The Making of a Scientist Important Questions Class 10 Footprints without Feet English
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What happened with Ebright when he entered a county science fair for the first time?
Answer
He entered a county science fair Ebright for the first time. His entries were slides of frog tissues. But he did not win any prize.
Question 2. What lesson does Ebright learn when he does not win anything at a science fair?
Answer
Ebright realizes that were display of his collection does not mean science. To win at a science fair he will have to do real experiments and prove his worth.
Question 3. Mention any two Ebright contributions to the world of science.
Answer
Ebright made valuable contributions to the world of science. He discovered an unknown insect hormone and also determined how the cell could read the blueprint of its DNA.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Who were the important people in Albright’s life? Why
Answer
Ebright’s mother who encouraged him as a child and Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart O. had inspired him to study about butterflies were quite important in Albright’s life, Also, Ridded A Weathered, Albright’s Social Studies teacher opened Albright’s mind to new ideas and praised him for his handwork and indomitable spirit.
Question 2. Why did Richard Ebright give up tagging butterflies?
Answer
Richard Ebright lost interest in tagging butterflies as it was tedious and there was not much feedback. He could recapture only two butterflies in all the time he did it and they were not more than seventy five miles away from where he lived.
Question 3. Why did viceroy butterflies copy monarchs?
Answer
Viceroy butterflies copied monarchs because monarchs do not taste good to birds. Viceroy butterflies on the other hand taste good to birds. So, the more they look similar to monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s prey. Thus they protect themselves.
Question 4. What all hobbies did Albright develop in kindergarten?
Answer
As a child, Ebright had a driving curiosity. He was interested in learning new things. He was a good in studies and earned top grades in the class. He also collected rocks, fossils and coins. He became an eager astronomer too.
Question 5. What did Ebright realize when he started tagging butterflies?
Answer
Ebright started tagging monarch butterflies. He realized that chasing the butterflies one by one won’t enable him to each many. So he decided to raise a flock of butterflies.
Question 6. How did Richard Ebright excite the scientific world at the age of twenty-two?
Answer
Richard Ebright was just twenty-two when he ‘excited’ the scientific world with a new theory. It was on how cells worked. Ebright and his college room-mate explained the theory in an article in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’. It was the first time that this famous scientific journal had ever published the work of college students.
Question 7. What other interests besides science did Richard Ebright pursue?
Answer
Richard Ebright was a champion debater and public speaker. He was a good canoeist and all-around outdoor person. He was also an expert photographer, particularly of natural and scientific exhibits.
Question 8. Why did Richard Ebright start a project of tagging the butterflies?
Answer
Once Ebright’s mother bought him a book .’The Travels of Monarch X’. At the end of the hook, the writer Dr. A. Urquhart had invited readers to help him in the study of butterfly migration by tagging them. So he started tagging the butterflies.
Question 9. What lesson did Ebright learn when he did not win anything at the science fair?
Answer
When Ebright did not win anything at the science fair, he learnt a lesson that he needed to do real experiments, not simply make a neat display. His entry was slides of frog tissues which he showed under a microscope.
Question 10. Which project did Albright submit in his eighth grade? Why did he win?
Answer
For his eighth grade project, he tried to find the cause of a viral disease that killed all monarch caterpillars every few years. He thought it all happened because of a hectic and tried raising caterpillars in the presence of beetles but he did not get any results, but he went ahead and showed his experiments and trials arid won a prize.
Question 11. How can Albright’s theory of cell life be a revolution in the medical field if it is proved correct.
Answer
Ebright identified the chemical structure of the gold spot hormone and found so cells can read the blueprint of its DNA. To further test his theory, he began doing experiments’ if it proves correct it will be a big step towards understanding the process of life. It might lead to new ideas for preventing some types of cancer and diseases.
Question 12. What did Ebright realize when he did not win any prize in the county science fair?
Answer
He realised that the winners had tried to do real experiments. So he decided to do further research in his favorite field, that is, insects on which he had already been doing work.
Question 13. Why did Richard Ebright admire his teacher Richard A Weiherer?
Answer
Richard Ebright had great respect and admiration for his Social Studies teacher. He was Richard’s adviser to the Debating and Model United Nations Clubs. Richard A Weiherer was the perfect person for Ebright who opened his mind to new ideas.
Question 14. What experiments and projects does he then undertake?
Answer
He then undertakes the projects and experiments to find out what actually causes the viral disease that kills nearly all Monarch caterpillars. He then works on a project to test the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs to survive.
Question 15. What did Ebright discover about the spots on a monarch butterfly’s pupa?
Answer
Ebright tried to find out what was the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch butterfly’s pupa. To find the answer Ebright and another student built a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone. It was necessary for the butterfly’s full development.
Question 16. How did Ebright’s basement become home to thousands of monarch butterflies?
Answer
Richard Ebright used to send tagged monarch butterflies to Dr. Urquhart for his research work. Chasing butterflies one by one was difficult and he couldn’t catch many. So, he decided to raise some of the butterflies in his basement. He would catch a monarch butterfly, take her eggs and raise them. Then, he would tag the butterflies’ wings and let them go. So, his basement became home to thousands of monarch butterflies.
Question 17. Who was Dr. Frederick A Urquhart? Why did Richard Ebright look to him for fresh ideas?
Answer
Dr. Frederick A Urquhart was a scientist and teacher at the University of Toronto, Canada. He was doing research on butterfly migrations. Ebright sent him many tagged butterflies for his research work. Richard Ebright looked to him for fresh ideas and suggestions. Dr. Urquhart sent many suggestions for experiments which helped Richard Ebright in winning many prizes in County and International Science Fairs.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. To participate in the competition is more necessary than to win a prize. Explain this statement in the light of Ebright’s participation at the country science fair.
Answer
We know very well to win is a human nature. Everyone wants to get a winning place everywhere. Our life is full of different competitions at different levels. In these, competitions everyone of us wants to become a winner. But it is always not possible. When we enter any competition, we feel a great zeal. We try our best to get the top position there. But if we don’t get or achieve our goal, we feel disappointed.
Great thinkers have said that participation is more important than winning. The same is proved in Ebright success. Richards Ebright participated in the country science fair, but he lost. There he showed slides of frog tissues. He realised that he should have done some real experiments to be a winner. If he did not participate in that competition, the result might have been different.
Question 2. Describe Richard Ebright’s various achievements in science, particularly his great work on the monarch butterflies. Who did Ebright look to for getting fresh ideas and suggestions?
Answer
Richard Ebright had all the necessary ingredients that are required in the making of a scientist. He had a first-rate mind, was competitive and had the will to win. Above all, he was a great collector and never lost his scientific curiosity. His scientific journey started very early. While he was still in the second grade, he had collected all the species of butterflies found around his hometown. The Travels of Monarch X was the book that changed his life. It opened the world of science to the eager collector. His failure at his first county science fair taught him an important lesson. He learned that winners do real experiments. One of the most important projects of Richard Ebright was to prove that viceroy butterflies try to look like monarch butterflies. They do so to avoid being eaten by birds.
Ebright also proved that twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa produced a hormone that was necessary for the butterfly’s full development. His other project won first place for zoology at the International Fair. It showed that if cells are fed the hormone from the gold spots, they can develop into normal butterfly wing scales. The crowning achievement of Ebright’s brilliant scientific career was his work on the chemical structure of a hormone. He proved that a cell can read the blueprint of its DNA and thus DNA controls heredity and is the blueprint for life.3
Richard Ebright looked to Dr. Urquhat for fresh ideas and suggestions. The book, The Travels of Monarch X, opened the world of science to him. He sent tagged butterflies to Dr. Urquhart for his research works. Dr. Urquhart’s new ideas and suggestions helped Ebright to achieve prizes and honors in the county and International Science Fairs.
Question 3. Which book did Ebright mother get for him? How did it change his life?
Answer
Ebright’s mother got a children’s book called The Travel of Monarch X’ for him. The book invited readers to help study butterfly migrations and actively participate in tagging butterflies to help in the research being conducted by Dr Frederick A. Urquhart. Ebright then went on to raise an entire flock of butterflies in the basement of his home. In this way the book managed to keep his enthusiasm in the study of butterflies alive for several years and opened the world of science to the young collector who never lost his scientific curiosity.
Question 4. Besides curiosity a number of other values are required to become a successful scientist. Explain with reference to the chapter, ‘The Making of a Scientist’.
Answer
From very young age Richard Ebright was competitive and put in extra effort with curiosity for the right reason to win. But his mother was always very dedicated and made his spirits rise high. He did not lose heart even after losing when he was in seventh grade. To him people around were very encouraging.
His mother’s encouragement was really an eye-opener. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipment. Thus constant support of each other opened a new world. This helps us to conclude that hard work, parental guidance and keen observation are the qualities which help one to excel.
Question 5. ‘Success is failure turned inside out’. Prove the above statement with instances from the journey taken by Richard Ebright from losing at the science fair to winning at the international fair.
Answer
Success is the fruit of failure. It never comes straight but through failure. This can be seen in the life of Richard Ebright. Although he earned top grades in school, on everyday things he was just like every other kid. He faced many failures in his life but every failure strengthened his will to succeed. When he was in seventh grade he participated in County Science Fair with his slides of frog tissues. But he could not win a prize. This made him determined to win the prize and in his eighth grade, he again participated in the science fair with the experiment of viral disease in monarch caterpillars and won the prize. The very next year he participated with his experiment of whether viceroy butterflies copy the monarch butterflies in order to save their life from the birds and this project won Ebright, third prize in the overall county science fair.
His experiment regarding gold spots of monarch liar which he built a device that showed. That the spots produced hormones necessary for the full development of butterflies won third prize in international science and engineering fair.
Next year his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa won him first place at the international science fair. Thus, for Richard Ebright, we can say that success is failure turned inside out.
Question 6. How did Ebright discover an unknown insect hormone?
Answer
In his second year in high school, Ebright’s research led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone. Indirectly, it led to his new theory on the life of cells. He tried to answer a very simple question. What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa? To prove Ebright and one other student-built a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone. It was necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair. There he won third place for zoology.