Life in the UK test questions on British inventions and discoveries

Practise British inventions and discoveries

Questions and answers on British inventions and discoveries

The same 9 questions again, this time with the answers shown. Read the explanation even where you were right — the test asks the same facts several ways.

1. 1. Who invented the telephone in 1876?

   • Alexander Graham Bell — correct answer
   • John Logie Baird
   • Sir Frank Whittle
   • Sir Tim Berners-Lee

   Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, changing the way people communicate over long distances. Handbook section 4.16.

2. 2. Who developed the jet engine in the 1930s?

   • Sir Frank Whittle — correct answer
   • Sir Christopher Cockerell
   • Alan Turing
   • Francis Crick

   Sir Frank Whittle, a British engineer in the Royal Air Force, developed the jet engine in the 1930s. Handbook section 4.16.

3. 3. Who discovered penicillin in 1928?

   • Sir Alexander Fleming — correct answer
   • Sir Robert Edwards
   • Sir Ian Wilmut
   • Sir Tim Berners-Lee

   Sir Alexander Fleming, who was born in Scotland, discovered penicillin in 1928 while working in a London hospital. Handbook section 4.16.

4. 4. What is penicillin used for?

   • Treating infections caused by bacteria — correct answer
   • Preventing broken bones
   • Testing eyesight
   • Cleaning drinking water

   Penicillin is used to treat bacterial infections, and its discovery has saved many millions of lives. Handbook section 4.16.

5. 5. Which British mathematician is often called the father of modern computing?

   • Alan Turing — correct answer
   • Francis Crick
   • Sir Frank Whittle
   • Sir Robert Watson-Watt

   Alan Turing's work on machines that follow instructions laid the foundations of modern computing. Handbook section 4.16.

6. 6. Which British scientist invented the World Wide Web?

   • Sir Tim Berners-Lee — correct answer
   • Alan Turing
   • James Goodfellow
   • Sir Frank Whittle

   Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, the system that lets people share pages and links over the internet. Handbook section 4.16.

7. 7. Which Scottish inventor made the first television transmission?

   • John Logie Baird — correct answer
   • Alexander Graham Bell
   • Sir Robert Watson-Watt
   • Sir Christopher Cockerell

   John Logie Baird made the first television transmission in the 1920s, sending a moving image from one place to another. Handbook section 4.16.

8. 8. What was Dolly the sheep the first of?

   • The first mammal cloned from an adult cell — correct answer
   • The first animal born through IVF
   • The first sheep bred in Scotland
   • The first animal to be given penicillin

   Dolly the sheep, created by scientists near Edinburgh, was the first mammal cloned successfully from an adult cell. Handbook section 4.16.

9. 9. Which two of these were invented in Britain?

   • The jet engine — correct answer
   • The hovercraft — correct answer
   • The printing press
   • The motor car

   The jet engine and the hovercraft were both British inventions, along with radar and the World Wide Web. Handbook section 4.16.