Assertion (A) : The milk produced by transgenic cow `Rosie' was nutritionally more balanced product for human babies than natural cow milk.
Reason (R) : It was human protein enriched milk containing human alpha lactaglobulin.
Assertion (A) : The milk produced by transgenic cow `Rosie' was nutritionally more balanced product for human babies than natural cow milk.
Reason (R) : It was human protein enriched milk containing human alpha lactaglobulin.
Options
Correct option: (A) — Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
Why:
- Rosie (1997) was the first transgenic cow; her milk contained human alpha-lactalbumin at about 2.4 g per litre.
- Ordinary cow milk lacks this human protein, so it is not ideal for human infants.
- Because Rosie's milk was enriched with a human protein, it was nutritionally more balanced for human babies — the exact reason stated in R. Hence R explains A.
(Note: the paper's spelling 'alpha lactaglobulin' refers to human alpha-lactalbumin as in NCERT.)
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: correct code (A) — both true and R is the correct explanation of A.
- 2Accept reasoning that Rosie's milk contained human alpha-lactalbumin (~2.4 g/L) making it more balanced for infants.
Hint
Recall the NCERT line on Rosie: her milk carried a human protein, which is exactly why it suited human babies.
Quick Oral Answer
Both statements are true and linked: Rosie's milk contained human alpha-lactalbumin at about 2.4 grams per litre, and it is exactly this human protein enrichment that made her milk nutritionally more balanced for human babies than plain cow milk — so the answer is code A.
Analysis & Explanation
Concept — Transgenic animals for molecular pharming / nutrition:
Transgenic animals carry a foreign (often human) gene so they produce useful proteins. Rosie is the NCERT example for improving the nutritional value of milk.
- What made Rosie special: her genome carried the human gene for alpha-lactalbumin, so her milk contained this human milk protein (~2.4 g/L).
- Why it matters for babies: cow milk protein differs from human milk protein; adding human alpha-lactalbumin makes the product closer to human milk and thus 'nutritionally more balanced' for infants.
Why R is the correct explanation:
The reason Rosie's milk was better for babies is precisely that it contained the human protein. Cause (human protein enrichment) and effect (better for babies) are directly linked, so R explains A.
Exam trap:
Don't be thrown by the OCR/paper spelling 'lactaglobulin'. NCERT uses human alpha-lactalbumin; the intended meaning is unchanged, so both statements remain true.
Real-world:
This technique (gene pharming) is also used so animals produce therapeutic human proteins — e.g. attempts to make clotting factors, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and other biopharmaceuticals in milk.
Common Mistakes
- 1Marking (B) — the two statements are causally connected, not independent, because the human protein IS the reason the milk was better.
- 2Getting distracted by the spelling 'lactaglobulin' and marking the Reason false; NCERT's protein is human alpha-lactalbumin and the statement's intent is correct.
- 3Confusing Rosie (nutrition/human protein in milk) with animals engineered purely for disease modelling or biopharma clotting factors.
Interesting Facts
Rosie, born in 1997, was the first transgenic cow whose milk contained human alpha-lactalbumin at about 2.4 grams per litre.
The concept of making milk carry human proteins is called 'gene pharming' or 'molecular pharming' — using animals as living bioreactors.
Human alpha-lactalbumin is a whey protein important in infant nutrition and in lactose synthesis, which is why its presence makes the milk closer to human breast milk.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much human protein did Rosie's milk contain?
About 2.4 grams per litre of human alpha-lactalbumin, a protein normally present in human milk but absent from ordinary cow milk, which is why her milk was nutritionally better balanced for human infants.
Is 'alpha lactaglobulin' in the question a mistake?
It is a spelling variant. NCERT names the protein human alpha-lactalbumin. The intended meaning is the same, so the Reason statement is still true and the answer remains code A.