Inventions and Discoveries MCQs

Static General Knowledge

Inventions and Discoveries MCQs

Practice Inventions and Discoveries MCQs with answers and detailed explanations covering famous inventors, scientific discoveries, technological innovations, important inventions, groundbreaking research, Nobel-winning discoveries and contributions to science and technology frequently asked in SSC, Railway, Banking, UPSC, JKSSB, Police, Defence, Teaching and other competitive examinations.

409
Total Questions

Practice Questions

Page 12 of 21
Question #221
The invention of the common mechanical cash register to prevent employee theft was patented by whom in 1879?
A. Christopher Sholes
B. Elisha Otis
C. James Ritty
D. Walter Hunt
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option C

Explanation:
Saloon owner James Ritty designed 'Ritty's Incorruptible Cashier' after observing the revolutions of a ship's propeller tracker.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #222
Who discovered that regular arrays of atoms act as diffraction gratings for X-rays, establishing X-ray crystallography?
A. Rosalind Franklin
B. Max von Laue
C. Wilhelm Röntgen
D. William Henry Bragg
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Max von Laue discovered X-ray diffraction by crystals in 1912, proving the wave nature of X-rays and structural lattice layouts.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #223
The invention of the modern pneumatic tire containing compressed inner air tubes was patented by which developer?
A. John Boyd Dunlop
B. Charles Goodyear
C. Robert William Thomson
D. Karl Benz
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option A

Explanation:
John Boyd Dunlop patented a highly successful commercial pneumatic tire in 1888 for his son's tricycle, reducing operational friction.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #224
Who discovered the specific mathematical constant linking the energy of a photon to its frequency?
A. Niels Bohr
B. Albert Einstein
C. Werner Heisenberg
D. Max Planck
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option D

Explanation:
Max Planck discovered Planck's constant ($h$) as part of his derivation of blackbody radiation energy laws.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #225
The invention of the high-power chemical explosive TNT (Trinitrotoluene) was originally intended for use as what?
A. Disinfectant
B. Mining agent
C. Rocket fuel
D. Yellow dye
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option D

Explanation:
German chemist Julius Wilbrand discovered TNT in 1863 as a textile dye; its explosive potential was not recognized until decades later.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #226
Who discovered the first biological enzyme, Diastase, which breaks down starches into sugars?
A. Anselme Payen
B. Alexander Fleming
C. Hans Krebs
D. Louis Pasteur
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option A

Explanation:
French chemist Anselme Payen isolated diastase from barley malt in 1833, founding the scientific study of enzymes.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #227
The invention of the iconic acoustic phonograph recording flat disc format (Gramophone) was developed by whom?
A. Emile Berliner
B. Thomas Edison
C. Alexander Graham Bell
D. Nikola Tesla
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option A

Explanation:
Emile Berliner introduced flat zinc discs with lateral groove tracking in 1887, outperforming Edison's hollow wax storage cylinders.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #228
Who discovered that cells arise only from pre-existing cells via division, completing cell theory?
A. Matthias Schleiden
B. Robert Hooke
C. Theodor Schwann
D. Rudolf Virchow
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option D

Explanation:
Rudolf Virchow popularized the Latin aphorism 'Omnis cellula e cellula' in 1855, establishing modern cellular pathology basics.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #229
The invention of the common chemical element symbol notation system ($H, O, Ca$) used today was developed by whom?
A. Antoine Lavoisier
B. Jöns Jacob Berzelius
C. John Dalton
D. Dmitri Mendeleev
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Berzelius introduced letter symbols based on Latin element names in 1813, replacing Dalton's cumbersome symbolic diagrams.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #230
Who discovered the physical phenomenon of electromagnetic radio waves traveling through the air, verifying Maxwell's equations?
A. Michael Faraday
B. Heinrich Hertz
C. Nikola Tesla
D. Guglielmo Marconi
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Heinrich Hertz built spark-gap transmitter devices in 1887 to physically prove radio waves transmit energy through empty space.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #231
The invention of the common household safety glass used in car windows was an accidental discovery by whom?
A. Édouard Bénédictus
B. Leo Baekeland
C. King Gillette
D. Roy Plunkett
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option A

Explanation:
Bénédictus dropped a glass flask coated with a dried cellulose nitrate plastic film in 103, discovering that the shards held together.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #232
Who discovered the exact value of the Earth's circumference using simple trigonometry and shadow lengths during solar eclipses?
A. Ptolemy
B. Aristotle
C. Eratosthenes
D. Archimedes
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option C

Explanation:
Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's physical dimensions in the 3rd century BCE by comparing shadow angles in Alexandria and Syene.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #233
The invention of the common synthetic fiber Polyester (PET) was achieved by which research team?
A. Leo Baekeland
B. Stephanie Kwolek
C. John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson
D. Wallace Carothers
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option C

Explanation:
Whinfield and Dickson patented polyethylene terephthalate (Terylene/Polyester) in England in 1941.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #234
Who discovered that certain types of mold produce enzymes that slice viral genetic strains, known as CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing?
A. Alec Jeffreys
B. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna
C. Kary Mullis
D. James Watson
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Charpentier and Doudna adapted the bacterial immune mechanism into an exceptionally precise genetic engineering tool, winning the 2020 Nobel Prize.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #235
The invention of the first practical steam engine, the atmospheric engine, was completed by whom?
A. George Stephenson
B. Thomas Newcomen
C. James Watt
D. Thomas Savery
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Thomas Newcomen constructed the first practical piston-driven condensing atmospheric engine in 1712 to pump water from mines.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #236
Who discovered that the speed of chemical reactions increases when specific non-consumed agents are added, coining the term 'Catalysis'?
A. Robert Boyle
B. Jöns Jacob Berzelius
C. Antoine Lavoisier
D. Wilhelm Ostwald
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Berzelius identified chemical catalytic force in 1835, which Ostwald later formalized thermodynamically.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #237
The invention of the barcode system for scanning retail merchandise was patented by whom?
A. Douglas Engelbart
B. Masahiro Hara
C. Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver
D. Alan Turing
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option C

Explanation:
Woodland and Silver patented the bullseye and linear barcode design in 1952, inspired by Morse code tracking patterns.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #238
Who discovered that the velocity of galaxies moving away from Earth is proportional to their distance, establishing Hubble's Law?
A. Johannes Kepler
B. Albert Einstein
C. Isaac Newton
D. Edwin Hubble and Georges Lemaître
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option D

Explanation:
Lemaître mathematically derived and Hubble observationally proved the cosmic expansion velocity relation.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #239
The invention of the common mechanical combination lock system used in bank vaults was patented by whom?
A. Walter Hunt
B. Linus Yale Jr.
C. Elisha Otis
D. Alexander Mitchell
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Linus Yale Jr. patented the secure pin-tumbler lock and combination wheel locks in the 1860s.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries
Question #240
Who discovered the presence of the cellular mitochondria organelle, naming them 'bioblasts' before they were renamed?
A. Camillo Golgi
B. Richard Altmann
C. Robert Hooke
D. Carl Benda
Discuss
Get Complete Subject PDF for Static General Knowledge

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation:
Richard Altmann identified the structures in 1890; Carl Benda later coined the exact term 'mitochondria' in 1898.
This question belongs to: Static General Knowledge Inventions and Discoveries

More Static General Knowledge Topics

Awards and Honours MCQs
Books and Authors MCQs
Capitals and Currencies MCQs
Classical Dances of India MCQs
First in India MCQs
First in the World MCQs
Folk Dances of India MCQs
Important Days MCQs
Important Monuments of India MCQs
International Organizations MCQs
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of India MCQs
Science and Technology MCQs
Today's Top Topics
Sports 476 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of India 430 States and Capitals of India 256 Important Days 292 UNESCO World Heritage Sites 189
Explore Subjects
Static General Knowledge 6362 Science 4430 History GK 3374 Computer 5279 Geography GK 6121
Practice Mix
Which of the following is an example of a static web page?
Select the antonym of 'ABLE'.
Select the most appropriate meaning of the idiom: 'Let off steam'.
___ you like to go out for dinner tonight?
In MS Access, a 'query' object is used to: