NEET UG · Biology · Biotechnology: Principles and Processes

Restriction Enzymes: NEET previous year questions

22 questions in ten years of NEET, in 9 of 10 papers. Pattern: Every year. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.

Asked in 10 years: 22; about 2.1 per paper
Years asked: 9/10; last asked 2026
Chance of a question next paper: 84%; historical rate, how we compute it
Weighted estimate: 1.9; model; history: 2.1 a paper on average, typically 1–3

Key findings

01
Asked in 9 of 10 papers, 22 questions in all: #7 of 204 topics by ten-year total. It comes back every 1.1 years on average.
02
68% of its questions since 2018 tested an idea never asked before; 3 repeated an idea from the year before.
03
The most repeated idea is DNA Precipitation with Chilled Ethanol, asked 3 times (2019, 2021, 2023), usually as “identify what a reagent precipitates”.
04
NEET has asked 14 of the 76 ideas in this topic; 58 have never been asked, directly or indirectly.
05
Mostly asked as one-line MCQ (77%); 73% easy, 0% hard, and down from 2.5 to 1.3 questions a paper since 2024.

Questions per year

Up to 2023: 2.5; per paper
Since 2024: 1.3; -1.2
Usual gap: 1.1 yrs; between papers asking it
Swing: ±1.1; questions, year to year

Recent framings

assertion-reason on rDNA technology
count correct statements on cloning enzymes
statement I/II on gel electrophoresis

Revise first

Enzymatic Cell Lysis for DNA Isolation (2026); Palindromic Sequences (2021 2022); UV Visualization of DNA (2020 2021 2023)

How it is asked

Difficulty, format and skill

Across all 22 questions on Restriction Enzymes since 2017.

Difficulty

QUESTIONS

166

Easy16 · 73%
Medium6 · 27%
Hard0 · 0%

Format

One-line MCQ · 17 Q77%
Two statements · 2 Q9%
Other · 2 Q9%
Assertion–reason · 1 Q5%

Skill tested

Recall · 14 Q64%
Concept · 6 Q27%
Multi-step · 1 Q5%
Application · 1 Q5%

Repeats

New idea, or one asked before?

Each column is a paper. Blue questions tested an idea NEET had not asked before; navy ones went back to an idea from an earlier paper. 2017 is the first paper, so everything in it counts as new.

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Idea asked for the first time
Idea asked in an earlier paper

Coverage of the topic

NEET has asked 14 of the 76 ideas in this topic. 58 have never been asked yet.

1458

Asked directly14 · 18%
Touched inside another question4 · 5%
Never asked58 · 76%

Ideas come from Lumi’s syllabus map of NCERT. A never-asked idea is not a safe skip: most new questions come from exactly these.

Drill down

Idea, year, question

Every idea NEET tested in this topic, with its ten papers. Open one to read the questions.

ideaAskedShareYears’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Repeated3 · 14%14%3/10
- 2023 · Q121
  During the purification process for recombinant DNA technology, addition of chilled ethanol precipitates out
  mediumOne-line MCQ
- 2021 · Q101
  During the purification process for recombinant DNA technology, addition of chilled ethanol precipitates out :
  easyOne-line MCQ
- 2019 · Q122
  DNA precipitation out of a mixture of biomolecules can be achieved by treatment with :
  easyOne-line MCQNew idea
Repeated3 · 14%14%2/102
Repeated3 · 14%14%3/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10
1 · 5%5%1/10

Squares are the ten papers, 2017 to 2026; darker means more questions. Share is of the level above.

Ideas

Every idea inside this topic

16 different ideas were tested; 3 came more than once. Palindromic Sequences is the foundation for 44 other ideas in the syllabus.

DNA Precipitation with Chilled Ethanol3×
identify what a reagent precipitates
One-line MCQ · 6% next
UV Visualization of DNA3×
reagent identification
One-line MCQ · 6% next · foundation for 1
Palindromic Sequences3×
identify palindromic recognition sequence
One-line MCQ · 6% next · foundation for 44
Enzymatic Cell Lysis for DNA Isolation1×
assertion-reason on rdna technology
Assertion–reason · 6% next
Anode Migration in Electrophoresis1×
statement i/ii on gel electrophoresis
Two statements · 6% next
Role of DNA Ligase1×
count correct statements on cloning enzymes
Other · 6% next · foundation for 9
Hind II Cleavage Pattern1×
identify recognition sequence of enzyme
One-line MCQ · 6% next
Formation of Chimeric DNA1×
order of steps in a process
Other · 4% next
Agarose Gel Electrophoresis1×
false statement selection on gel electrophoresis
One-line MCQ · 4% next · foundation for 10
EcoRI Recognition Sequence1×
identify recognition sequence of enzyme
One-line MCQ · 4% next · foundation for 1
Exo vs Endonucleases1×
identify correct enzyme-function pair
One-line MCQ · 4% next · foundation for 2
Mechanism of DNA Cleavage1×
identify wrong statement on restriction enzymes
One-line MCQ · 4% next · foundation for 8
Phosphodiester Bond Cleavage1×
identify wrong statement on restriction enzymes
One-line MCQ · 4% next
Agarose Sieving Effect1×
true statement selection on gel electrophoresis
One-line MCQ · 4% next
DNA Migration to Anode1×
definition recall
One-line MCQ · 4% next
Ethidium Bromide Intercalation1×
reagent identification
One-line MCQ · 4% next

Idea	Times	Format	Chance next	Foundation for
DNA Precipitation with Chilled Ethanolidentify what a reagent precipitates	3	One-line MCQRecall	6%	–
UV Visualization of DNAreagent identification	3	One-line MCQRecall	6%	1 ideas
Palindromic Sequencesidentify palindromic recognition sequence	3	One-line MCQRecall	6%	44 ideas
Enzymatic Cell Lysis for DNA Isolationassertion-reason on rdna technology	1	Assertion–reasonConcept	6%	–
Anode Migration in Electrophoresisstatement i/ii on gel electrophoresis	1	Two statementsConcept	6%	–
Role of DNA Ligasecount correct statements on cloning enzymes	1	OtherConcept	6%	9 ideas
Hind II Cleavage Patternidentify recognition sequence of enzyme	1	One-line MCQRecall	6%	–
Formation of Chimeric DNAorder of steps in a process	1	OtherMulti-step	4%	–
Agarose Gel Electrophoresisfalse statement selection on gel electrophoresis	1	One-line MCQRecall	4%	10 ideas
EcoRI Recognition Sequenceidentify recognition sequence of enzyme	1	One-line MCQRecall	4%	1 ideas
Exo vs Endonucleasesidentify correct enzyme-function pair	1	One-line MCQRecall	4%	2 ideas
Mechanism of DNA Cleavageidentify wrong statement on restriction enzymes	1	One-line MCQConcept	4%	8 ideas
Phosphodiester Bond Cleavageidentify wrong statement on restriction enzymes	1	One-line MCQConcept	4%	–
Agarose Sieving Effecttrue statement selection on gel electrophoresis	1	One-line MCQConcept	4%	–
DNA Migration to Anodedefinition recall	1	One-line MCQRecall	4%	–
Ethidium Bromide Intercalationreagent identification	1	One-line MCQRecall	4%	–

Chance next is the historical rate at which an idea with this record came back in the following paper. It is low for every idea, which is why learning the topic beats memorising past questions. All repeated ideas

Every question

Restriction Enzymes questions, year by year

The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper, with the idea it tested.

NEET 20261 question

Q176
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R. Assertion A: In recombinant DNA…
Idea: Enzymatic Cell Lysis for DNA Isolation
New ideaMediumAssertion–reason

NEET 20252 questions

Q136
Given below are two statements : Statement I : The DNA fragments extracted from gel electrophoresis can be used in construction of…
Idea: Anode Migration in Electrophoresis
New ideaEasyTwo statements
Q172
Which of the following enzyme(s) are NOT essential for gene cloning? A. Restriction enzymes B. DNA ligase C. DNA mutase D. DNA recombinase…
Idea: Role of DNA Ligase
New ideaMediumOther

NEET 20241 question

Q106
Hind II always cuts DNA molecules at a particular point called recognition sequence and it consists of:
Idea: Hind II Cleavage Pattern
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ

NEET 20233 questions

Q107
Upon exposure to UV radiation, DNA stained with ethidium bromide will show
Idea: UV Visualization of DNA
EasyOne-line MCQ
Q121
During the purification process for recombinant DNA technology, addition of chilled ethanol precipitates out
Idea: DNA Precipitation with Chilled Ethanol
MediumOne-line MCQ
Q141
Main steps in the formation of Recombinant DNA are given below. Arrange these steps in a correct sequence. A. Insertion of recombinant DNA…
Idea: Formation of Chimeric DNA
New ideaMediumOther

NEET 20223 questions

Q102
Which one of the following statement is not true regarding gel electrophoresis technique ?
Idea: Agarose Gel Electrophoresis
New ideaMediumOne-line MCQ
Q141
In the following palindromic base sequences of DNA, which one can be cut easily by particular restriction enzyme ?
Idea: Palindromic Sequences
Asked last yearEasyOne-line MCQ
Q169
Given below are two statements : Statement I : Restriction endonucleases recognise specific sequence to cut DNA known as palindromic…
Idea: Palindromic Sequences
Asked last yearEasyTwo statements

NEET 20213 questions

Q101
During the purification process for recombinant DNA technology, addition of chilled ethanol precipitates out :
Idea: DNA Precipitation with Chilled Ethanol
EasyOne-line MCQ
Q123
DNA strands on a gel stained with ethidium bromide when viewed under UV radiation, appear as :
Idea: UV Visualization of DNA
Asked last yearEasyOne-line MCQ
Q159
A specific recognition sequence identified by endonucleases to make cuts at specific positions within the DNA is :
Idea: Palindromic Sequences
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ

NEET 20204 questions

Q7
Choose the correct pair from the following :
Idea: Exo vs Endonucleases
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
Q18
In gel electrophoresis, separated DNA fragments can be visualized with the help of :
Idea: UV Visualization of DNA
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
Q21
The specific palindromic sequence which is recognized by EcoRI is :
Idea: EcoRI Recognition Sequence
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
Q22
Identify the wrong statement with regard to Restriction Enzymes.
Idea: Mechanism of DNA Cleavage
New ideaMediumOne-line MCQ

NEET 20192 questions

Q122
DNA precipitation out of a mixture of biomolecules can be achieved by treatment with :
Idea: DNA Precipitation with Chilled Ethanol
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
Q145
Following statements describe the characteristics of the enzyme Restriction Endonuclease. Identify the incorrect statement.
Idea: Phosphodiester Bond Cleavage
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ

NEET 20173 questions

Q94
What is the criterion for DNA fragments movement on agarose gel during gel electrophoresis ?
Idea: Agarose Sieving Effect
EasyOne-line MCQ
Q125
DNA fragments are :
Idea: DNA Migration to Anode
EasyOne-line MCQ
Q145
The DNA fragments separated on an agarose gel can be visualised after staining with :
Idea: Ethidium Bromide Intercalation
EasyOne-line MCQ

Questions from the official NEET UG papers published by NTA (CBSE before 2019). Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.