Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Proteins
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This analogy question checks your awareness of scientific discoveries and the scientists associated with them. Robert Hooke and Gerrit Jan Mulder are both notable names in the history of biology and chemistry. To solve the analogy, you need to recall which major discovery or concept each scientist is associated with and then pair the second scientist with the correct type of substance.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
In this analogy, the first term is a scientist and the second term is the key discovery or concept strongly associated with that scientist. Robert Hooke observed tiny compartments in cork and called them cells, making him historically connected with the cell concept. In exactly the same way, we must identify which group of food or body substances Mulder is known for studying and naming. This requires linking Mulder to proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or minerals.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Clarify the first pair. Hooke used an early microscope to examine cork and reported box like structures, which he named cells. This created a lasting association between Hooke and the concept of the cell.
Step 2: Recognise the pattern: Scientist to key concept or discovery.
Step 3: Recall Mulder's contribution. Gerrit Jan Mulder was a Dutch chemist who worked on the composition of organic substances and is closely associated with the early concept and naming of proteins.
Step 4: Compare Mulder's work with each option. Carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins have different historical discoverers and naming histories.
Step 5: Proteins are the group of biomolecules that Mulder studied in detail, analysing their composition and introducing the word protein into scientific usage.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can restate the analogy explicitly:
Hooke : cells :: Mulder : proteins.
Hooke is famous for discovering and naming cells. Mulder is famous for characterising and naming proteins as distinct nitrogen rich organic compounds. The parallel is scientist to the structural or chemical unit he is known for, which confirms that proteins are the correct match.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Carbohydrates: Important biomolecules, but their systematic study and naming are not specifically linked to Mulder in the same way.
Minerals: These are inorganic substances, and mineralogy is a different field; Mulder is not especially famous for mineral studies.
Vitamins: Vitamins were identified and named later by other scientists such as Casimir Funk and others, not primarily by Mulder.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the roles of different scientists and guess based on what seems like a common nutrition term such as vitamins or carbohydrates. Another mistake is assuming that any nutrient can fit, without recalling the specific historical association. For analogy questions, you must identify the unique and most famous contribution of each scientist rather than any loosely related topic.
Final Answer:
Mulder is most closely associated with the study and naming of Proteins, so Proteins correctly complete the analogy.
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