Match List – I with List – II and select the correct answer from the codes given below the lists : List – I A) Kevlar B) Taxol C) Zinc Phosphide D) Nitrocellulose List – II 1) Explosive 2) Synthetic fibre 3) Anticancer Drug 4) Rodenticide Codes:

The correct answer is B. Kevlar is a synthetic fibre, an aramid (aromatic polyamide) developed by DuPont, valued for its high strength-to-weight ratio in bullet-resistant vests, ropes and cut-resistant gloves. Taxol (paclitaxel) is an anticancer drug, a diterpenoid first isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia. It stabilises microtubules and halts cell division, and it is used against ovarian, breast and lung cancers. Today it is mostly made semi-synthetically from yew needle precursors, so the tree is no longer stripped for it.

Zinc phosphide is a rodenticide; it releases toxic phosphine gas in the stomach. Nitrocellulose is an explosive, used in propellants and smokeless powders.

• Option A is wrong because Taxol is not a rodenticide and zinc phosphide is not an anticancer drug.
• Option C is wrong because Kevlar is not a rodenticide and zinc phosphide is not an explosive.
• Option D is wrong because Kevlar is not an anticancer drug and Taxol is not an explosive.

Concept: everyday uses of chemical compounds, a steady Science and Technology theme. For Mains GS-III, the Taxol story links to indigenous drug development and biodiversity-based pharma.

Trap: students link Kevlar with explosives because it appears in defence gear, or confuse Taxol with a pesticide.