Scurvy is caused by the deficiency of which vitamin?
- (a)Vitamin A
- (b)Vitamin B12
- (c)Vitamin D
- (d)Vitamin C
Correct — D, Vitamin C. Scurvy results from a prolonged deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is essential for collagen synthesis. Without it, connective tissue weakens, causing bleeding/swollen gums, joint pain, poor wound healing, and fatigue.
- (a)Vitamin A — Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and xerophthalmia, not scurvy.
- (b)Vitamin B12 — Vitamin B12 deficiency causes pernicious/megaloblastic anaemia and neurological symptoms, not scurvy.
- (c)Vitamin D — Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, not scurvy.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a cofactor required by enzymes that synthesise and stabilise collagen, the structural protein in skin, blood vessels, bones, and connective tissue. Prolonged deficiency weakens collagen, producing scurvy's classic symptoms: bleeding/swollen gums, joint and muscle pain, poor wound healing, and easy bruising.
MPPSC/UPSC frequently test vitamin-deficiency-disease pairs as a matching or elimination question — lock the pair Vitamin C ↔ Scurvy alongside A ↔ night blindness, D ↔ rickets, and B1 ↔ beriberi.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency causes scurvy
- Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis
- Symptoms: bleeding/swollen gums, joint pain, poor wound healing, fatigue
- Citrus fruits and amla (Indian gooseberry) are rich sources of vitamin C
- Mixing up Vitamin C (scurvy) with Vitamin D (rickets) or Vitamin A (night blindness)
- Assuming scurvy is a bacterial/infectious disease rather than a nutritional deficiency
Almost always a direct vitamin-disease matching question, individually or as part of a multi-pair 'which pairs are correctly matched' list.
Consider the following pairs : Vitamin Deficiency disease 1. Vitamin C : Scurvy 2. Vitamin D : Rickets 3. Vitamin E : Night blindness Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 3 only
- (c) 1, 2 and 3
- (d) None
Answer(a) 1 and 2 only — Vitamin C:Scurvy and Vitamin D:Rickets are correctly matched; Vitamin E:Night blindness is wrong (that deficiency is actually Vitamin A).
Directly tests the same Vitamin C → Scurvy pairing as this MPPSC question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Deficiency of Vitamin D primarily causes which disease in children?
- (a)Scurvy
- (b)Rickets
- (c)Beriberi
- (d)Pellagra
Answer(b) Rickets — caused by Vitamin D deficiency, affecting bone mineralisation.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is a rich natural source of Vitamin C?
- (a)Amla (Indian gooseberry)
- (b)Milk
- (c)Wheat
- (d)Egg yolk
Answer(a) Amla (Indian gooseberry) — one of the richest natural sources of Vitamin C.