ZOOLOGY OPTIONAL DAILY ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME

(ZODAW PROGRAMME - 05/06/2023 to 04/08/2023)

By: THE ZOOLOGIST
*Also check the mock test schedule followed by the ZODAW Programme mentioned in the last page.

S. No. DATE DAILY TARGET

1 05/06/2023 Classification and relationship of various phyla up to sub-classes: Acoelomate and Coelomate,
Protostomes and Deuterostomes, Bilateria and Radiata;
Status of Protista, Parazoa, Onychophora and Hemichordata; Symmetry.
2 06/06/2023 Protozoa: Locomotion, nutrition, reproduction, sex; General features and life history of Paramaecium,
Monocystis.
3 07/06/2023 Plasmodium and Leishmania.
Porifera: Skeleton, canal system and reproduction.
4 08/06/2023 Cnidaria: Polymorphism, defensive structures and their mechanism; coral reefs and their formation;
metagenesis; general features and life history of Obelia and Aurelia.
5 09/06/2023 Platyhelminthes: Parasitic adaptation; general features and life history of Fasciola and Taenia and their
pathogenic symptoms.
6 10/06/2023 Nemathelminthes: General features, life history, parasitic adaptation of Ascaris and Wuchereria.
7 11/06/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
8 12/06/2023 Annelida: Coelom and metamerism; modes of life in polychaetes; general features and life history of
Nereis, earthworm and leach.
9 13/06/2023 Arthropoda: Larval forms and parasitism in Crustacea; vision and respiration in arthropods (Prawn,
cockroach and scorpion); modification of mouth, parts in insects (cockroach, mosquito, housefly, honey
bee and butterfly)
10 14/06/2023 Metamorphosis in insect and its hormonal regulation, social behaviour of Apis and termites. Apiculture,
Sericulture and Prawn culture
11 15/06/2023 Molluscs: Feeding, respiration, locomotion, general features and life history of Lamellidens, Pila and
Sepia. Torsion and detorsion in gastropods.
12 16/06/2023 Echinodermata: Feeding, respiration, locomotion, larval forms, general features and life history of
Asterias.
13 17/06/2023 Protochordata: Origin of chordates; general features and life history of Branchiostoma and Herdmania.
14 18/06/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
15 19/06/2023 Pisces: Respiration, locomotion and migration. Amphibia: Origin of tetrapods, parental care,
paedomorphosis
16 20/06/2023 Reptilia; Origin of reptiles, skull types, status of Sphenodon and crocodiles. Aves: Origin of birds, flight
adaptation, migration.
17 21/06/2023 Mammalia: Origin of mammals, dentition, general features of egg laying mammals, pouched mammals,
aquatic mammals and primates, endocrine glands (pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas,
gonads) and their interrelationships.
18 22/06/2023 Comparative functional anatomy of various systems of vertebrates. (integument and its derivatives,
endoskeleton, locomotory organs, digestive system, respiratory system
19 23/06/2023 Circulatory system including heart and aortic arches, urinogenital system, brain and sense organs (eye
and ear).
20 24/06/2023 Biosphere: concept of biosphere; biomes, Biogeochemical cycles, Human induced changes in
atmosphere including green house effect, ecological succession, biomes and ecotones, community
ecology.
21 25/06/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
22 26/06/2023 Concept of ecosystem; structure and function of ecosystem, types of ecosystem, ecological succession,
ecological adaptation. Population; characteristics, population dynamics, population stabilization.
Ecological pyramids
23 27/06/2023 Biodiversity and diversity conservation of natural resources. Wildlife of India.
Remote sensing for sustainable development. Environmental biodegradation; pollution and its impact
on biosphere and its prevention.
24 28/06/2023 Behaviour: Sensory filtering, responsiveness, sign stimuli, learning, and memory, instinct, habituation,
conditioning, imprinting. Role of hormones in drive; role of pheromones in alarm spreading; crypsis,
predator detection, predator tactics, social hierarchies in primates, social organization in insects
25 29/06/2023 Orientation, navigation, homing; biological rhythms: biological clock, tidal, seasonal and circadian
rhythms.
Methods of studying animal behaviour including sexual conflict, selfishness, kinship and altruism.
 ZOOLOGY OPTIONAL DAILY ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME
(ZODAW PROGRAMME - 05/06/2023 to 04/08/2023)
By: THE ZOOLOGIST
26 30/06/2023 Apiculture, sericulture, lac culture, carp culture, pearl culture, prawn culture, vermiculture. Major
infectious and communicable diseases (malaria, filaria, tuberculosis, cholera and AIDS) their vectors,
pathogens and prevention.
27 01/07/2023 Cattle and livestock diseases, their pathogen (helminths) and vectors (ticks, mites, Tabanus, Stomoxys).
Pests of sugar cane (Pyrilla perpusiella), oil seed (Achaea janata) and rice (Sitophilus oryzae).
28 02/07/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
29 03/07/2023 Transgenic animals. Medical biotechnology, human genetic disease and genetic counseling, gene
therapy. Forensic biotechnology.
30 04/07/2023 Designing of experiments; null hypothesis; correlation, regression, distribution and measure of central
tendency, chi square, student-test, F test (one-way & two-way F-test).
31 05/07/2023 Spectrophotometer, phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, radioactive tracer, ultra centrifuge, gel
electrophoresis, PCR, ELISA, FISH and chromosome painting. Electron microscopy (TEM, SEM).
32 06/07/2023 Structure and function of cell and its organelles (nucleus, plasma membrane, mitochondria, Golgi
bodies
33 07/07/2023 Endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes and lysosomes, chromosome type: polytene and lampbrush,
Organization of chromatin, heterochromatin
34 08/07/2023 Cell division (mitosis and meiosis), mitotic spindle and mitotic apparatus, chromosome movement, Cell
cycle regulation.
35 09/07/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
36 10/07/2023 Nucleic acid topology, DNA motif, DNA replication, transcription
37 11/07/2023 RNA processing, translation, protein foldings and transport.
38 12/07/2023 Modern concept of gene, split gene, genetic regulation, genetic, code. Sex chromosomes and their
evolution, sex determination in Drosophila and human.
39 13/07/2023 Mendel’s laws of inheritance, recombination, linkage, multiple alleles, genetics of blood groups,
pedigree analysis, hereditary diseases in human.

40 14/07/2023 Mutations and mutagenesis. Recombinant DNA technology, plasmid, cosmid, artificial chromosomes as
vectors, transgenics, DNA cloning and whole animal cloning (principles and methods). Gene regulation
and expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
41 15/07/2023 Signal molecules, cell death, defects in signaling pathway and consequences. RFLP, RAPD and AFLF
and application of RFLP in DNA finger printing, ribozyme technologies, human genome project,
genomics and proteomics.
42 16/07/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
43 17/07/2023 Theories of origin of life. Theories of evolution; Natural selection, role of mutation in evolution,
evolutionary patterns, molecular drive, mimicry, variation, isolation and speciation.
44 18/07/2023 Evolution of horse, elephant and man using fossil data. Hardy-Weinberg Law. Continental drift and
distribution of animals.
45 19/07/2023 Zoological nomenclature, international code, cladistics, molecular taxonomy and biodiversity.
46 20/07/2023 Structure and role of carbohydrates, fats, fatty acids, cholesterol, proteins and amino-acids, nucleic
acids. Bioenergetics.
47 21/07/2023 Glycolysis and Krebs cycle, oxidation and reduction, oxidative phosphorylation; energy conservation
and release, ATP, cycle, cyclic AMP-its structure and role.
48 22/07/2023 Hormone classification (steroid and peptide hormones), biosynthesis and functions. Enzymes: types and
mechanisms of action. Vitamins and co-enzymes. Immunoglobulin and immunity.
49 23/07/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
50 24/07/2023 Composition and constituents of blood; blood groups and Rh factor in human; factors and mechanism
of coagulation; iron metabolism, acid-base balance, thermo regulation, anticoagulants. Haemoglobin:
Composition, types and role in transport of oxygen and CO 2
51 25/07/2023 Digestion and absorption: Role of salivary glands, liver, pancreas and intestinal glands.
52 26/07/2023 Excretion: nephron and regulation of urine formation; osmoregulation and excretory product.
53 27/07/2023 Muscles: Types, mechanism of contraction of skeletal muscles, effects of exercise on muscles.
54 28/07/2023 Neuron: nerve impulse—its conduction and synaptic transmission; neurotransmitters.
55 29/07/2023 Vision, hearing and olfaction in human.
56 30/07/2023 SUNDAY / BUFFER DAY
57 31/07/2023 Physiology of reproduction puberty and menopause in human.
 ZOOLOGY OPTIONAL DAILY ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME
(ZODAW PROGRAMME - 05/06/2023 to 04/08/2023)
By: THE ZOOLOGIST
58 01/08/2023 Gametogenesis; spermatogenesis, composition of semen, in vitro and in vivo capacitation of
mammalian sperm, Oogenesis, totipotency; fertilization
59 02/08/2023 Morphogenesis and morphogen
Cell lineage, cell to cell interaction, Genetic and induced teratogenesis, role of thyroxine in control of
metamorphosis in amphibia, paedogenesis and neoteny, cell death, aging.
60 03/08/2023 Blastogeneis, establishment of body axes formation, fate map, gastrulation in frog and chick; genes in
development in chick homeotic genes, development of eye and heart, placenta in mammals.
61 04/08/2023 Developmental genes in human, in vitro fertilization; and embryo transfer; cloning. Stem cells: Sources,
types and their use in human welfare. Biogenetic law.

MOCK TESTS: (Detailed instructions regarding the mock tests shall be notified later in the Telegram Channel here at
this link: https://t.me/THEZOOLOGIST )

DATE TIME MOCK TEST SYLLABUS

06/08/2023 10:00 am to 01:00 pm Sectional Mock Test - 01 Non-Chordata and Chordata
13/08/2023 10:00 am to 01:00 pm Sectional Mock Test - 02 Ecology, Ethology, Economic Zoology,
Biostatistics and Instrumentation
20/08/2023 10:00 am to 01:00 pm Sectional Mock Test - 03 Cell Biology, Genetics, Evolution and
Systematics
27/08/2023 10:00 am to 01:00 pm Sectional Mock Test - 04 Biochemistry, Physiology and
Developmental Biology
03/09/2023 09:00 am to 12:00 pm Full Length Mock Test - 01 Paper - A
03/09/2023 02:00 pm to 05:00 pm Full Length Mock Test - 02 Paper -B
10/09/2023 09:00 am to 12:00 pm Full Length Mock Test - 03 Paper - A
10/09/2023 02:00 pm to 05:00 pm Full Length Mock Test - 04 Paper - B

*Note that there are two full-length mock tests scheduled in single day on 03/09/2023 and 10/09/2023 each in the same
time-slot as it is in the actual UPSC CSE Mains Examination.

**All these tests are free-of-cost.