General Awareness ยท Science General
Inventors and Scientific Discoveries
4,616 Questions
This hub provides questions related to great inventors and their scientific discoveries. It covers the inventors of the telephone, radio, and microchips, alongside Nobel Prize winners. These facts are crucial for the general awareness section of major competitive exams.
Famous inventionsNobel Prize winnersScientific conceptsKey inventors
Inventors and Scientific Discoveries Questions
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Nirenberg and Khorana
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Gamow
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Heinrich Matthai
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Temin
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Crick
A
Correct answer
Explanation
They discovered the genetic code in 1968.
D
Correct answer
Explanation
It was the first codon to be discovered in the genetic dictionary. It codes for phenylalanine.
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Macmillian
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Torricelli
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H.C.Urey
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None of these
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Harold C. Urey discovered deuterium (heavy hydrogen) in 1931 and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for this discovery. Deuterium is a stable isotope of hydrogen with twice the mass of regular hydrogen.
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Robert Peary
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Simson
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Harrison
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Mergenthaler
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Ottmar Mergenthaler invented the Linotype machine in 1884, which revolutionized typesetting by allowing entire lines of type to be cast at once. This invention dramatically increased printing efficiency and remained in use for over a century.
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Daimler
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Parkes
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Lord Joseph Lister
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None of these
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Lippman
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Lawrence
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Rutherford
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Alfred Nobel
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Ernest Rutherford is credited with discovering the nucleus can be split through his pioneering work in nuclear physics. His famous 1919 experiment demonstrated the artificial disintegration of nitrogen atoms, paving the way for understanding nuclear fission.
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Faraday
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Louis Pasteur
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Torricelli
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None of these
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization in the 1860s, a process that kills harmful bacteria in food and beverages by heating them to a specific temperature for a set period. This technique revolutionized food safety and remains widely used today, especially for milk and wine.
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Dauguerre
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Rohm Korff
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Benjamin Franklin
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None of these
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning conductor (lightning rod) in 1752 after his famous kite experiment demonstrated that lightning is electricity. The lightning rod provides a safe path for lightning to reach the ground, protecting buildings from fire and damage.
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Frank Whittle
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Ramsay, Travers
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Gay Lussac
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Henry Great Head
B
Correct answer
Explanation
William Ramsay and Morris Travers discovered neon gas in 1898 while working together at University College London. They were systematically studying the noble gases and had previously discovered krypton and xenon as part of their research into previously unknown elements.
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Volta
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Christian Barnard
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Dr. Charles Augustin
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None of these
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 1967 in Cape Town, South Africa. The patient lived for 18 days after the pioneering surgery, which marked a breakthrough in medical science and organ transplantation.
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MRF
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Ceat
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Dunlop
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None of these
C
Correct answer
Explanation
John Boyd Dunlop developed the first practical pneumatic tyre in 1887 for his son's tricycle, originally to provide a more comfortable ride. Though Robert William Thomson had patented an earlier version, Dunlop's design became commercially successful and formed the basis of the Dunlop Rubber Company. MRF and Ceat are modern tyre manufacturers, not inventors.
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F.Banting
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Priestley
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Binet
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Berliner
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Emile Berliner invented the microphone in 1876 while working on improving the telephone. His invention used a variable resistance principle and was a significant improvement over earlier sound transmission devices. The other options are famous scientists but not associated with microphone invention - Banting discovered insulin, Binet developed intelligence testing, and Priestley discovered oxygen.
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Bunsen
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Lord Joseph Lister
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Madame Curie
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None of these
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Marie Curie (Madame Curie) discovered radium in 1898 along with her husband Pierre Curie, building on her earlier discovery of polonium. She coined the term 'radioactivity' and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, receiving two in Physics and Chemistry. Bunsen is known for the burner, and Lister for antiseptic surgery.
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Hippalus
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Roberts Mallet
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Elias Howe
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Carothers
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Roberts Mallet, an Irish engineer, is considered one of the founders of seismology and invented an early form of seismograph in the 1840s-1850s. His work on earthquake dynamics and artificial earthquakes helped establish seismology as a scientific discipline. The other options are associated with different fields - Howe with sewing machines, Carothers with nylon.
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Harvey
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Ramsay, Travers
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Charles
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Henry Becquerel
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity in uranium in 1896 when he noticed that uranium salts could fog photographic plates even in darkness. This discovery of spontaneous radioactivity earned him the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with the Curies. Harvey studied blood circulation, and Ramsay discovered noble gases.