The major source of vitamin A are ?

Analyze the question: It asks which group of foods are the major sources of vitamin A (retinol and its precursor, beta-carotene).

Concept: Vitamin A comes from two types of sources:

• Preformed vitamin A (retinol): animal sources such as egg yolk, liver, milk, butter, fish liver oil.
• Provitamin A (beta-carotene): yellow, orange, and red plant foods such as carrot, red palm oil, ripe pawpaw, ripe mango, and dark green leafy vegetables. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A.

Evaluating the options:

• A. Egg yolk, carrot and palm oil: Egg yolk has retinol, while carrot and red palm oil are very rich in beta-carotene. All three are well-known major sources. ✔
• B. Mango, pawpaw and eggs: These do contain vitamin A, but this is a weaker choice because the option is less commonly listed as the "major" sources than A. Still partly correct.
• C. Sorghum, soya bean and liver: Sorghum and soya bean are not significant sources (they provide mainly carbohydrate and protein). Liver is a good source, but the group as a whole is wrong.
• D. Rice bran, green vegetables and milk: Rice bran is mainly a source of vitamin B (thiamine), so this is not a good group.

Tip: Think "colour": yellow, orange, and red foods (carrot, palm oil, ripe pawpaw) plus animal products (egg yolk, liver, milk) mean vitamin A. Also remember that a deficiency of vitamin A causes night blindness and xerophthalmia, which is a frequent follow-up question.