UPSC Prelims 2006 Q47: Science & Technology – Science & Technology History
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
Recent Scientific Achievement : Country
- (a) Creating the World’s first mouse : United Kingdom
- (b) Cloning a human embryo for the first time : Germany
- (c) Guiding a spacecraft for collision with a comet : United States of America
- (d) Landing a spacecraft on an asteroid : Japan
Answer: (b) Cloning a human embryo for the first time : Germany
Explanation
Recent scientific achievements and countries
| Achievement | Country | Matched correctly? |
|---|---|---|
| Creating the world's first mouse (as listed) | United Kingdom | Accepted as correct |
| Cloning a human embryo for the first time | South Korea, not Germany | No |
| Guiding a spacecraft to collide with a comet | USA (Deep Impact, 2005) | Yes |
| Landing a spacecraft on an asteroid | Japan (Hayabusa on Itokawa, 2005) | Yes |
The first cloned human embryo claim belonged to South Korea (Hwang Woo-suk's team, 2004), so the pairing with Germany is incorrect.
Answer: (b) Cloning a human embryo for the first time : Germany.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. This pair is accepted as correctly matched in the published key.
- (b) CORRECT. The first cloned human embryo was credited to South Korea, not Germany.
- (c) Incorrect. NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft struck comet Tempel 1 in 2005, so this pair is correct.
- (d) Incorrect. Japan's Hayabusa touched down on asteroid Itokawa in 2005, so this pair is correct.
Key point
The first cloning of a human embryo was credited to South Korea, so pairing it with Germany is the incorrect match.
Remember
Human embryo cloning claim: South Korea, not Germany.
Common mistakes
- Giving the cloning milestone to a European country.
- Confusing Deep Impact (comet) with asteroid missions.
- Not recalling Japan's Hayabusa mission.
Exam tip
2005 space firsts: Deep Impact (USA, comet); Hayabusa (Japan, asteroid).
Sources
- NASA — Deep Impact mission (impact on Comet Tempel 1, 4 July 2005)
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — Hayabusa asteroid explorer: touchdown on Itokawa (2005)