NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 6 The Making of a Scientist

The Making of a Scientist Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
So he did, and did he ever! Beginning in kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with same determination that has marked all his activities.
(a) What does ‘he did’ in the extract refer to?
(b) What else did he collect other than butterflies?
(c) Find a word from the extract which means ‘resolutenesss’.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘Beginning’?
Answer:
(a) ‘he did’ refers to Richard’s habit of collecting various things.
(b) He collected fossils, coins and rocks other than butterflies.
(c) ‘Determination’ is a word from the extract which means ‘resoluteness’.
(d) Its opposite is ‘Ending’

Question 2.
He would catch a female monarch, take her eggs, and raise them in his basement through their life cycle
(a) Who is ‘he’ in this extract?
(b) Why does he raise butterflies?
(c) Find a synonym for the word ‘rear’ from the extract given above.
(d) What part of speech is ‘them’?
Answer:
(a) Richard Ebright is ‘he’ in this extract.
(b) He raised butterflies to study their migration pattern.
(c) ‘Raise’ is the synonym of‘rear’ from the extract.
(d) It is a pronoun

Question 3.
“It was really a sad feeling to sit there and not get anything while everybody else had won something.”
(a) Who is the speaker of the above lines?
(b) Where was he competing at?
(c) Find a word from the extract which is the opposite of ‘nobody’.
(d) Write a synonym of ‘sad’.
Answer:
(a) Richard Ebright is the speaker of the above lines.
(b) He was competing at a county science fair.
(c) ‘Everybody’ is the opposite of ‘nobody’ from the extract.
(d) Its synonym is ‘Gloomy’.

Question 4.
If the theory proves correct, it will be a big step towards understanding the processes of life. [CBSE 2012]
(a) What is the theory about?
(b) Who proposed the theory?
(c) Which part of speech is ‘life’ as used in the given extract?
(d) Give a synonym of ‘correct’.
Answer:
(a) The theory is about how cells read their DNA.
(b) The theory was proposed by Richard Ebright and his friend James R. Wong.
(c) It is used as a noun.
(d) Its synonym is ‘right’.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.
What rare achievement did Richard manage at the age of twenty-two?
Answer:
Richard had a rare honour at the age of twenty-two. He wrote an article with his friend about a theory of how cells work. The article was published in the scientific journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.’ No one had this achievement at such a young age before him.

Question 2.
Richard became a collector at an early age. How?
Answer:
Richard was the only child of his parents. He had no company at home to play with. So, he started collecting things in his spare time. He would collect coins, fossils, rocks and butterflies as a hobby.

Question 3.
Comment on the role played by Richard’s mother in his success.
Or
How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist? [CBSE 2015]
Answer:
Richard’s mother made Richard the centre of her life. She would buy microscopes, telescopes and books for him. She arranged trips for him and would also prepare difficult tasks for him. This helped him to learn a lot.

Question 4.
How did ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ prove a turning point in his life?
Answer:
Richard was bored with collecting butterflies. At this time, his mother got the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ for him. After reading the book, he studied the migration of butterflies and it opened the world of science to him.

Question 5.
Why did Richard lose interest in tagging butterflies?
Answer:
Richard raised thousands of butterflies, tagged them and released them to study their migration. But soon, he lost interest because only two of his tagged butterflies were returned to him and they had travelled only seventy-five miles.

Question 6.
Which project did Richard undertake in the eighth grade?
Answer:
Richard undertook the project to find the cause of a viral fever that had killed thousands of butterflies. He thought that a beetle might carry the virus although he was not able to prove it.

Question 7.
Richard’s project on the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa was highly valuable in two ways. List the two ways.
Answer:
This project had a huge impact. First, he discovered a hormone that was necessary for the growth of the pupa. Secondly, he got a chance to work at a famous laboratory.

Question 8.
Mentionany two of Ebright’s contributions to the world of science. [CBSE 2011]
Answer:
Ebright discovered a hormone that was necessary for the growth of a butterfly. His other important contribution proved to be his study of how cells read their DNA.

Question 9.
In addition to science, what were the other interests of Richard?
Answer:
A part from science, Richard was a good debater and a public speaker as well as a canoeist and an all-round a outdoors person. He loved photography as well.

Question 10.
Mr. Weiherer pays a glowing tribute to Richard. What did he say?
Answer:
Mr. Weiherer was Ebright’s social studies teacher. He praised him for his brilliant mind, his curiosity and a will to win for the right reason. He also admired Richard for his spirit to do his very best all the time.

Question 11.
Why do viceroy butterflies copy the monarch butterflies?
Answer:
Birds eat viceroy butterflies because they taste good to them, whereas monarch butterflies do not taste good to the birds. So the viceroys try to copy the monarchs to protect themselves from the birds.

Question 12.
Hobbies play a very important role in one’s life; elaborate this with reference to “The Making of a Scientist”. [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
Richard Ebright started collecting butterflies as a hobby. This led him to research and discover many things. Hence, hobbies play an important role in one’s life.

Question 13.
What were the factors which contributed in making Ebright a scientist? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Three qualities of Ebright which contributed were a first rate mind, a sense of curiosity and a will to win for the right reason.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.
Richard’s mother had a great influence on him. Discuss.
Or
Discuss the role of Ebright’s mother in making him a scientist. [CBSE 2011]
Answer:
Richard’s mother played a huge role in making him a great scientist. She would take him on trips to encourage learning. He was a single child. After his father died, his mother made him the focus of her life. She would buy him all kinds of microscopes, telescopes and other equipment. After dinner, she gave him problems to solve. This helped Richard to learn a lot. She was his only companion for a long time. It was his mother who got him the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. This book opened the world of science for Richard. She also wrote to Dr Urquhart to guide her son. The scientist helped Richard and guided him. Thus, his mother actually shaped him into an extraordinary scientist.

Question 2.
Ebright’s study of monarch pupas had a far reaching impact. Elaborate.
Answer:
For a long time the scientific community had regarded the bright spots on a monarch pupa as purely ornamental. But Dr Urquhart did not believe it. Nor did Richard. He started his experiments on the monarch pupa. He built a device with the help of a friend. This led to the discovery of a hormone. Richard proved that the hormone was necessary for the growth of the butterfly. This discovery got him many honours. Also, it led to another important study. He began working on how cells read their DNA. DNA is the carrier of heredity and is called the blueprint of life. His theory could find answers to many cancers and diseases.

Question 3.
Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. Do you agree? Elucidate in the context of the given text. [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
Richard’s genius was obvious by the time he was in his second grade. He managed to collect all twenty-five . species of butterflies around his hometown and classify them. He also loved to collect coins, fossils and rocks. Science was not his only passion. He was an active member of his school’s oratory club and model United Nations club and was an effective debater and a public speaker. He loved photography as well.
He was an enthusiastic canoeist and an all-around outdoors person. Learning was easy for him. So he found it simple to devote time and energy to many other interests. He became a champion in whatever he did. He believed in the spirit of competition to win. But, he did not wish to defeat others just to win. He wanted to win to do his best. Thus, he displayed a well-tounded personality.

Question 4.
Dr Urquhart contributed significantly to Ebright’s growth as a scientist. Explain
Answer:
Richard had become bored with collecting butterflies. His mother got him a book on the migration of butterflies. Richard came in contact with Dr Urquhart through the book. Dr Urquhart directed him to study the migration pattern of butterflies.
When he did not win any prize in the science fair in seventh grade, he again wrote to Dr Urquhart to guide him. The scientist gave him many suggestions for new experiments. Richard performed these experiments throughout his high school and won many prizes. Later, he worked on why bright spots are found on a monarch pupa, motivated by Dr Urquhart. It led to the discovery of a new hormone. The discovery of this new hormone further led to an important theory. The theory was about how cells read their DNA. In this way Dr Urquhart proved to be his true mentor.

Question 5.
What are the values required to become a successful scientist like Richard Ebright? Elaborate with reference to the lesson ‘The Making of a Scientist’.
Answer:
Curiosity to know more and a motivation to find reasons for existence of anything or any phenomena are necessary for becoming a successful scientist. The urge to know more develops the scientific aptitude in a person. At a very young age, Ebright became competitive by participating in various county fairs. He never lost hope and kept on trying to do better. In addition to curiosity and motivation, Ebright displayed the qualities of hard work, sincerity, determination and patience. He also accepted failure and success in the right spirit. Thus, he became a successful scientist.