Medical Entomology MCQs

Section 1: General Entomology & Arthropods

1. What is the study of insects called?
a) Zoology
b) Entomology
c) Botany
d) Parasitology
Answer: b) Entomology
2. What does the term "arthropod" mean?
a) Jointed legs
b) Soft body
c) Hard shell
d) Single pair of wings
Answer: a) Jointed legs
3. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of arthropods?
a) Jointed appendages
b) Segmented body
c) Closed circulatory system
d) Exoskeleton
Answer: c) Closed circulatory system
4. Which arthropod is an obligate ectoparasite?
a) Mosquito
b) Flea
c) Louse
d) Housefly
Answer: c) Louse
5. The exoskeleton of arthropods is primarily composed of:
a) Cellulose
b) Chitin
c) Protein
d) Lipids
Answer: b) Chitin

Section 2: Classification of Arthropods

6. Which of the following belongs to the class Insecta?
a) Ticks
b) Scorpions
c) Mosquitoes
 d) Crabs
Answer: c) Mosquitoes
7. Which class do ticks and mites belong to?
a) Insecta
b) Arachnida
c) Crustacea
d) Chilopoda
Answer: b) Arachnida
8. The order Diptera includes which type of insects?
a) Beetles
b) Mosquitoes
c) Cockroaches
d) Termites
Answer: b) Mosquitoes
9. Which order does the bed bug belong to?
a) Diptera
b) Hemiptera
c) Coleoptera
d) Hymenoptera
Answer: b) Hemiptera
10. The insect order Siphonaptera includes:
a) Mosquitoes
b) Flies
c) Fleas
d) Lice
Answer: c) Fleas

Section 3: Insect Morphology

11. How many legs do insects have?
a) Four
b) Six
c) Eight
d) Ten
Answer: b) Six
12. Which body segment of an insect bears the wings?
a) Head
b) Thorax
c) Abdomen
d) Cephalothorax
Answer: b) Thorax
13. Which of the following is NOT a type of insect mouthpart?
a) Chewing
 b) Piercing-sucking
c) Sponge-like
d) Siphoning
Answer: c) Sponge-like
14. What is the function of the insect spiracles?
a) Digestion
b) Respiration
c) Reproduction
d) Defense
Answer: b) Respiration
15. Which part of an insect is primarily used for detecting smell?
a) Antennae
b) Wings
c) Mandibles
d) Tarsus
Answer: a) Antennae

Section 4: Vector-Borne Diseases

16. Which insect is the primary vector of malaria?
a) Culex mosquito
b) Aedes mosquito
c) Anopheles mosquito
d) Tsetse fly
Answer: c) Anopheles mosquito
17. What disease is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito?
a) Malaria
b) Dengue
c) Trypanosomiasis
d) Leishmaniasis
Answer: b) Dengue
18. What is the causative agent of sleeping sickness?
a) Plasmodium
b) Trypanosoma
c) Leishmania
d) Borrelia
Answer: b) Trypanosoma
19. Which insect transmits Chagas disease?
a) Sandfly
b) Kissing bug
c) Tsetse fly
d) Flea
Answer: b) Kissing bug
 20. What type of transmission occurs when a pathogen undergoes development inside an
insect before transmission?
a) Mechanical
b) Biological
c) Direct
d) Passive
Answer: b) Biological

Section 5: Insect Control Methods

21. What is the primary method of controlling mosquito populations?
a) Using pesticides
b) Eliminating breeding sites
c) Using insect repellents
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
22. Indoor residual spraying is primarily used to control:
a) Cockroaches
b) Mosquitoes
c) Houseflies
d) Termites
Answer: b) Mosquitoes
23. What is the function of an insecticide-treated net (ITN)?
a) To kill insects
b) To prevent insect bites
c) To trap insects
d) To repel rodents
Answer: b) To prevent insect bites
24. Which biological control method is commonly used against mosquitoes?
a) Introducing fish that eat larvae
b) Spraying chemicals
c) Burning breeding sites
d) Using ultrasonic sound
Answer: a) Introducing fish that eat larvae
25. What is the major drawback of using chemical insecticides?
a) High cost
b) Environmental pollution
c) Development of resistance
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Section 6: Insect Lifecycle & Development

26. What type of metamorphosis do mosquitoes undergo?

a) Incomplete
b) Complete
c) Direct
d) None
Answer: b) Complete
27. Which insect undergoes incomplete metamorphosis?
a) Butterfly
b) Cockroach
c) Housefly
d) Mosquito
Answer: b) Cockroach
28. What is the immature stage of a butterfly called?
a) Nymph
b) Maggot
c) Larva
d) Pupa
Answer: c) Larva
29. In insects, the pupal stage is characterized by:
a) Rapid feeding
b) Reproductive activity
c) Transformation to adulthood
d) Egg-laying
Answer: c) Transformation to adulthood
30. Which of the following insects does NOT have a pupal stage?
a) Flea
b) Cockroach
c) Housefly
d) Butterfly
Answer: b) Cockroach

Section 7: Insect Behavior and Activity

31. What is the term for an insect's response to light?

a) Chemotaxis
b) Phototaxis
c) Geotaxis
 d) Thermotaxis
Answer: b) Phototaxis
32. Which insect uses pheromones to communicate?
a) Mosquito
b) Butterfly
c) Ant
d) Housefly
Answer: c) Ant
33. What type of sound is used by male crickets to attract females?
a) Stridulation
b) Echolocation
c) Clicking
d) Hissing
Answer: a) Stridulation
34. Which insect is known for its migratory behavior?
a) Cockroach
b) Tsetse fly
c) Locust
d) Flea
Answer: c) Locust
35. Why do honeybees perform a "waggle dance"?
a) To attract a mate
b) To signal danger
c) To locate food sources
d) To defend their hive
Answer: c) To locate food sources

Section 8: Insect Senses and Adaptations

36. What is the primary function of compound eyes in insects?

a) Detecting movement
b) Detecting sound
c) Detecting temperature
d) Detecting smell
Answer: a) Detecting movement
37. What organ allows mosquitoes to detect carbon dioxide from hosts?
a) Antennae
b) Proboscis
c) Spiracles
d) Mandibles
Answer: a) Antennae
38. The tympanal organ in insects is responsible for:
a) Sight
 b) Smell
c) Hearing
d) Touch
Answer: c) Hearing
39. Which structure helps insects in detecting taste?
a) Mandibles
b) Proboscis
c) Tarsus
d) Labial palps
Answer: d) Labial palps
40. What adaptation allows fleas to jump long distances?
a) Strong wings
b) Large hind legs
c) Sticky feet
d) Hollow bones
Answer: b) Large hind legs

Section 9: Insects as Disease Vectors

41. What is the primary vector of Leishmaniasis?

a) Tsetse fly
b) Sandfly
c) Flea
d) Housefly
Answer: b) Sandfly
42. Plague is primarily transmitted by:
a) Lice
b) Mosquitoes
c) Fleas
d) Ticks
Answer: c) Fleas
43. Which disease is transmitted by tsetse flies?
a) Yellow fever
b) Trypanosomiasis
c) Filariasis
d) Chikungunya
Answer: b) Trypanosomiasis
44. Which insect serves as a mechanical vector for dysentery?
a) Housefly
b) Mosquito
c) Louse
d) Tick
Answer: a) Housefly
 45. What is the main method of controlling filariasis?
a) Vaccination
b) Antiviral drugs
c) Mosquito control
d) Quarantine
Answer: c) Mosquito control

Section 10: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

46. What is an advantage of using biological control over chemical control?

a) Long-term sustainability
b) Quick results
c) No side effects
d) Kills all insects
Answer: a) Long-term sustainability
47. What is an example of biological control?
a) Spraying insecticides
b) Introducing predator insects
c) Burning breeding grounds
d) Using mosquito nets
Answer: b) Introducing predator insects
48. Which of the following is NOT a method of mosquito control?
a) Drainage of stagnant water
b) Spraying pesticides
c) Wearing bright-colored clothes
d) Using bed nets
Answer: c) Wearing bright-colored clothes
49. Which insecticide is commonly used for indoor residual spraying against malaria?
a) DDT
b) Glyphosate
c) Carbofuran
d) Neonicotinoids
Answer: a) DDT
50. What is the primary drawback of using chemical pesticides?
a) They are too cheap
b) They take too long to work
c) They cause environmental pollution
d) They increase insect population
Answer: c) They cause environmental pollution
Section 11: Specific Vector-Borne Diseases

51. What is the vector for Lyme disease?

a) Mosquito
b) Tick
c) Flea
d) Housefly
Answer: b) Tick
52. What is the causative agent of Malaria?
a) Trypanosoma
b) Plasmodium
c) Leishmania
d) Borrelia
Answer: b) Plasmodium
53. Yellow fever is transmitted by which mosquito?
a) Culex
b) Anopheles
c) Aedes
d) Mansonia
Answer: c) Aedes
54. The primary vector of dengue fever is:
a) Aedes aegypti
b) Culex quinquefasciatus
c) Anopheles stephensi
d) Tsetse fly
Answer: a) Aedes aegypti
55. Which disease is caused by Leishmania parasites?
a) Chagas disease
b) Leishmaniasis
c) Filariasis
d) Plague
Answer: b) Leishmaniasis

Section 12: Anatomy and Physiology of Insects

56. What is the main function of the insect exoskeleton?

a) Respiration
b) Protection and support
c) Circulation
 d) Digestion
Answer: b) Protection and support
57. Insects breathe through:
a) Lungs
b) Gills
c) Spiracles and tracheae
d) Skin
Answer: c) Spiracles and tracheae
58. The main function of the insect hemolymph is:
a) Transport oxygen
b) Fight infections
c) Carry nutrients and hormones
d) Digest food
Answer: c) Carry nutrients and hormones
59. What is the function of Malpighian tubules in insects?
a) Digestion
b) Excretion
c) Circulation
d) Respiration
Answer: b) Excretion
60. The insect nervous system consists of:
a) A single brain and no other components
b) A dorsal nerve cord and spinal cord
c) A ventral nerve cord and ganglia
d) A respiratory system integrated with nerves
Answer: c) A ventral nerve cord and ganglia

Section 13: Host-Parasite Interactions

61. What is the term for an insect that transmits disease without undergoing any biological
changes?
a) Biological vector
b) Mechanical vector
c) Parasite
d) Intermediate host
Answer: b) Mechanical vector
62. The term "zoonosis" refers to:
a) Disease only in animals
b) Disease transmitted from animals to humans
c) Disease caused by fungi
d) Disease that spreads only by ticks
Answer: b) Disease transmitted from animals to humans
 63. What is an example of a biological vector?
a) Housefly transmitting cholera
b) Anopheles mosquito transmitting malaria
c) Cockroach carrying bacteria
d) Flea transmitting typhus
Answer: b) Anopheles mosquito transmitting malaria
64. What is transovarial transmission?
a) Transmission of disease from mother to offspring via eggs
b) Transmission by contaminated water
c) Transmission by direct contact
d) Transmission only through blood feeding
Answer: a) Transmission of disease from mother to offspring via eggs
65. The term "reservoir host" refers to:
a) An insect that carries disease
b) An animal that maintains the pathogen in nature
c) A human that spreads the infection
d) A host that eliminates the disease
Answer: b) An animal that maintains the pathogen in nature

Section 14: Insecticides and Pest Control

66. Which insecticide was widely used for malaria control but later banned in many
countries?
a) DDT
b) Pyrethroids
c) Organophosphates
d) Carbamates
Answer: a) DDT
67. Biological control of mosquitoes often involves:
a) Spraying synthetic chemicals
b) Releasing mosquito predators like fish
c) Burning breeding sites
d) Using ultrasonic sound
Answer: b) Releasing mosquito predators like fish
68. The use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) is most effective against:
a) Tsetse flies
b) Mosquitoes
c) Houseflies
d) Fleas
Answer: b) Mosquitoes
69. What is the main concern with overuse of insecticides?
a) Increase in food supply
b) Development of resistance
 c) Reduced pest populations
d) Faster insect breeding
Answer: b) Development of resistance
70. What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
a) Exclusive use of pesticides
b) A combination of multiple pest control methods
c) Releasing more pests to control others
d) Stopping pest control completely
Answer: b) A combination of multiple pest control methods

Section 15: Medical Importance of Insects

71. What type of insect causes Myiasis?

a) Mosquito
b) Botfly
c) Lice
d) Flea
Answer: b) Botfly
72. Which insect is known for transmitting river blindness?
a) Sandfly
b) Black fly
c) Tsetse fly
d) Flea
Answer: b) Black fly
73. Which tick-borne disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi?
a) Malaria
b) Lyme disease
c) Trypanosomiasis
d) Leishmaniasis
Answer: b) Lyme disease
74. What is the term for a parasite that lives on the outside of its host?
a) Endoparasite
b) Ectoparasite
c) Facultative parasite
d) Opportunistic parasite
Answer: b) Ectoparasite
75. The vector for Japanese Encephalitis is:
a) Ticks
b) Fleas
c) Mosquitoes
d) Bedbugs
Answer: c) Mosquitoes
Section 1: General Entomology & Arthropods

1. What is the study of insects called? a) Zoology

b) Entomology
c) Botany
d) Parasitology
Answer: b) Entomology
2. What does the term "arthropod" mean?
a) Jointed legs
b) Soft body
c) Hard shell
d) Single pair of wings
Answer: a) Jointed legs
3. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of arthropods?
a) Jointed appendages
b) Segmented body
c) Closed circulatory system
d) Exoskeleton
Answer: c) Closed circulatory system

Section 2: Classification of Arthropods

4. Which of the following belongs to the class Insecta?

a) Ticks
b) Scorpions
c) Mosquitoes
d) Crabs
Answer: c) Mosquitoes
5. The order Diptera includes which type of insects?
a) Beetles
b) Mosquitoes
c) Cockroaches
d) Termites
Answer: b) Mosquitoes

Section 3: Insect Morphology

6. How many legs do insects have?

a) Four
b) Six
c) Eight
d) Ten
Answer: b) Six
7. The exoskeleton of arthropods is primarily composed of:
a) Cellulose
b) Chitin
 c) Protein
d) Lipids
Answer: b) Chitin

Section 4: Vector-Borne Diseases

8. Which insect is the primary vector of malaria?

a) Culex mosquito
b) Aedes mosquito
c) Anopheles mosquito
d) Tsetse fly
Answer: c) Anopheles mosquito
9. What disease is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito?
a) Malaria
b) Dengue
c) Trypanosomiasis
d) Leishmaniasis
Answer: b) Dengue

Section 5: Insect Control Methods

10. What is the primary method of controlling mosquito populations?

a) Using pesticides
b) Eliminating breeding sites
c) Using insect repellents
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above

Section 6: Insect Lifecycle & Development

11. What type of metamorphosis do mosquitoes undergo?

a) Incomplete
b) Complete
c) Direct
d) None
Answer: b) Complete
12. What is the immature stage of a butterfly called?
a) Nymph
b) Maggot
c) Larva
d) Pupa
Answer: c) Larva

Section 7: Insect Behavior and Activity

13. What is the term for an insect's response to light?
a) Chemotaxis
b) Phototaxis
c) Geotaxis
d) Thermotaxis
Answer: b) Phototaxis
14. Why do honeybees perform a "waggle dance"?
a) To attract a mate
b) To signal danger
c) To locate food sources
d) To defend their hive
Answer: c) To locate food sources