RPSC Veterinary Officer (Rajasthan) · India · Rajasthan Public Service Commission
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersThe female reproductive tract, the oestrous cycle and its hormones, heat detection and synchronisation, infertility and pregnancy diagnosis, with emphasis on cows and buffaloes.
In the exams: ICAR AICE-JRF core group 07; ICAR AIEEA-PG 13 (ARGO); Nepal NLEV Theriogenology 8; China clinical paper obstetrics 15; EGEL Plus reproduction and genetics 15
How our questions for RPSC Veterinary Officer spread across the units of Veterinary Gynaecology & Reproductive Endocrinology. Difficulty: 7 easy, 14 medium, 2 hard.
| Infertility in cows and buffaloes | 3 | |
| Pregnancy diagnosis | 3 | |
| Female reproductive anatomy | 2 | |
| The oestrous cycle | 2 | |
| Heat detection | 2 | |
| Oestrus synchronisation protocols | 2 | |
| Reproductive hormones | 2 | |
| Repeat breeding | 2 | |
| Cystic ovarian disease | 2 | |
| Female reproductive physiology | 1 | |
| Anoestrus | 1 | |
| Endometritis | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
The single most reliable sign of oestrus in cattle is:
B. Standing to be mounted
Standing to be mounted is the primary sign; the others are secondary signs that also occur outside oestrus. Mounting other cows is also secondary because pro-oestrous and even pregnant cows mount.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
For buffaloes that are anovular during the hot summer months, which protocol is generally more effective than Ovsynch alone?
D. Progesterone device with PGF2α and eCG at removal, followed by GnRH and timed AI
Anovular buffaloes have no CL for PGF2α to act on and often no responsive follicle for GnRH; progesterone priming with eCG support at removal drives follicle growth to ovulation. PGF2α-only schemes need a functional CL.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
Which hormone causes milk let-down and uterine contraction and is released from the posterior pituitary?
A. Oxytocin
Oxytocin, a nonapeptide made in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary, drives milk ejection and myometrial contraction. Prolactin, from the anterior pituitary, supports milk synthesis rather than let-down.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
The most important single cause of prolonged postpartum anoestrus in village buffaloes is usually:
B. Inadequate energy intake and low body condition, compounded by suckling
Undernutrition, loss of body condition and suckling suppress LH pulse frequency, delaying the first ovulation after calving. Mineral deficiencies may contribute, but evidence is strongest for energy.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
A repeat breeder cow is best defined as one that:
A. Cycles regularly, has no detectable abnormality and fails to conceive after 3+ fertile services
Repeat breeders have normal cycles and no clinically detectable abnormality. Anoestrus, discharge and cysts are separate diagnoses.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
A repeat breeder cow is suspected of delayed ovulation. A common treatment is:
D. GnRH or hCG at the time of insemination
GnRH or hCG at AI induces a timely LH surge so ovulation is not delayed beyond the fertile life of the sperm. PGF2α at AI has no role, and oestradiol after AI can be luteolytic.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
The classical signs of nymphomania in a cow with follicular cysts include:
A. Frequent or persistent oestrous behaviour, relaxed sacrosciatic ligaments and a raised tail-head
Oestrogen-secreting cysts can cause bull-like behaviour, frequent or persistent heat and relaxation of the pelvic ligaments (the 'sterility hump'). Today, however, anoestrus is the more common presentation.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
Which combination of problems is characteristic of buffalo infertility in South Asia?
A. Delayed puberty, long postpartum anoestrus, silent heat and summer anoestrus
These four features, together with poor heat detection and undernutrition, dominate buffalo fertility. Buffaloes have a longer, not shorter, gestation than cattle.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
A cow inseminated on 10 March 2026 conceived. Using a gestation of 283 days, what is her expected calving date?
D. 18 December 2026
10 March + 283 days = 18 December 2026 (21 days left in March, then April 30, May 31, June 30, July 31, August 31, September 30, October 31, November 30 = 265, and 18 more in December). Using a flat 9 months gives about 10 December, and counting the insemination day as day 1 gives 17 December.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
A river buffalo was inseminated on 15 November 2026 and confirmed pregnant. Using a gestation of 310 days, what is the expected calving date?
A. 21 September 2027
15 November 2026 + 310 days = 21 September 2027. 25 August 2027 results from wrongly using a cattle gestation of 283 days.
Further reading: Noakes, Parkinson & England, Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics; Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
Ten here, 23 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to RPSC Veterinary Officer 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.