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

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

Students often find it difficult to deal with various subjects, questions and their solutions. We recommend you all to use these NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English. Take the advantage of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 6 The Making of a Scientist, which will provide you with all that’s needed for succeeding in the examinations and tests. The making of a scientist describes the story of a scientist named Richard Ebright who received a prestigious award named Schering Plough and Searle Scholar award in the field of molecular biology. He was very fascinated about butterflies.

The Making of a Scientist NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Making of a Scientist Read and Find out

Question 1.
How did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
Or
How did a children’s book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ open the world of science to Richard Ebright?
Answer:
Ebright was running after butterflies not knowing that he was pursuing his career as a scientist but when he read the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’, he was excited to know that the readers were invited to tag the butterflies for research by Dr Urquhart. Since then there was no turning back. He became a great scientist.

Question 2.
How did his mother help him?
Answer:
His mother encouraged him to collect things like rocks, coins and butterflies. She also tried to get some work for him to satisfy his intellectual thirst for knowledge.

Question 3.
What lesson does Ebright learn when he does not win anything at a science fair?
Answer:
At the science fair when he did not win any prize, Ebright learnt a lesson that merely a neat display of models and slides was not enough to fetch prizes. The winners need to do something different and this “different” should be the real and original experiments.

Question 4.
What experiments and projects does he then undertake?
Answer:
Ebright tried to find out the cause of a viral disease that kills almost all the monarch caterpillars every few years. Then next to be tested was the theory that viceroy butterflies copy the monarchs.

Question 5.
What are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist?
Answer:
A scientist has got to be inquisitive by nature. He should continue his job with the same level of interest. He should not be interested in winning the prizes but in doing the best job.

The Making of a Scientist Think About It

Question 1.
How can one become a scientist, an economist, a historian ? Does it simply involve reading many books on the subject? Does it involve observing, thinking and doing experiments?
Answer:
It is not only the basic aptitude of a person that determines whether he would become a scientist or an economist or a historian. But a person can try his hand on any profession by delving deep into that field of knowledge. One should not depend upon others to provide opportunities but should generate opportunities by working hard seriously in order to do that work in the best possible manner. A thirst for knowledge, dedication, readiness to donate time will always bring wonderful results. Yes, it absolutely involves observing, thinking and doing experiments.

Question 2.
You must have read about cells and DNA in your science books. Discuss Richard Ebright’s work in the light of what you have studied. If you get an opportunity to work like Richard Ebright on projects and experiments, which field would you like to work on and why?
Answer:
Richard Ebright has done a wonderful job by studying the DNA of butterflies. I always felt that
‘ DNA is only for human beings, but now I realise it is a surprising phenomenon which controls and determines the heredity of an individual be it insect, bird or larger animals. If I get an opportunity7 like Ebright, I will certainly choose waterbodies and their conservation, purification of w7ater. cleaning of the rivers, etc.

The Making of a Scientist Extra Questions and Answers

The Making of a Scientist Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What opened the world of science for Richard Ebright?
Answer:
Ebright was encouraged by his mother. He kept on enriching his treasure of rocks, fossils, coins and butterflies. He collected all 25 varieties. His mother bought him a book The Travels of Monarch X. It opened a new world of science to him.

Question 2.
“Without the support and motivation of his mother, Richard Ebright would not have been a successful scientist.” Do you agree? Elaborate.
Answer:
It is true that without the support and motivation of his mother, Richard Ebright would not have been a successful scientist. It was his mother who recognised his driving curiosity and bright mind. She always encouraged his interest in learning. She organised trips for him so that he could learn more.

Question 3.
What other interests, besides science, did Richard Ebright pursue?
Answer:
Besides science, Ebright had pursued some other interests too. He was an all-rounder. He was a champion debater, a good public speaker and a good canoeist. He was an expert photographer too.

Question 4.
“Richard Ebright had all the ingredients required for the making of a scientist.” Do you agree?
Answer:
Yes, I agree that Ebright had all the ingredients required for making a scientist. For becoming a scientist, one needs to be a keen observer, thinker and hardworking person. Scientific curiosity is the most important ingredient required in the making of a scientist. Richard Ebright had all these elements in him right from the beginning.

Question 5.
Why did Richard Ebright give up tagging of butterflies?
Answer:
Ebright lost interest in tagging butterflies because it was tedious and there was not much feedback. He could capture only two butterflies.

Question 6.
Why did Viceroy butterflies copy the Monarchs?
Answer:
The viceroy butterflies taste good, whereas the monarch butterflies do not taste good. Naturally, the birds do not eat the monarch butterflies. So in order to protect themselves from the birds, they copy the monarchs and mislead the birds.

Question 7.
“But there was one thing I could do – collect things.” What collection did Ebright make? When did he start making the collection?
Answer:
Ebright did not have friends when he was in Pennsylvania. He had no one to play with. He started collecting things from his surroundings. He used to collect rocks, fossils, coins and butterflies. He started making a collection in his childhood.

Question 8.
What was Ebright’s achievement in his senior year?
Answer:
Ebright had scientific curiosity right from the beginning. In his second grade, he had collected all the twenty-five species of butterflies found in that area.

Question 9.
How did Ebright raise a flock of butterflies?
Answer:
When Ebright realized that butterflies could only be caught for six weeks in late summer, he started raising them in the basement with the help of the monarch butterflies.

Question 10.
What opened the world of science to Ebright?
Answer:
One day his mother gave him a book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. This book was about the migration of butterflies to central America. It opened the world of science to Ebright.

Question 11.
How did Richard Ebright excite the world of science at the age of twenty-two?
Answer:
At the age of twenty-two, Richard Ebright excited the scientific world with a new theory on how cells work. Richard Ebright and his roommate explained the theory in an article published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’.

Question 12.
How did Ebright spend his time in Pennsylvania?
Answer:
In his childhood, in Pennsylvania, Ebright did not have friends to play with. He used to spend his time in collecting fossils and rocks. He became an eager astronomer too. He used his time in star-gazing all night.

Question 13.
How was Ebright as a student in the school?
Answer:
Ebright was a brilliant student. He earned top grades in his class. When he was in second grade, he had collected all the twenty-five species of butterflies. He was a keen learner.

Question 14.
Why did Ebright start a project of tagging the butterflies?
Answer:
Ebright used to collect different species of butterflies. He had collected all the species of butterflies found in that area. He read the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. At the end of the book, the readers were asked to help study butterflies’ migration. So, Ebright started tagging the butterflies.

Question 15.
What was Ebright’s first project in a competition? What did he learn from his defeat?
Answer:
Ebright’s first project in a competition was in his seventh grade. His entry was slides of frog tissues which he showed under a microscope. He did not win any prize. He learnt that mere neat display of facts does not win a prize. One must work on real projects.

Question 16.
What was the project of Ebright in the eighth grade? What was the result?
Answer:
For his eighth grade project, Ebright found the cause of a viral disease that kills all monarch caterpillars every few years. He tried to prove this fact but could not get any results. However, his efforts were appreciated and he won a prize.

Question 17.
What was his science fair project?
Answer:
His science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarch. The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs to save themselves from the birds which don’t like monarchs. So the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s dinner.

Question 18.
Which project led Richard Ebright towards his theory on the life of cells?
Answer:
In his second year, Ebright studied the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa. He concluded that these spots were not ornamental but they produced hormones necessary for their development. This project led him towards his theory on the life of cells.

Question 19.
When and how did Ebright get the idea of his new theory about cell life?
Answer:
During the junior year, Ebright got the idea for his new theory about cell life. He was looking at X-ray photos of the chemical structure of a hormone. Seeing the photos, he believed that the photos gave him the answer to the puzzle—how the cells can read the blueprint of its DNA.

Question 20.
Why was it a great achievement for Ebright when his article was published in the magazine ‘The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’?
Answer:
It was for the first time that the article of a student was published in this important science journal. It was like making a big league at the age of fifteen. It was indeed a great achievement.

Question 21.
Why could Ebright not play baseball?
Answer:
Ebright could not play baseball because he was a solitary child with no companion at home. In fact, from his early childhood, he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind.

Question 22.
How did Dr. Urquhart encourage Ebright through a book?
Answer:
Dr Urquhart wrote in his book a note for the readers for inviting them to tag butterflies. Ebright started tagging the butterflies and whoever came across those tags was requested to send them to Dr Urquhart. Thus, he learnt to take keen interest in his job and involve other people in the projects.

The Making of a Scientist Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
“Failure is a step towards success.” How did a failure in the first competition help Ebright in becoming a successful scientist? What do you learn from this?
Answer:
Richard Ebright had scientific curiosity right from his chidhood. He always spent his time in observa-tion of his surroundings. He was an intelligent boy having interest in collection of fossils, rocks and other things. His mother recognised his driving curiosity along with his bright mind. He worked hard and entered a county science fair with a project on frog tissue. He did not win anything.

He realised that the winners should try to do real experiments. A simple and neat display of facts does not win a prize. He failed to win a prize but this failure was a step towards success. He was not demotivated. It was a learning for him. We should learn from it that we should never give up and move on. After that failure, Ebright worked on real experiment and became a successful scientist.

Question 2.
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Ebright had a will to become a scientist but did not have enough resources. How does will and curiosity help us in becoming a successful person in our life? Elaborate with reference to Ebright.
Ans.
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Ebright had a will to become a scientist but did not have enough resources. His will and curiosity was satisfied by his mother till his school education. He worked hard on various projects and models and won many prizes. As a high school junior, he continued his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa.

His hard work was rewarded and he won a prize. This gave him another chance to work in a well equipped advanced Army Laboratory during the summer. In his senior year, he again got an opportunity to work at the army laboratory. Thus, he was able to conduct many experiments. His will to work and curiosity overcame the lack of resources and helped him in becoming a successful scientist. When we are willing to do something, resources are automatically generated. We get help from every corner.

Question 3.
Richard did not win a prize in the competition but he did not lose hope and continued working hard and finally succeeded and became a successful scientist. As a student what is more important, participation in the competition or a prize? How would you react to not winning a prize in a competition?
Answer:
Winning a prize in any competition is the most desirable thing for all of us. We want to win as it motivates us for more hard work. But everyone cannot be the winner. For me participating in the competition is more important than winning a prize. If one participates in the competition and does not win a prize, it should not demotivate one.

We should continue hard work. Richard is an example to follow. He did not win anything at the science fair but it was a stepping stone for his success. He continued hard work and one day became a successful scientist. As a student it is more important for me to participate in the competition rather than craving for a prize. If I don’t get a prize in any competition it will not demotivate me. It will be a stepping stone for me to move ahead.

Question 4.
Curiosity and motivation are the basic foundation for becoming a successful scientist. In addition to it what are the other values required in becoming a successful scientist. What do you learn from
the character of Richard? Elaborate with reference to the lesson ‘The Making of Scientist’.
Answer:
Curiosity and motivation are the basic foundation for becoming a successful scientist. It is the urge to know more that develops scientific aptitude. One cannot be a rational, well informed person if one does not have curiosity to know more. One has to think differently if one wants to do something different. Richard Ebright is an example. At a very young age Richard Ebright was competitive. He put in extra effort in his work. He was always curious to know more about the things around him.

In addition to curiosity and motivation, there are many other values which are required in becoming a successful person. One has to be hardworking, sincere, determined and patient. One should never lose hope but should be optimistic. One must accept success and failure in the right spirit. I learn the value of curiosity, hard work, determination and strong willpower from the life of Richard Ebright.

Conclusion

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Supplementary Reader Footprints without Feet