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General ScienceMediumAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper I

Who among the following has coined the term 'Quark', the fundamental particles that make up protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus ?

  1. A.Richard Feynman
  2. B.Murray Gell-Mann
  3. C.Albert Einstein
  4. D.Niels Bohr

Correct answer

B. Murray Gell-Mann

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Murray Gell-Mann. The American physicist Murray Gell-Mann proposed quarks in 1964 and gave them their name.

Gell-Mann, and independently George Zweig, suggested that protons, neutrons and other such particles are built from smaller units. Gell-Mann took the word quark from a line in James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake, "Three quarks for Muster Mark", which suited a proton made of three quarks. A proton has two up quarks and one down quark, and a neutron has one up and two down. Six types, or flavours, of quark are now known. Gell-Mann won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1969 for his work on classifying elementary particles.

A is wrong because Richard Feynman is known for quantum electrodynamics and Feynman diagrams, and he called such particles partons. C is wrong because Albert Einstein is known for relativity and the photoelectric effect. D is wrong because Niels Bohr gave the model of the atom with electrons in fixed orbits.

Exam tip: quark = Murray Gell-Mann, 1964, name from James Joyce; proton = up, up, down.

Practice Questions

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Q1.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following are nitrogen-fixing plants?

1. Alfalfa

2. Amaranth

3. Chickpea

4. Clover

5. Purslane (Kulfa)

6. Spinach

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A.1, 3 and 4 only
  2. B.1, 3, 5 and 6 only
  3. C.2, 4, 5 and 6 only
  4. D.1, 2, 4, 5 and 6
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1, 3 and 4 only

Alfalfa, chickpea and clover are legumes, and legumes fix nitrogen. Plants of the legume family (Fabaceae) carry root nodules that house Rhizobium bacteria.

Q2.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

The mass number of an element is NOT changed when it emits

  1. A.Alpha and Beta radiations only
  2. B.Alpha and Gamma radiations only
  3. C.Beta and Gamma radiations only
  4. D.Alpha, Beta and Gamma radiations
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Beta and Gamma radiations only

Neither beta nor gamma emission changes the total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus, so the mass number stays the same.

Q3.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which one among the following statements about facilitated transport in plants is correct?

  1. A.All passive transports are types of facilitated transport.
  2. B.Facilitated transport is an example of active transport.
  3. C.Water moves across plasma membrane by active transport.
  4. D.Facilitated transport requires assistance of carrier proteins.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Facilitated transport requires assistance of carrier proteins.

In facilitated transport, molecules cross the membrane with the help of membrane proteins, while still moving down their concentration gradient.

Q5.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IEasy

Which one of the following is the chemical name of heavy water?

  1. A.Hydrogen oxide
  2. B.Deuterium dioxide
  3. C.Deuterium oxide
  4. D.Heavy hydrogen oxide
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Deuterium oxide

Heavy water is D₂O: two atoms of deuterium joined to one atom of oxygen. Deuterium is the isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron in its nucleus, so it is about twice as heavy as ordinary hydrogen.