Concept:
Diabetes mellitus comes in two main types, and they have completely different root causes. This question tests whether you know the basic mechanism behind type 1 diabetes, which is quite different from the much more common type 2.
Step 1: Insulin is the hormone that lowers blood sugar, and it is made by the β-cells (beta cells) sitting in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. If these cells are damaged, the body cannot make enough insulin.
Step 2: In type 1 diabetes, the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys these β-cells. This is an autoimmune process. With the β-cells destroyed, there is little or no insulin produced, so the patient depends on insulin injections for life.
Step 3: The other options describe type 2 diabetes or unrelated ideas. Insulin resistance in peripheral tissues is the main problem in type 2 diabetes, not type 1, so option 2 is the correct answer for type 1.
Answer: Option (2) — Autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells.