Q40. Which of the following is associated with Wilhelm Röntgen?
[UPPSC Civil Services – 2018]
(A) Radio
(B) X-ray machine
(C) Electric bulb
(D) None of these
Answer: (B) X-ray machine
Explanation: Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895; this discovery made X-ray imaging instruments possible. X-rays are high-energy electromagnetic radiation capable of penetrating many materials, enabling non-invasive views of bones and other internal structures.
Q39. Which scientist–invention pair is NOT correctly matched?
[UPPSC LT Grade Science – 2018]
(A) Computer — Charles Babbage
(B) Radio — Karl Benz
(C) Barometer — Evangelista Torricelli
(D) Dynamo — Michael Faraday
Answer: (B) Radio — Karl Benz
Explanation: Karl Benz pioneered the gasoline-powered automobile, not radio. Wireless radio communication is especially associated with Guglielmo Marconi. Babbage, Torricelli and Faraday are respectively linked with early computing concepts, the mercury barometer and electromagnetic induction.
Q38. What was invented by J. B. Dunlop?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) Aeroplane
(B) Motor car
(C) Pneumatic rubber tyre
(D) Rubber boot
Answer: (C) Pneumatic rubber tyre
Explanation: John Boyd Dunlop developed a practical pneumatic tyre in 1887–1888 for a bicycle. Air-filled tyres improved comfort and reduced vibration compared with solid rubber versions. Pneumatic tyre technology was later adapted extensively for motor vehicles.
Q37. Who investigated electricity, invented the lightning rod and helped develop bifocal spectacles?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) Kirkpatrick Macmillan
(B) Benjamin Franklin
(C) William Henry Fox Talbot
(D) Alexander Fleming
Answer: (B) Benjamin Franklin
Explanation: Benjamin Franklin’s electrical experiments linked lightning with electricity and inspired his lightning-rod design. He also developed bifocal spectacles. Electricity was known before Franklin, so his achievement was research and invention rather than discovering electricity itself.
Q36. Who is credited with developing Bluetooth wireless technology?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) Kirkpatrick Macmillan
(B) Benjamin Franklin
(C) Jaap Haartsen
(D) Charles Babbage
Answer: (C) Jaap Haartsen
Explanation: Jaap Haartsen played a leading role in developing Bluetooth technology at Ericsson in the 1990s. It enables short-range wireless communication using radio frequencies, allowing devices such as headphones, keyboards and smartphones to exchange information.
Q35. Who invented an early electric tram?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) James Cook
(B) William Harvey
(C) Fyodor Pirotsky
(D) Robert Boyle
Answer: (C) Fyodor Pirotsky
Explanation: Fyodor Pirotsky, a Russian engineer, experimented with electricity-powered railway cars during the nineteenth century. His work helped demonstrate electric traction, which later reshaped urban public transport through electric trams and railways.
Q34. Who is popularly associated with the development of the Pentium processor?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) C. Kumar N. Patel
(B) Tom Gunter
(C) Vince Emery
(D) Vinod Dham
Answer: (D) Vinod Dham
Explanation: Vinod Dham was a key engineer and leader involved in Intel’s Pentium microprocessor development. He is sometimes nicknamed the father of the Pentium chip, although processors result from collaborative engineering involving large teams.
Q33. Who developed an early waterproof raincoat using rubberized fabric?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) Robert Hooke
(B) Cai Lun
(C) Charles Macintosh
(D) William Harvey
Answer: (C) Charles Macintosh
Explanation: Charles Macintosh patented a waterproof fabric in 1823 by bonding textile layers using dissolved rubber. Coats made from this material became known as mackintoshes. The invention helped popularize rainwear capable of resisting water penetration.
Q32. Who invented the hot-air balloon?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) Montgolfier brothers
(B) Wright brothers
(C) Lisitsyn brothers
(D) Walton brothers
Answer: (A) Montgolfier brothers
Explanation: Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier developed hot-air balloons in eighteenth-century France. Their public demonstrations in 1783 led to some of the first successful human flights, using heated air to provide buoyant lift.
Q31. Who invented dynamite?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
(A) John Boyd Dunlop
(B) Alfred Nobel
(C) James Simons
(D) Peter Hargreaves
Answer: (B) Alfred Nobel
Explanation: Alfred Nobel developed dynamite by combining nitroglycerin with an absorbent material, making an explosive easier to handle. Patented in 1867, it was used for mining and infrastructure projects, though its military implications were also significant.
