General Awareness · 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

Multiple choice bio-chemistry cell-the basic unit of life introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery cell discovery and cell theory cell as structural and functional unit

Who coined the term 'cytology'?

  1. Robert Hooke

  2. Leeuwenhoek

  3. Hertwig

  4. Swammerdam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

a) The term cytology was termed by Robert Hooke. Cytology, the study of cells as fundamental units of living things.

b) Leeuwenhoek is the first scientist who experiments with microscopes and he named the microbes as animalcules. 
c) Hertwig was a German zoologist and wrote a book by studying sea urchins.
d) Swammerdam was a biologist who dies at a very early age. After his death, his book Biblica Naturae was published. 

Multiple choice bio-chemistry cell-the basic unit of life introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery cell discovery and cell theory cell as structural and functional unit

Schwann and Schleiden were

  1. Dutch biologists

  2. English biologists

  3. Austrian biologists

  4. German biologists
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
Schleiden defined the cell as the basic unit of plant structure, and a year later Schwann defined the cell as the basic unit of animal structure. Theodor Schwann was a German physiologist and Matthias Jakob Schleiden was a German botanist. The universally accepted cell theory was credited to Schleiden and Schwann for their great contribution.
Hence answer is 'German biologists'
Multiple choice bio-chemistry cell-the basic unit of life introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery cell discovery and cell theory cell as structural and functional unit

First scientist to observe red blood cells

  1. Swammerdam

  2. Leeuwenhoek

  3. Rudolf Virchow

  4. Strasburger
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) described cells in a drop of pond water using his microscope. By using a microscope he observes and describes red blood cells in humans and other animals, as well as sperm cells. Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice bio-chemistry cell-the basic unit of life introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery cell discovery and cell theory cell as structural and functional unit

Robert Hooke published his work on cork cells in which book?

  1. Genera Plantarum

  2. Species Plantarum

  3. Micrographia

  4. Cytologia
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Robert Hooke famously described the structure of cork cells in his 1665 book titled Micrographia, which was one of the first major works to document microscopic observations.

Multiple choice bio-chemistry cell-the basic unit of life introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery cell discovery and cell theory cell as structural and functional unit

Schleiden (1838) proposed cell to be structural and functional unit of life. His idea was a/an

  1. Observation.

  2. Assumption.

  3. Generalisation.

  4. Hypothesis.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The term hypothesis means a proposition or a set of propositions set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specific phenomenon. In this case, the phenomenon was smallest constituent entity of living organisms. In 1838, German Botanist Matthias Schleiden found that all plant tissues are made up of cells which have essentially similar structure. German zoologist Theodor Schwann, 1839, working independently observed that animal cells do not have cell wall but are otherwise similar among themselves. Thus, the original idea of both the workers was a hypothesis based on their observation which had to be experimentally verified by other workers.

Hence, D is the correct option. 

Multiple choice bio-chemistry cell-the basic unit of life introduction to cell discovery and cell theory cell discovery cell discovery and cell theory cell as structural and functional unit

Nucleus develops from a pre-existing nucleus. The finding was made by 

  1. Farmer and Moore

  2. Winiwater

  3. Sutton

  4. Strasburger
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The concept that cells arise from pre-existing cells (omnis cellula e cellula) was famously popularized by Rudolf Virchow, but Strasburger is often credited with confirming this specifically for the nucleus in plant cells. Other options like Sutton are associated with the chromosomal theory of inheritance.

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

First great taxonomist was

  1. Linnaeus

  2. Hooker

  3. Aristotle

  4. Engler
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Carolus Linnaeus is a known taxonomist who proposed the classification system and the binomial nomenclature. The classification system is known as the artificial system of classification which is based on the floral characters. The structures of carpel and anther were taken into consideration for the classification. The binomial nomenclature was used for the naming of the organisms in which the first epithet describes the genus and the second epithet describes the species. He is regarded as the father of taxonomy. 
Thus, the correct answer is option A. 

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

Who proposed the natural classification of plants?

  1. Carolus Linnaeus

  2. John Hutchinson

  3. Bentham and Hooker

  4. Oswald Tippo
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The natural system of classification was proposed to classify the organism on the basis of similarities which can be easily observed. The classification takes into consideration the number of similar and different characters. The natural system of classification was introduced by Bentham and Hooker for the plants which have seeds. This was explained in the book Genera Plantarum which was published in three volumes and based on the work of these scientists.

Thus, the correct answer is option C. 

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

The scientist(s) who gave artificial system of classification is/are

  1. Joseph Dalton Hooker

  2. George Bentham

  3. Linnaeus

  4. Engler and Pranti
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
Carolus Linnaeus (1707- 1778), regarded as the “Father of Systematic Botany”‘, published an artificial system based exclusively on floral characters. Linnaeus sexual system based on floral characters is the most advanced of artificial classification. Linnaeus classifies all the flowering plants under twenty-four classes on the basis of floral character, which includes:
i. A number of stamens present in a flower.
ii. Insertation of floral parts into the thalamus.
iii. Arrangement adhesion and distribution of stamens.
iv. Nature of anther and filaments and their arrangement.
So, the correct answer is 'Linnaeus'.
Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

Concept of phylogeny was proposed by

  1. John Ray

  2. Lamarck

  3. Ernest Haeckel

  4. Darwin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection to explain the process of evolution. Natural selection refers to unequal ability of individuals to survive and reproduce based on suitability of their inherited characters to prevailing environmental conditions; option D is incorrect. According to inheritance of acquired characters, a theory given by Lamarck, individual acquire characters under influence of needs as posed as changing environmental conditions; these characters are inherited. He explained evolution the long-necked giraffes from short-necked giraffes on the basis of his theory; option B is incorrect. John Ray proposed the typological species which is defined as a group of organisms that are morphologically similar irrespective of their breeding compatibility. It determines species as a static entity which can interbreed within their limit of variations and hence, is also termed as static concept; option A is incorrect. Haeckel coined the term phylogeny to refer study of ancestral relationship, lineages and that of evolutionary history of a taxonomic group; he built the first genealogical tree of life and proposed the biogenetic law which states that ontogeny repeats phylogeny. Here, ontogeny refers to life history of an individual and phylogeny is the history of evolution of the individual; option C is correct. Thus, the correct answer is option C.

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

"Species Plantarum" and "Systema Naturae" were written by

  1. Engler and Prantl

  2. Bentham and Hooker

  3. Carolus Linnaeus

  4. Wallace
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Linnaeus is considered as the father of taxonomy and was first to use the binomial nomenclature for organisms. He proposed natural system of classification for living organism and divide them into plant and animal kingdom; his system was first described in Systema Naturae in which he described all known species of plant and animal. Linnaeus described plant genera known to him in Genera Plantarum. He described all plant species known to him in his book Species Plantarum in which he gave a generic name to each species. 

Thus, the correct answer is option C. 

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

Who developed the concept of phylogeny?

  1. Linnaeus

  2. Lamarck

  3. Ernst Haeckel

  4. Hippocrates
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Phylogeny is the study of the organisms with respect to its evolution and the relationship with other organisms. The concept of phylogeny has been discovered by Ernst Haeckel. The term phylogeny deals with the study of the evolutionary history of an organism. The classification which is based on the evolutionary relationship of organisms is referred to as phylogenetic classification. The evolutionary changes, lineage and history are taken into account during the classification.  

Thus, the correct answer is option C. 

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

System Naturae was written by 

  1. Linnaeus

  2. Charles Darwin

  3. Aristotle

  4. Wallace
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
  • System Naturae, is the book that contains various species of animals, was written by Swedish Naturalist, Linnaeus, who is known as Father of taxonomy
  • Charles Darwin was an English Naturalist who wrote the book 'On the origin of species' and famously known as Father of evolution
  • Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and popularly known as Father of Zoology
  • Alfred Russell Wallace was a British Naturalist who wrote the book ' The Malay Archipelago' and famed in developing the theory of Natural selection
  • So the correct option is 'Linnaeus'.
Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

Natural system of plant classification was given by

  1. Aristotle

  2. Linnaeus

  3. Bentham and Hooker

  4. Robert Hooke
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
Natural system of classification was proposed by Bentham and Hooker. The classification is based on a number of similar and different characters that are visible. This system of classification was introduced for seed bearing plants. It was explained in the book Genera Plantarum published in three volumes based on the work of Bentham and Hooker.
Thus the correct answer is option C.