Who invented the reaper?

• A. Cyrus McCormick
• B. John Deere
• C. Eli Whitney
• D. James Watt

Answer: (A)

The question focuses on who created the mechanical reaper, a machine that can cut standing grain and prepare it for threshing, dramatically increasing harvesting speed and reducing labor. Cyrus McCormick designed and built the first commercially successful reaper and secured a patent in the 1830s (the patent came in 1834). His design automated the cutting process, enabling a single farmer to harvest large fields much faster than with hand sickles, which fundamentally changed grain production, helped drive westward expansion, and spurred ongoing innovation in farm machinery.

John Deere is known for the steel plow, which helped farmers work prairie soil, Eli Whitney popularized interchangeable parts along with the cotton gin, and James Watt improved the steam engine; none of these invented the reaper.