Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? 1. Malaria : Mycobacterium 2. TB : Plasmodium Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — D, Neither 1 nor 2. Both pairs are mismatched. Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium (species such as P. falciparum and P. vivax), spread by the female Anopheles mosquito — not by Mycobacterium. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis — not by Plasmodium. The two organisms have effectively been swapped, so neither pair as written is correctly matched.
- (a)1 only — Pair 1 reads 'Malaria : Mycobacterium', which is wrong — malaria's causative organism is the protozoan Plasmodium, not Mycobacterium — so '1 only' cannot be correct.
- (b)2 only — Pair 2 reads 'TB : Plasmodium', which is wrong — tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, not Plasmodium — so '2 only' is incorrect.
- (c)Both 1 and 2 — Both pairs are mismatched, so calling both correct is the opposite of the truth.
Every communicable disease has a specific causative organism. Malaria is a protozoan disease caused by Plasmodium and carried by the female Anopheles mosquito, while tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and spread by airborne droplets. Matching a disease to its correct pathogen group — protozoan, bacterium, virus or fungus — is a staple of prelims biology.
The trap is that both names in the question are real pathogens, just attached to the wrong disease. Recall the pathogen type for each — malaria is protozoan (Plasmodium) and TB is bacterial (Mycobacterium). Because the question swaps them, both statements fail and the answer is 'Neither'.
- Malaria is caused by the protozoan Plasmodium, transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
- Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and mainly affects the lungs.
- Common pathogen groups — protozoa (malaria, amoebiasis), bacteria (TB, cholera), viruses (polio, dengue), fungi (ringworm).
- Dengue and chikungunya are viral and spread by the Aedes mosquito, whereas malaria's vector is Anopheles.
Malaria = Plasmodium (protozoan); TB = Mycobacterium (bacterium). The question swaps them, so the answer is (d) Neither.
- Both organisms are genuine pathogens, tempting you to mark a pair correct without checking which disease each actually causes.
- Confusing malaria's Anopheles vector with the Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue and chikungunya.
Asked as disease-to-organism or disease-to-vector matching, or as 'which disease is bacterial/viral/protozoan'.
Match List I (Disease) with List II (Organism) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I — I. Malaria, II. Poliomyelitis, III. Tuberculosis, IV. Ringworm. List II — A. Fungi, B. Bacteria, C. Virus, D. Protozoan.
- (a) I-D, II-C, III-B, IV-A
- (b) I-D, II-C, III-A, IV-B
- (c) I-C, II-D, III-A, IV-B
- (d) I-C, II-D, III-B, IV-A
Answer(a) I-D, II-C, III-B, IV-A
Same concept — matching a disease to its causative organism. That UPSC item confirms malaria = Plasmodium (protozoan) and tuberculosis = Mycobacterium (bacterium), the exact pairing this NDA question deliberately swaps.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following diseases is caused by a protozoan?
- (a)Tuberculosis
- (b)Malaria
- (c)Polio
- (d)Ringworm
Answer(b) Malaria — caused by the protozoan Plasmodium.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The causative organism of tuberculosis is a
- (a)virus
- (b)protozoan
- (c)bacterium
- (d)fungus
Answer(c) bacterium — Mycobacterium tuberculosis.