MCQs in History of Microbiology (Part II)

1. Which of the following bacteria was not discovered byRobert Koch?

a)      Bacillus anthracis

b)      Mycobacterium tuberculosis

c)       Salmonella typhi

d)      Vibrio cholerae

2. Which of the following scientist first described the usefulness ofAzotobacteras a free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria?

a)      H. Hellriegel

b)      H. Wilfarth

c)       Martinus willem Beijerinick

d)      Sergei Winogradsky

Figure: History of Microbiology II

3. Which of the following scientist first showed a mutually beneficial relationship between bacteria and leguminous plants?

a)      H. Hellriegel and H. Wilfarth

b)      Nocard and Roux

c)       Sergei Winogradsky and Martinus Willem Beijerinck

d)      Welch and Nuttall

4. All of the following scientists gotNobel Prize for their contribution to the field of Microbiologyexcept

a)      Antony Van Leeuwenhoek

b)      Elie Metchnikoff

c)       Paul Ehrlich

d)      Robert Koch

5. All of the following scientists supported the idea of “spontaneous generation” of animals except:

Figure: This Experiment proved maggots came from flies

a)      Aristotle

b)      Francesco Redi

c)       John Needham

d)      Felix Archimede Pouchet

6. Which of the following scientist tried to disprove the spontaneous generation theory by passing air through cotton into flasks containing heated broth?

a)      Franz Schulze

b)      H. Schroder and T. Von Dusch

c)       Lazaro Spallanzani

d)      Theodor Schwann

7. Which of the following scientist tried to disprove spontaneous generation theory by passing air into his flasks through red hot tubes?

a)      Franz Schulze

b)      H. Schroder and T. Von Dusch

c)       Lazaro Spallanzani

d)      Theodor Schwann

8. Which of the following scientist tried to disprove Spontaneous generation theory by using simple goose-necked flasks?

Figure: Swan necked experiment  to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation

a)      Franz Schulze

b)      H. Schroder and T. Von Dusch

c)       Louis Pasteur

d)      Theodor Schwann

9. Which of the following scientist tried to disprove the spontaneous generation theory by passing air through strong acid solutions into boiled infusions?

a)      Franz Schulze

b)      H. Schroder and T. Von Dusch

c)       Louis Pasteur

d)      Theodor Schwann

10. Which of the following scientist carried out an experiment in a specially designed box to prove dust carried the germs?

a)      H. Schroder and T. Von Dusch

b)      John Tyndall

c)       Lazaro Spallanzani

d)      Louis Pasteur

History of Microbiology: Answer Key & Notes

1. Correct Answer: c (Salmonella typhi)

2. Correct Answer: c (Martinus Willem Beijerinck)

3. Correct Answer: c (Sergei Winogradsky and Martinus Willem Beijerinck)

• Note: Sergei Winogradsky is widely recognized as the "Father of Soil Microbiology."

4. Correct Answer: a (Antony Van Leeuwenhoek)

• Historical Milestones: Robert Koch was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1905. Elie Metchnikoff (often referred to as the "Father of Natural Immunity") and Paul Ehrlich were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908 for their work on immunity.

5. Correct Answer: b (Francesco Redi)

• Historical Milestone: He was among the first scientists to design controlled experiments to challenge and disprove the Aristotelian theory of spontaneous generation (abiogenesis).

6. Correct Answer: b (H. Schröder and T. von Dusch)

• Historical Milestone: In their famous 1854 experiment, they passed air into flasks containing sterile organic infusions through a plug of cotton wool; no growth of microorganisms was observed, proving that cotton wool filters out airborne microbes.

7. Correct Answer: d (Theodor Schwann)

8. Correct Answer: c (Louis Pasteur)

9. Correct Answer: a (Franz Schulze)

• Historical Milestone: Operating between 1815 and 1873, Schulze conducted early abiogenesis refutation experiments by passing entering air through highly concentrated potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sulfuric acid solutions before it reached a boiled infusion.

10. Correct Answer: b (John Tyndall)

• Historical Milestone: Tyndall developed the process of fractional sterilization (now known as Tyndallization) to destroy highly heat-resistant bacterial endospores.