Which invention is credited to Cyrus McCormick?

• A. Vacuum milking glove
• B. Mechanical reaper
• C. Telephone
• D. Light bulb

Answer: (B)

Identifying the inventor of a pivotal farming machine. The mechanical reaper, a horse-drawn device that cuts grain and lays it in rows for easy gathering, dramatically sped up harvests compared with hand scythes. Cyrus McCormick refined and commercialized this invention in the 1830s, earning a U.S. patent in 1834 and popularizing mechanized harvesting across farming regions. This breakthrough enabled much larger wheat production and helped transform agriculture toward larger-scale operations. The other items listed were invented by different people (the telephone by Bell, the electric light by Edison), whereas the reaper is specifically credited to McCormick.