Reproductive Health — NEET Zoology MCQs with answers

Reproductive Health is a Class 12 Zoology chapter in the NEET (UG) syllabus. NEET720 has 1,017 reviewed practice questions on it, each with a quick answer and a step-by-step explanation. The 8 questions below are free and fixed, so you can bookmark this page; the full chapter, plus mistake tracking and spaced revision, is in the app.

Topics covered

Reproductive Health and Population · Contraceptive Methods · MTP and STIs · Infertility and ART · Reproductive Health and Population Control · Medical Termination of Pregnancy and STIs · Assisted Reproductive Technology and Infertility · Reproductive health law · Population and Reproductive Health · Reproductive health concept · Reproductive health programmes · Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) · Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) · Amniocentesis and prenatal diagnosis · Reproductive health overview · STDs · Infertility/ART · Amniocentesis · Reproductive Health · National Programmes · Sexually Transmitted Diseases · Infertility · MTP and Legal Aspects · Reproductive and Child Health Care · Sex Education · Semen Analysis · Reproductive Health Definition · Population Statistics · Infertility Treatment · Sexually Transmitted Infections · Population Stabilisation · Amniocentesis and Sex Determination · Population and RCH · Contraception · MTP and STI · ART and Infertility · ART · Prenatal diagnosis · MTP · Population

8 free Reproductive Health practice questions with answers

Choose an answer in your head before opening it. Each explanation says why the correct option is right and, where relevant, why the tempting wrong option is wrong.

1. Question 1 · medium · Infertility and ART

   In the IVF programme, if the embryo transferred into the female's body has developed up to only 8 blastomeres, the procedure of transferring it into the fallopian tube is termed:

   • A.ZIFT
   • B.GIFT
   • C.IUT
   • D.ICSI
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. ZIFT

   Embryos with up to 8 blastomeres are transferred into the fallopian tube; this is called Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer (ZIFT).

   In test-tube baby programmes, ova from the wife or a donor are fused with sperm in vitro to form a zygote/early embryo. If this embryo has developed up to 8 blastomeres, it is transferred into the fallopian tube (ZIFT). If it has crossed the 8-blastomere stage, it is instead transferred into the uterus (IUT, Intra-Uterine Transfer) since the embryo is ready to implant. GIFT involves transferring an unfertilised ovum (not a zygote) into the fallopian tube of a female who cannot produce ova herself. ICSI is a fertilisation technique, not a transfer stage.

   Common mistake: Students transfer the 8-blastomere cutoff to the wrong destination or confuse ZIFT with GIFT.

   Key point: ≤8 blastomeres → fallopian tube (ZIFT); >8 blastomeres → uterus (IUT).

2. Question 2 · medium · Infertility and ART

   GIFT (Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer) is most appropriately used for a couple where:

   • A.The female cannot produce ova but can provide a suitable environment for fertilisation and further development
   • B.The male has a very low sperm count and requires direct injection of sperm into the ovum
   • C.The couple wants an embryo transferred after it has crossed 8 blastomeres
   • D.The male partner is unable to deposit semen in the vagina due to physical disability
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. The female cannot produce ova but can provide a suitable environment for fertilisation and further development

   GIFT transfers an ovum from a donor into the fallopian tube of a female who cannot produce her own ova but whose reproductive tract can support fertilisation and development.

   GIFT is used when a woman cannot produce ova herself (e.g., due to ovarian failure) but her fallopian tube and uterus remain capable of supporting fertilisation and pregnancy. A donor ovum is transferred into her fallopian tube where it may be fertilised naturally by sperm. Option B describes ICSI (sperm injected directly into ovum, used for male infertility with low/abnormal sperm). Option C describes IUT (post-fertilisation embryo transfer). Option D describes artificial insemination, used to bypass problems in semen deposition or low sperm count.

   Common mistake: Confusing GIFT (ovum transfer) with ICSI (sperm injection) since both address 'infertility technologies'.

   Key point: GIFT = donor OVUM transferred into fallopian tube of a female who cannot produce her own ova.

3. Question 3 · easy · Infertility and ART

   Which Assisted Reproductive Technology involves the direct injection of a sperm into the ovum to induce fertilisation?

   • A.GIFT
   • B.ZIFT
   • C.ICSI
   • D.IUT
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. ICSI

   ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) directly injects a sperm into the ovum, used especially when sperm count or motility is very low.

   ICSI is performed when male infertility is severe (very low sperm count, poor motility) and natural fertilisation even in vitro is unlikely. A single sperm is injected directly into the cytoplasm of the ovum under a microscope. GIFT, ZIFT and IUT all concern transfer of gametes/zygotes/embryos to a location in the reproductive tract, not the act of fertilisation itself.

   Common mistake: Mixing up ICSI with GIFT because both involve gametes.

   Key point: ICSI = sperm injected directly into ovum; used for severe male infertility.

4. Question 4 · medium · Infertility and ART

   Artificial insemination (AI) is used to overcome infertility caused by:

   • A.Blocked fallopian tubes in the female preventing gamete transport
   • B.Low sperm count or male-partner-related problems in semen deposition
   • C.Ovarian failure with inability to produce ova
   • D.Absence of a uterus in the female partner
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Low sperm count or male-partner-related problems in semen deposition

   AI introduces semen (from husband or donor) directly into the vagina or uterus, mainly to overcome low sperm count or difficulties in normal semen deposition.

   In artificial insemination, semen collected from the husband or a healthy donor is artificially introduced either into the vagina or into the uterus (IUI) of the female. This technique bypasses problems related to the male partner being unable to inseminate the female naturally, or when the sperm count is low, since concentrating and placing the sample directly increases the chance of fertilisation. Blocked fallopian tubes, ovarian failure, and uterine absence are addressed by other ART methods (IVF/ZIFT, GIFT, and surrogacy respectively).

   Common mistake: Assuming AI can solve female-side structural problems like blocked tubes or missing uterus.

   Key point: AI overcomes male-related infertility (low sperm count/inability to inseminate); semen placed in vagina or uterus.

5. Question 5 · easy · Infertility and ART

   According to NCERT, infertility in a couple could result from physical, congenital, or which of the following categories of causes?

   • A.Diseases, drugs, immunological or even psychological causes
   • B.Only chromosomal abnormalities present since birth
   • C.Only surgical complications during childbirth
   • D.Only nutritional deficiencies in the diet
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. Diseases, drugs, immunological or even psychological causes

   NCERT lists infertility causes as physical, congenital, diseases, drugs, immunological, or even psychological, affecting either partner.

   Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive despite unprotected intercourse. NCERT explains that the causes could be many and may lie in either the male or the female partner: physical (e.g., structural defects), congenital (present from birth), disease-related (e.g., infections affecting reproductive organs), drug-induced, immunological (immune reactions against gametes), or even psychological. Treating infertility requires identifying the specific cause, since ART bypasses only certain causes.

   Common mistake: Assuming infertility is always a female-only or purely physical/structural problem.

   Key point: Infertility causes: physical, congenital, disease, drug, immunological, psychological — in either partner.

6. Question 6 · medium · Infertility and ART

   A woman cannot herself carry a pregnancy to term due to a medical condition, though she produces normal ova. Her embryo (formed by IVF using her own ovum and her husband's sperm) is transferred into another woman's uterus, who carries the pregnancy. This arrangement is best described as:

   • A.GIFT
   • B.ZIFT
   • C.Surrogacy
   • D.ICSI
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Surrogacy

   When another woman carries and delivers a pregnancy on behalf of a couple, this arrangement is called surrogacy.

   Surrogacy is used when a woman cannot carry a pregnancy herself (e.g., due to a medical condition affecting the uterus) despite producing normal ova. An embryo formed using the couple's own gametes may be transferred into another woman's (the surrogate's) uterus, who then carries and delivers the baby. This is distinct from GIFT (donor ovum for fertilisation), ZIFT (site/stage of embryo transfer to the intended mother), and ICSI (a fertilisation method).

   Common mistake: Confusing surrogacy with GIFT because both involve 'another woman'.

   Key point: Surrogacy = another woman carries and delivers the pregnancy for the couple, distinct from gamete/embryo transfer techniques.

7. Question 7 · easy · Infertility and ART

   The IVF technique is popularly known by which term, referring to the fact that fertilisation occurs outside the body?

   • A.Designer baby programme
   • B.Test tube baby programme
   • C.Cloned baby programme
   • D.Frozen embryo programme
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Test tube baby programme

   IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) is popularly called the 'test tube baby' programme since fertilisation happens in a laboratory dish/vessel, not inside the body.

   'In vitro' literally means 'in glass', referring to fertilisation occurring outside the body in a laboratory vessel. This has led to the popular but technically loose term 'test tube baby'. After fertilisation in vitro, the resulting embryo is transferred back into the female reproductive tract (as ZIFT or IUT depending on its developmental stage) for the pregnancy to proceed normally.

   Common mistake: Confusing IVF's popular name with unrelated technologies like cloning.

   Key point: IVF = 'test tube baby' programme; fertilisation occurs outside the body ('in vitro').

8. Question 8 · medium · Infertility and ART

   Arrange the following steps of a typical IVF-based ART procedure in the correct chronological order: (i) Fusion of ova and sperm in vitro to form a zygote (ii) Retrieval of ova from the wife or a donor (iii) Transfer of the developing embryo into the fallopian tube or uterus depending on blastomere number (iv) Culturing the zygote to allow early embryonic development in the laboratory

   • A.(iii) → (ii) → (i) → (iv)
   • B.(i) → (ii) → (iii) → (iv)
   • C.(ii) → (iv) → (i) → (iii)
   • D.(ii) → (i) → (iv) → (iii)
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. (ii) → (i) → (iv) → (iii)

   The correct order is: retrieve ova → fuse with sperm in vitro → culture the zygote through early cleavage → transfer the embryo based on its blastomere stage.

   In an IVF-based ART cycle, ova are first collected from the wife or a donor. These are then fused with sperm (from husband or donor) in vitro to form a zygote. The zygote is cultured in the laboratory, undergoing cleavage divisions to form blastomeres. Finally, depending on how many blastomeres have formed (≤8 or >8), the embryo is transferred into the fallopian tube (ZIFT) or the uterus (IUT) respectively.

   Common mistake: Placing embryo transfer before fertilisation or ova collection.

   Key point: Order: ova retrieval → in vitro fertilisation → culturing/cleavage → stage-dependent transfer.

Questions about Reproductive Health for NEET

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