Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic Engineering) allows genes to be transferred 1). across different species of plants 2). from animals to plants 3). from microorganisms to higher organisms Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

The correct answer is D, because all three statements are true.

Recombinant DNA technology cuts a gene out of one organism's DNA using restriction enzymes, joins it to a vector such as a plasmid, and introduces the construct into a host cell. The genetic code is nearly universal, so the gene is expressed in the new host whatever its origin.

• Statement 1 is true: Genes move between plant species, for example through Agrobacterium-mediated transfer, which is the basis of many transgenic crops.
• Statement 2 is true: Genes of animal origin have been introduced into plants in experimental and commercial work, so the transfer is not limited to plant-to-plant or microbe-to-microbe.
• Statement 3 is true: The Bt gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, inserted into cotton, is the classic case of a microbial gene conferring a trait on a higher organism.

This connects to GS-3 (biotechnology) and to Mains questions on GM crops, where regulation under GEAC and the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety is the key issue.

Trap: Candidates often assume gene transfer works only within a species or between closely related plants, and so reject statements 2 and 3 without reasoning from the universality of the genetic code.