The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the CUET PG 2026 Microbiology (SCQP03) examination on March 17, 2026, during Shift 3 from 04:00 PM to 05:30 PM.

Students who appeared for the exam reported that the overall difficulty level of the paper was moderate. CUET PG 2026 Microbiology Question Paper with Solutions PDF is available here for download. The marking scheme is +4 for correct answers and -1 for wrong answers, totaling 300 marks.

CUET PG 2026 Microbiology Question Paper with Solutions PDF

CUET PG 2026 Microbiology Question Paper with Answer Key Download PDF Check Solutions

Question 1:

Which scientist is known as the "Father of Microbiology" for first observing "animalcules"?

  • (A) Louis Pasteur
  • (B) Robert Koch
  • (C) Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
  • (D) Edward Jenner

Question 2:

What is the primary component of the bacterial cell wall that is absent in Archaea?

  • (A) Cellulose
  • (B) Peptidoglycan
  • (C) Chitin
  • (D) Glycogen

Question 3:

Which staining technique is used specifically to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

  • (A) Gram Staining
  • (B) Acid-fast Staining
  • (C) Capsule Staining
  • (D) Endospore Staining

Question 4:

In the Lac Operon, which molecule acts as an inducer?

  • (A) Glucose
  • (B) Lactose
  • (C) Galactose
  • (D) Maltose

Question 5:

Which type of antibody is the only one capable of crossing the human placenta?

  • (A) IgA
  • (B) IgM
  • (C) IgG
  • (D) IgE

Question 6:

What is the name of the process by which bacteria take up naked DNA from their environment?

  • (A) Transduction
  • (B) Conjugation
  • (C) Transformation
  • (D) Translation

Question 7:

Which enzyme is responsible for the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template?

  • (A) DNA polymerase
  • (B) RNA polymerase
  • (C) Ligase
  • (D) Helicase

Question 8:

What is the typical pore size of a membrane filter used to sterilize heat-sensitive liquids?

  • (A) 1.0 µm
  • (B) 0.45 µm
  • (C) 0.22 µm
  • (D) 5.0 µm

Question 9:

Which microorganism is primarily used in the commercial production of Citric Acid?

  • (A) Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • (B) Aspergillus niger
  • (C) Lactobacillus acidophilus
  • (D) Penicillium chrysogenum

Question 10:

The Baltimore Classification system categorizes viruses based on which characteristic?

  • (A) Shape of the virus
  • (B) Type of host infected
  • (C) Nature of genetic material and replication strategy
  • (D) Size of the virus

Question 11:

Which nitrogen-fixing bacteria forms a symbiotic relationship with the water fern Azolla?

  • (A) Rhizobium
  • (B) Azotobacter
  • (C) Anabaena
  • (D) Clostridium

Question 12:

What is the net yield of ATP molecules produced during the glycolysis of one glucose molecule?

  • (A) 2 ATP
  • (B) 4 ATP
  • (C) 6 ATP
  • (D) 8 ATP

Question 13:

Which class of MHC molecules is found on the surface of all nucleated cells?

  • (A) MHC Class I
  • (B) MHC Class II
  • (C) MHC Class III
  • (D) MHC Class IV

Question 14:

What is the main structural protein that forms the capsid of a virus?

  • (A) Glycoprotein
  • (B) Capsomere
  • (C) Nucleoprotein
  • (D) Lipoprotein

Question 15:

Which method is used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic?

  • (A) Disk diffusion method
  • (B) Broth dilution method
  • (C) Gram staining
  • (D) Streak plate method

CUET PG 2026 Microbiology Preparation