ASRB NET and ARS / SMS / STO (Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board) · India · Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersManagement of pigs, horses, rabbits, laboratory rodents and companion animals: breeds, housing, farrowing and young-stock care.
In the exams: ICAR AICE-JRF core group 05 (LPM); NAVLE porcine 5%
How our questions for ASRB NET and ARS / SMS / STO spread across the units of Livestock Production Management II: Monogastric and Laboratory Animals. Difficulty: 17 easy, 15 medium, 10 hard.
| Swine feeding and records | 13 | |
| Swine breeds | 6 | |
| Rabbit management | 6 | |
| Laboratory animal management | 5 | |
| Laboratory animal housing and ethics-committee norms | 4 | |
| Swine housing | 2 | |
| Farrowing management | 2 | |
| Piglet care | 2 | |
| Equine management | 1 | |
| Dog and cat management | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
The Ghungroo, a black and prolific registered pig breed, originates from which Indian state?
D. West Bengal
Ghungroo is a black, prolific indigenous pig of West Bengal. Niang Megha is the breed of Meghalaya and Agonda Goan the breed of Goa, which is why those states are tempting wrong answers.
In a standard three-way commercial cross, which mating produces the slaughter generation?
A. F1 Large White x Landrace sow mated to a Duroc or Pietrain boar
Commercial herds use an F1 maternal sow (Large White x Landrace) for hybrid vigour in litter size and longevity, and a terminal sire (Duroc, Pietrain or synthetic) for growth and lean. Using terminal breeds as the dam, as in a Duroc x Pietrain sow, wastes the maternal traits; purebred Landrace matings give no hybrid vigour.
In a breeding pyramid, why do nucleus and multiplier herds keep stricter biosecurity than commercial herds?
D. Animals move down the pyramid, so infection at the top spreads to every herd below
Genetics (and pathogens) flow from nucleus to multiplier to commercial herds with live animals and semen, so one infected nucleus herd can infect hundreds of herds below. Nucleus herds hold purebreds, not crossbreds; multipliers produce F1 gilts, not only boars; commercial herds are also bound by disease law.
Feed for one finished pig costs 108 currency units and feed makes up 70 per cent of the total cost of production. The carcass weighs 85 kg. What is the break-even price per kg of carcass?
D. About 1.82 units
Total cost = 108 / 0.70 = 154.3 units; break-even = 154.3 / 85 = 1.82 units per kg. Using feed cost alone gives 108 / 85 = 1.27; multiplying 108 x 0.70 / 85 gives 0.89; 2.54 does not follow from the figures.
Where is the P2 backfat measurement taken on a pig?
B. 65 mm from the midline over the last rib
P2 is measured 65 mm from the dorsal midline at the head of the last rib, and is the standard site for live ultrasound and carcass probe grading in many countries. Midline, shoulder and ham sites are other fat measurement points, not P2.
About when should a nest box be placed in a pregnant doe's cage?
C. About day 27 or 28 of gestation
The nest box goes in about day 27 or 28, a few days before the 31-day term. Too early and the doe soils it; after kindling is too late, as kits may be born on the wire and die of cold.
A doe is remated 11 days after kindling. With a 31-day gestation, what is the kindling interval and the theoretical maximum number of litters per year?
A. 42 days and about 8.7 litters
Kindling interval = 31 + 11 = 42 days; 365 / 42 = 8.7 litters a year at the theoretical maximum. Using gestation alone gives 31 days and 11.8 litters; adding 11 twice gives 53 days. Real herds achieve fewer because of failed matings and rest periods.
Grouped female mice without a male are exposed to male bedding, and many come into oestrus on the third night. What is this called?
D. The Whitten effect
The Whitten effect is the synchronisation of oestrus in grouped females by male odour. The Bruce effect is pregnancy block by a strange male; the Lee-Boot effect is suppression of cycles in all-female groups; the Vandenbergh effect is earlier puberty in young females.
What do the 3Rs of humane animal research stand for?
C. Replacement, Reduction, Refinement
Russell and Burch (1959) defined the 3Rs as Replacement (avoiding animals), Reduction (fewest animals for valid results) and Refinement (minimising pain and distress). The other triplets are not the 3Rs.
In India, the sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs, which are then returned to the same area, are governed by which rules?
A. The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023
The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, made under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, govern capture, sterilisation, anti-rabies vaccination and release of community dogs to their area. The slaughter house and experimentation rules cover other subjects; dog breeding and pet shop rules regulate commercial breeders and shops.
Ten here, 42 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to ASRB NET and ARS / SMS / STO in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
Free for ten days, then one subscription of US$10 a month. We would rather say so here than have you find it later.
An AI operating system for agriculture: free guides, manuals and tools written for every country.