrhea: a mother who breast feeds exclusively, frequently and for the first six months after delivery does not ovulate, so the chance of conception is almost zero during that period.

Q10 (CBSE Board 2025, 2 marks)

Explain GIFT and ICSI.

Answer: GIFT is gamete intra fallopian transfer, in which an ovum from a donor is transferred into the fallopian tube of a female who cannot produce an ovum but can carry the pregnancy. ICSI is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which a single sperm is injected directly into the ovum in the laboratory and the resulting embryo is transferred into the uterus; it is used when the sperm count or quality is poor. A simpler option before ICSI is artificial insemination, in which washed semen is placed in the uterus at the time of ovulation.

How the marking scheme marks these answers

CBSE marking schemes for this chapter reward named examples and clear points rather than long paragraphs. For a two mark question, two distinct points are enough, and each point is usually worth one mark. For a three mark question, three points or one point with a short explanation score full marks. Always write the full form of MTP, IUD, STI, ART, IVF, ZIFT, GIFT and ICSI the first time it appears. A question that prints options expects the option letter and the name, as in option (b) Gonorrhoea. A question on contraceptive methods expects the group name, the example and the mode of action in one sentence.

Dates and numbers worth keeping

The MTP Act came in 1971, and the procedure is relatively safe up to about twelve weeks or the first trimester. The combined oral pill is taken for 21 days with a gap of seven days, and the first course starts within the first five days of the cycle. Saheli is taken once a week and was developed at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow. Copper IUDs named in the textbook are CuT, Cu7 and Multiload 375, and hormone releasing IUDs are Progestasert and LNG 20. Emergency contraception with combined pills or an IUD works within 72 hours. These are the numbers that turn up in objective questions and in one line answers, so keep them together on one page before the exam.

Answer habits that earn the last mark

Three habits separate a full mark from a half mark in this chapter. First, name the method group before the example: a copper IUD is an intra uterine device, Nirodh is a barrier method, Saheli is an oral pill. Second, give the mode of action in one short sentence after the name, because the paper usually awards one mark for the example and one for the action. Third, keep the numbers exact: 1971 for the MTP Act, 12 weeks for the first trimester, 21 plus 7 for the pill cycle, once a week for Saheli, 72 hours for emergency contraception. A question that prints options wants the option letter and the term, as in option (B) (i) and (iii). Questions that ask for two points expect two separate lines, not one long sentence with both ideas hidden inside. Practise writing the answers in the exact number of points the marks demand, and the presentation itself will stop leaking marks.