Question

Match the pair of drugs and their family:
Column A (Drugs):
1. Snake root
2. Artemisia
3. Bitter almond
4. Myrrh
Column B (Family):
(P) Compositae
(Q) Rosaceae
(R) Apocynaceae
(S) Burseraceae

• A. $ \text{1-[R], 2-[P], 3-[Q], 4-[S]} $
• B. $ \text{1-[Q], 2-[R], 3-[P], 4-[S]} $
• C. $ \text{1-[P], 2-[Q], 3-[S], 4-[R]} $
• D. $ \text{1-[S], 2-[P], 3-[R], 4-[Q]} $

Hint:

Learn botanical sources and families for crude drugs — frequently tested in Pharmacognosy GPAT questions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

- 1. Snake root $\rightarrow$ Rauwolfia serpentina, belongs to Apocynaceae family.
$ \Rightarrow $ [R] 
- 2. Artemisia $\rightarrow$ Source of drugs like artemisinin, belongs to Compositae (Asteraceae) family. 
$ \Rightarrow $ [P] 
- 3. Bitter almond $\rightarrow$ From Prunus amygdalus, belongs to Rosaceae family. 
$ \Rightarrow $ [Q] 
- 4. Myrrh $\rightarrow$ Oleo-gum resin from Commiphora species, belongs to Burseraceae family. 
$ \Rightarrow $ [S]

Answer 2

This question checks whether each crude drug is correctly linked to its parent plant family: snake root, artemisia, bitter almond and myrrh against Apocynaceae, Compositae, Rosaceae and Burseraceae. Instead of matching drug by drug, each full combination given in the options can be tested against three fixed facts: snake root (Rauwolfia serpentina) belongs to Apocynaceae, artemisia belongs to Compositae, and myrrh (from Commiphora) belongs to Burseraceae.

1. 1-[R], 2-[P], 3-[Q], 4-[S]: Snake root is placed in Apocynaceae (R), artemisia in Compositae (P), bitter almond in Rosaceae (Q), and myrrh in Burseraceae (S). Every one of these four placements matches the known botanical family of the drug, so this combination holds up completely.
2. 1-[Q], 2-[R], 3-[P], 4-[S]: This option swaps snake root into Rosaceae (Q) and artemisia into Apocynaceae (R). Snake root comes from Rauwolfia serpentina, a member of Apocynaceae, not Rosaceae, so this combination fails at the very first pair.
3. 1-[P], 2-[Q], 3-[S], 4-[R]: Here snake root is placed in Compositae (P), which is wrong since Rauwolfia belongs to Apocynaceae, and myrrh is placed in Apocynaceae (R), which does not match its true family, Burseraceae. Two placements are incorrect, so this option is ruled out.
4. 1-[S], 2-[P], 3-[R], 4-[Q]: Snake root is placed in Burseraceae (S), which is incorrect, and bitter almond is placed in Apocynaceae (R), while Prunus amygdalus (bitter almond) actually belongs to Rosaceae. This combination also fails.

Only the first combination places every drug in its correct family: snake root with Apocynaceae, artemisia with Compositae, bitter almond with Rosaceae, and myrrh with Burseraceae.

Therefore, the correct answer is 1-[R], 2-[P], 3-[Q], 4-[S].