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
Official answer
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
- 1.1 mark: correct code (A) — both true and R is the correct explanation of A.
- 2.Accept 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.
Common mistakes
- 1.Marking (B) — the two statements are causally connected, not independent, because the human protein IS the reason the milk was better.
- 2.Getting distracted by the spelling 'lactaglobulin' and marking the Reason false; NCERT's protein is human alpha-lactalbumin and the statement's intent is correct.
- 3.Confusing Rosie (nutrition/human protein in milk) with animals engineered purely for disease modelling or biopharma clotting factors.
Analysis and 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.
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.
Question details
Q14 of 37 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- Biology
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section A
- Marks
- 1
- Chapter
- Biotechnology and its Applications
- Topic
- Transgenic Animals (Rosie the Cow)
- Bloom's level
- understand
- Syllabus topic
- Unit IX: Biotechnology and its Applications — Transgenic Animals (Rosie, human alpha-lactalbumin enriched milk)
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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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.