UK Science and Innovation MCQs with Answers
Which British scientist is credited with discovering the law of gravitation?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Charles Darwin
c) Albert Einstein
d) Michael Faraday
Answer: a) Isaac Newton
The first cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep, was created by scientists in which UK country?
a) England
b) Wales
c) Scotland
d) Northern Ireland
Answer: c) Scotland
What material was famously discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928?
a) Penicillin
b) Aspirin
c) Insulin
d) Chloroform
Answer: a) Penicillin
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, is located at which European research center?
a) CERN, Switzerland
b) Fermilab, USA
c) MIT, USA
d) JINR, Russia
Answer: a) CERN, Switzerland
The structure of DNA was discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953. Where did this discovery take place?
a) University of Cambridge
b) University of Oxford
c) Imperial College London
d) University of Edinburgh
Answer: a) University of Cambridge
Which scientist is known for formulating the laws of motion and universal gravitation?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Charles Darwin
c) Albert Einstein
d) Nikola Tesla
Answer: a) Isaac Newton
The first industrial steam engine was developed by which British engineer?
a) James Watt
b) George Stephenson
c) Isambard Kingdom Brunel
d) Richard Arkwright
Answer: a) James Watt
The Turing test, which evaluates a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human, was proposed by which British mathematician?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Charles Babbage
c) Alan Turing
d) Ada Lovelace
Answer: c) Alan Turing
The discovery of the electron is attributed to which British physicist?
a) James Clerk Maxwell
b) J.J. Thomson
c) Ernest Rutherford
d) Richard Feynman
Answer: b) J.J. Thomson
Where is the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron science facility, located?
a) Oxford
b) London
c) Manchester
d) Didcot
Answer: d) Didcot
Which famous British scientist developed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Charles Darwin
c) Albert Einstein
d) Michael Faraday
Answer: b) Charles Darwin
The first vaccine for smallpox, known as the cowpox vaccine, was developed by whom?
a) Edward Jenner
b) Alexander Fleming
c) Louis Pasteur
d) Robert Koch
Answer: a) Edward Jenner
What is the name of the spaceport in Scotland that aims to launch small satellites into space?
a) Kennedy Space Center
b) Baikonur Cosmodrome
c) Woomera Test Range
d) Sutherland Spaceport
Answer: d) Sutherland Spaceport
The Royal Society, one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific institutions in the world, was founded in which country?
a) France
b) United Kingdom
c) Germany
d) Italy
Answer: b) United Kingdom
The discovery of the neutron was made by which British physicist?
a) Ernest Rutherford
b) James Clerk Maxwell
c) John Dalton
d) James Chadwick
Answer: d) James Chadwick
The British mathematician George Boole is known for his contributions to which field?
a) Quantum physics
b) Genetics
c) Computer science and logic
d) Thermodynamics
Answer: c) Computer science and logic
The Rosalind Franklin Institute, named after the chemist Rosalind Franklin, focuses on research in which area?
a) Particle physics
b) Genetic engineering
c) Biomedical imaging
d) Renewable energy
Answer: c) Biomedical imaging
The UK Space Agency is responsible for the country’s space activities, including space exploration and satellite operations. When was it established?
a) 1957
b) 1986
c) 2001
d) 2011
Answer: d) 2011
The “Ferranti Mark 1” is considered the world’s first commercially available computer. In which year was it introduced?
a) 1936
b) 1945
c) 1951
d) 1960
Answer: c) 1951
The “Higgs boson,” often referred to as the “God particle,” was discovered at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). What does this particle provide insight into?
a) Electromagnetic fields
b) Strong nuclear force
c) Weak nuclear force
d) Mass and particle interaction
Answer: d) Mass and particle interaction
The “Turing Award,” often considered the Nobel Prize of computing, is named after which British scientist?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Alan Turing
c) James Clerk Maxwell
d) Charles Babbage
Answer: b) Alan Turing
What is the name of the UK’s spaceport in Cornwall, which aims to launch satellites into orbit?
a) Kennedy Space Center
b) Baikonur Cosmodrome
c) Sutherland Spaceport
d) Newquay Spaceport
Answer: d) Newquay Spaceport
Which British scientist is known for his contributions to the field of electromagnetism and for formulating Maxwell’s equations?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Charles Darwin
c) Albert Einstein
d) James Clerk Maxwell
Answer: d) James Clerk Maxwell
The “Harwell Dekatron/WITCH,” one of the world’s oldest working digital computers, is located at which UK establishment?
a) Bletchley Park
b) University of Manchester
c) Science Museum, London
d) National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park
Answer: d) National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park
The “Rosetta Stone” is a famous artifact that helped decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Where is it currently displayed?
a) British Museum, London
b) Louvre Museum, Paris
c) Egyptian Museum, Cairo
d) Vatican Museums, Rome
Answer: a) British Museum, London
The “Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine” was awarded to Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Boris Chain for the discovery and development of which groundbreaking medical treatment?
a) Insulin therapy
b) Antibiotics
c) Blood transfusions
d) Vaccination
Answer: b) Antibiotics
The “MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology,” known for its contributions to molecular biology research, is located in which city?
a) Cambridge
b) Oxford
c) Edinburgh
d) London
Answer: a) Cambridge
The UK’s “Alan Turing Institute” focuses on research in which field?
a) Climate science
b) Quantum computing
c) Space exploration
d) Marine biology
Answer: b) Quantum computing
“Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy” is a book by which British theoretical physicist?
a) Brian Cox
b) Stephen Hawking
c) Richard Feynman
d) Paul Dirac
Answer: b) Stephen Hawking
Which UK city is home to the “Eden Project,” a large complex of interconnected artificial biomes that house a diverse range of plant species?
a) Edinburgh
b) Manchester
c) London
d) Cornwall
Answer: d) Cornwall
The “Wellcome Trust” is a charitable foundation focused on health research. In which field was its founder, Sir Henry Wellcome, particularly interested?
a) Genetics
b) Immunology
c) Pharmaceuticals
d) Medicine and medical history
Answer: d) Medicine and medical history
The UK’s “National Physical Laboratory” is responsible for maintaining standards in which area of science?
a) Astronomy
b) Chemistry
c) Physics and metrology
d) Geology
Answer: c) Physics and metrology
“Blue plaque” schemes in the UK commemorate historical figures and their connections to particular buildings. In which city can you find the most blue plaques?
a) London
b) Edinburgh
c) Oxford
d) Manchester
Answer: a) London
The UK’s “Francis Crick Institute” is a biomedical research center. What field of science is it primarily focused on?
a) Physics
b) Genetics
c) Geology
d) Astronomy
Answer: b) Genetics
The “Science Museum” in London is home to many significant scientific artifacts, including the original “Puffing Devil.” What is the “Puffing Devil”?
a) A steam engine
b) A telescope
c) A calculator
d) A microscope
Answer: a) A steam engine
The “Cambridge Science Festival” is an annual event that celebrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In which city does it take place?
a) Oxford
b) Edinburgh
c) Cambridge
d) London
Answer: c) Cambridge
The “Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology” was founded by which British inventor and entrepreneur?
a) James Dyson
b) Richard Branson
c) Tim Berners-Lee
d) Elon Musk
Answer: a) James Dyson
The “Royal Observatory, Greenwich” is the historic site from which the world’s time is calculated. What is the prime meridian’s significance?
a) It divides Earth into the northern and southern hemispheres
b) It is the reference point for longitude
c) It is the origin of the equator
d) It is the line separating Europe and Asia
Answer: b) It is the reference point for longitude
“Graphene,” a remarkable one-atom-thick material with exceptional electrical and mechanical properties, was first isolated by researchers at which UK institution?
a) University of Oxford
b) University of Manchester
c) University of Cambridge
d) Imperial College London
Answer: b) University of Manchester
The “Roslin Institute” in Scotland is known for its contribution to biotechnology, particularly the cloning of Dolly the sheep. What type of animal is Dolly?
a) Cow
b) Pig
c) Horse
d) Sheep
Answer: d) Sheep
“The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin introduced which groundbreaking concept to the field of science?
a) Theory of relativity
b) Theory of electromagnetism
c) Theory of evolution by natural selection
d) Theory of quantum mechanics
Answer: c) Theory of evolution by natural selection
The “Hawking Radiation” is a theoretical prediction made by Stephen Hawking concerning what astronomical object?
a) Neutron stars
b) Black holes
c) Galaxies
d) Quasars
Answer: b) Black holes
Which British scientist is known for his contributions to theoretical physics and for formulating the “Higgs mechanism,” which explains the origin of mass in elementary particles?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Stephen Hawking
c) Peter Higgs
d) Paul Dirac
Answer: c) Peter Higgs
The “Cavendish Laboratory” at the University of Cambridge is famous for its contributions to physics. What fundamental particle was discovered there in 1932?
a) Neutron
b) Proton
c) Electron
d) Neutrino
Answer: c) Electron
The “Faraday Cage,” a conductive enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields, is named after which British scientist?
a) Michael Faraday
b) James Clerk Maxwell
c) Isaac Newton
d) Charles Darwin
Answer: a) Michael Faraday
The “Institute of Physics” (IOP) is a leading scientific society that promotes physics education and research. In which city is its headquarters located?
a) London
b) Cambridge
c) Oxford
d) Edinburgh
Answer: a) London
The “Blackett Laboratory” at the University of Manchester is named after which British physicist known for his work on cosmic rays and nuclear physics?
a) Ernest Rutherford
b) James Clerk Maxwell
c) Patrick Blackett
d) Richard Feynman
Answer: c) Patrick Blackett
The “Serpentine Galleries” in London showcase contemporary art and architecture. Where can you find these galleries located?
a) Kensington Gardens
b) Hyde Park
c) Regents Park
d) Hampstead Heath
Answer: a) Kensington Gardens
The “Bletchley Park” estate played a crucial role during World War II by being the central site for British codebreakers. What famous encryption device was decoded there?
a) Enigma machine
b) Vigenère cipher
c) Caesar cipher
d) One-time pad
Answer: a) Enigma machine
The “Royal Institution” is known for its long-standing tradition of Christmas Lectures, which feature engaging science demonstrations for a young audience. In which city is the Royal Institution located?
a) London
b) Manchester
c) Oxford
d) Cambridge
Answer: a) London