CBSE Class 10 English The Making of a Scientist HOTS

Extract Based Questions :

1 : “So he did and did he ever ! Beginning in Kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with the same determination that has marked all his activities. He also collected rocks, fossils, and coins. He became an eager astronomer, too, sometimes star-gazing all night.”

Question. Who is ‘he’ here ?
(a) Richard H Ebright
(b) Dr. Urquhart
(c) Richard A Weiherer
(d) James R Wong.
Answer. A

Question. What more did he collect besides butterflies?
(a) Fossils
(b) Rocks
(c) Coins
(d) All the above.
Answer. D

Question. What did he do at some night?
(a) He collected butterflies.
(b) He played music.
(c) He gazed at stars all night.
(d) None of these.
Answer. C

Question. Find a word from the passage that means the same as ‘strong will-power’
Answer. determination.

Question. Name the author of the story.
Answer. Robert W. Peterson

2 : “From the first he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. He also had a mother who encouraged his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescope, microscope, cameras, mounting materials, and other equipment and helped him in many other ways.”

Question. How did Richard’s mother perform her duties?
(a) She took him on trips.
(b) She bought him many useful instruments.
(c) She helped and guided him many ways.
(d) All the above.
Answer. D

Question. What did Ebright desire ?
(a) Ebright had a driving curiosity.
(b) Ebright did not want to buy any useful instruments.
(c) He wanted to become a Musician.
(d) None of these.
Answer. A

Question. What does the word ‘bright’ mean here ?
(a) Vivid and quick.
(b) Curious and intelligent.
(c) Light and sharp.
(d) Silent and golden.
Answer. B

Question. What was the role of Ebright’s mother in his life?
Answer. She identified his interests and inclinations and channelized his energies in right direction.

Question. Find the word from the extract which is synonym to the word ‘apparatus’.
Answer. Equipment.

3 : When he saw those photos, Ebright didn’t shout. ‘Eureka !’ or even, ‘I’ve got it !’ But he believed that, along with his findings about insect hormones, the photos gave him the answer to one of biology’s puzzles : how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and function of the cell. Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life. Ebright and his collage room-mate, James R Wong, worked all that night drawing pictures and constructing plastic models of molecules to show how it could happen. Together they later wrote the paper that explained the theory.

Question. Ebright was perhaps expected to shout : ‘Eureka !’ because he had :
(a) Realised that he needed a partner to work with to finalise his findings.
(b) Discovered something new and ‘Eureka !’ was a cry to announce it.
(c) Worked hard and was relieved at nearing the end of his project.
(d) Given shape to the teachings of his teachers by choosing this field of science.
Answer. B

Question. “Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life”, is another way of saying that the DNA contains a genetic :
(a) Experiments
(b) Ultimatum
(c) Plan
(d) Takeaway.
Answer. C

Question. Compound words are those words which are formed by joining two separate words to create a new word with an entirely different meaning. Now choose the option that lists the compound words from the above extract: 1. Determines 2. Blueprints 3. Nucleus 4. Heredity 5. Room-mate.
(a) 1, 3
(b) 1, 5
(c) 2, 3
(d) 2, 5.
Answer. D

Question. Which biology’s puzzle was going to be answered with the help of his finding ?
Answer. The biology’s puzzles : how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA could be answered with help of his finding.

Question. What did Ebright do all night with his partner ?
Answer. Ebright and his collage room-mate, James R Wong, worked all that night drawing pictures and constructing plastic models of molecules to show DNA is the blueprint for life.

1. From the first he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. He also had a mother who encouraged his interest in learning.

Question. Which of the following qualities did he possess?
(i) lazy mind
(ii) bright mind
(iii) foolish mind
(iv) anxious mind
Answer. B

Question. How did his mother encourage his interest in learning?
(i) by getting scientific instruments
(ii) by getting movie tickets
(iii) by taking him to parks
(iv) by giving him practical tasks
Answer. A

Question. In which of the following was he most interested in?
(i) animals
(ii) birds
(iii) butterflies
(iv) ants
Answer. C

2. Ebright’s project was to see whether, in fact, birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get. (Ebright said later research by other people showed that viceroys probably do copy the monarch.) This project was placed first in the zoology division and third overall in the county science fair. In his second year in high school, Richard Ebright began the research that led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone. lndirectly, it also led to his new theory on the life of cells.

Question. What was the objective of the project?
(i) to test the theory that monarchs copied viceroy butterflies
(ii) to test the theory that viceroy butterflies copied monarchs
(iii) to know the purpose of twelve gold spots on monarch pupa
(iv) None of these
Answer. B

Question. What was Ebright able to prove?
(i) that the spots on monarch pupa helped in the development of the butterfly
(ii) that starlings avoided monarchs and went after viceroy butterflies
(iii) that starlings found monarchs edible and only ate monarchs as opposed to the theory
(iv) None of these
Answer. C

Question. In which class did he conduct this experiment?
(i) In class 6
(ii) In class 7
(iii) In class 8
(iv) In class 9
Answer. C

Question. Which butterflies were not eaten by birds?
(i) Viceroy
(ii) Monarch
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer. B

Question. Ebright was an excellent _______.
(i) debater
(ii) scientist
(iii) photographer
(iv) All of these
Answer. D

3. She and her son spent almost every evening at the dining room table. “If he didn’t have things to do, I found work for him — not physical work, but learning things,” his mother said. “He liked it. He wanted to learn.”

Question. How did the mother help with her son’s eagerness to learn?
Answer. Richard used to be an extremely curious child with a thirst for knowledge. His mother encouraged him to learn more by taking him on excursions, buying him scientific equipment like telescopes, microscopes, and cameras.

Question. What did the son go on to discover?
Answer. Richard Ebright went on to achieve scientific brilliance especially in terms of his research on how cells work.

4. “Eventually I began to lose interest in tagging butterflies. It’s tedious and there’s not much feedback,” Ebright said. “In all the time I did it,” he laughed, “only two butterflies I had tagged were recaptured — and they were not more than seventyfive miles from where I lived.”

Question. What made him interested in butterflies?
Answer. Ebright grew up north of Reading, Pennsylvania where he did not have much to do except to collect things. And he collected whatever he found interesting. Butterflies too became a part of his collections. Then his mother presented him with a book—The Travels of Monarch X and his fascination for butterflies grew into an obsession.

Question. Explain how he was able to tag these butterflies?
Answer. He could not catch all the butterflies and tag them. So he caught a female monarch butterfly and bred more butterflies from her. He then tagged all these butterflies and let them out.

5. Ebright’s project was to see whether, in fact, birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get.

Question.What was the end objective of the project?
Answer. The end objective of this project was to test the established theory that viceroy butterflies copied monarch butterflies to save themselves from predatory birds.

Question. What was he able to prove?
Answer. He was able to prove his hypothesis that starlings found monarchs exclusively edible and only ate monarch butterflies as opposed to the theory.

6. To find the answer, Ebright and another excellent science student first had to build a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development.

Question. What did he win for this experiment?
Answer. Ebright won first place in a county fair and found an entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair where he won third place for Zoology.

Question. How did he use this basic experiment to answer one of “biology’s puzzles”?
Answer. The 12 golden spots helped in the development of the butterfly. Further studies made in the hormones secreted by the spots showed how cells are able to ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA which controls heredity and determines the function and form of the cell.

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. 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. 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. What was the common belief about the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa? What is the actual purpose of these tiny gold spots?
Answer. These twelve tiny gold spots were believed to be ornamental only. The actual purpose of these tiny gold spots is to produce a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development.

Question. “But there was one thing I could do-collect things”. What collection did Ebright make? When did he start making collection?
Answer. Ebright began collecting butterflies, rocks, fossils and coins. He began as early as when he was in kindergarten. He collected with same determination that had marked all his activities.

Question. 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. How did Richard Ebright’s mother help him to become a scientist?
Answer. Ebright’s mother was his only companion. She used to encourage the child to learn whatever he wanted to learn. She took him on trips, brought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other such equipments.

Question. 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. 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.

Question. 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. What are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist?
Answer. The author mentions three qualities that go into the making of a scientist—a first-rate mind, curiosity, and the will to win for the right reasons. Richard Ebright was a very intelligent student. He was also a champion debater, a public speaker, a good canoeist and an expert photographer. He always tried to put that extra effort in his work. He was competitive, but for the right reasons. From the very beginning, he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind; and it was this curiosity that ultimately led him to his theory about cell life.

Question. Why did Ebright raise a bunch of butterflies?
Answer. Ebright wanted to catch butterflies to tag them in order to follow their migration. He realised that it was easier to raise them in his basement rather than try and catch them one by one. So he would catch a female Monarch, take her eggs and help them grow into butterflies which he would tag.

Question. Why did Richard begin to lose interest in tagging butterflies?
Answer. Tagging butterflies was a tedious process with not much feedback. In all the time that he tagged butterflies, only two were reported caught and that too from near his home.

Question. Apart from science research what else was Richard interested in?
Answer. Apart from being a scientist, Richard was also a champion debater, public speaker, a good canoeist and an all-round outdoor-person. He was also an expert photographer, particularly of nature and scientific exhibits.

Question. Which book did Ebright’s mother get for him? How did it change his life.
Answer. Ebright’s mother got him a children’s book titled ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. The book described how Monarch butterflies migrate to Central America. This opened the world of science to the young and enthused collector, Ebright.

Question. How did Richard Ebright’s mother help him?
Answer. Richard Ebright was curious as well as bright. His mother played a pivotal role in encouraging his interest to learn. She took him on trips. She also brought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials as well as other equipments. She pushed him to learn more and explore the environment around him.

Question. What lesson did Ebright learn when he did not win anything at a science fair? 
Answer. In the seventh grade, Ebright entered a country science fair. For the fair, he entered with slides of frog tissues, which he showed under the microscope. He had simply made a neat display. At the end of the fair, he realised that unlike his display, the winners had tried to do real experiments. This was where he failed.

Question. When did Ebright start collecting things? What did he collect and do first?
Answer. Ebright started collecting things in kindergarten as he could not play football or baseball. He collected rocks, fossils and coins. He also became an eager astronomer and did star-gazing all night.

Question. What were the readers of the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ asked to do? What did Ebright do?
Answer. The readers were asked to tag butterflies. This was to be done for a research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. Ebright started attaching adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs. Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr. Urquhart.

Question. What made Ebright continue his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa?
Answer. Ebright’s dedication, perseverance, success and prizes encouraged him do advanced experiments on the monarch pupa. His project won third place for Zoology. He also got a chance to work during the summer at the entomology lab of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

Question. Which project of Ebright enabled him to work at the army lab and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s laboratory?
Answer. In his senior year, Ebright grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture. He showed that the cells would divide. They would develop into normal butterfly wing scales only in one way. It was if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. This was a huge theory, this enabled him to work at the army lab and at the U.S. Department of Agricultural Laboratory.

Question. What lesson did Ebright learn when in the seventh grade he entered a country science fair?
Answer. Ebright spent his time only tagging the butterflies but soon lost interest in the same. In seventh grade, when he entered the science country fair, he got a hint of what real science was. His entry for the science fair was a slide of frog tissues which did not win any prize. This disheartened him, but he realized that the winners of the fair had tried to do real experiments unlike him. Thereafter, he decided to do a real experiment and not lose hope.

Question. According to Mr. Wiiehrer, what make Richard Ebright a winner? 
Answer. Richard A Wiiehrer spoke highly of his student’s interests. He said that bright was a real winner because he wanted to do good things which were selfless. This characteristic of working so hard without any selfish motive made Ebright a winner.

Question. How did Ebright’s mother help him to becoming a scientist? 
Answer. Ebright’s mother motivated him to learn. She was his only childhood friend and a companion. She used to take him on trips, buy scientific equipments like microscopes, telescopes, cameras, etc., and help him in many ways. She introduced him to Dr. Fredrick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. She found many interesting things for him to learn.

Long Answer Type Questions :

Question. Ebright’s mother played a pivotal role in enabling him to become a successful scientist. This is true for most of our lives. Our parents help us a lot in our education. Their guidance is very important in what we become in later life. Based on your reading of the story how did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist?
Answer. Parents play a pivotal role in determining not just our behaviour but also our future in most cases. They are the ones who teach us everything as what is wrong or what is right. For most of us, parents are our role models. Ebright’s mother supported her son in becoming a scientist. She gave him an intensive training. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipments. She used to keep her son busy. If she found him sitting idle, she would find work for him-not physical work, but learning things. His mother was very supportive. She wrote to Dr Urquhart also so that her son could be busy in research activity. She helped her son a lot. She inspired him to explore new things and instilled a sense of discovery into her child. In this way, we can say that Ebright’s mother played a pivotal role in enabling him to become a successful scientist.

Question. 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. The three qualities, which were already presented in him, that helped him to become a scientist—a first-rate mind, curiosity, and the will to win for the right reasons. Richard Ebright was a very intelligent student also. 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. 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. Give a brief character sketch of Ebright‘s mother.
Answer. Richard H. Ebright’s mother was an important driving force behind him who laid the foundation of his success . Ebright was her only child whom she affectionately called ‘Richie’. After her husband’s death, her son who was in third grade, was her whole life. She would encourage his interest in learning and would take him to trips, buy him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials, and other equipments. She was his only companion until he started school. After that, she would bring home his friends for him and at night be with him to do things together. She would spend almost every evening at the dining room table with her son ‘Richie’, When he did not have things to do, she would find work for him that would help him learn things. This support, guidance, care and concern of Ebright’s mother, helped the growth of a curious child into an accomplished scientist.

Question. Elaborate the line ‘Richard Ebright displayed a wellrounded personality’.
Answer. Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. The fact can be deduced from the different things that he was interested in and excelled at. As an academican, he collected all the 25 species of butterflies around his town and classified them. As an active student, he was a very good debater and an active member of the rotary club and Model United Nations Club. As a fit person, he was a social person who was enthusiastic about canoeing. He was also into photography as well. These points dictate that Richard Ebright was not only academically excellent but was also an active person altogether. It can thus, be concluded that he displayed a well-rounded personality.

Question. Richard Ebright had all the ingredients for the making of a scientist. Discuss.
Answer. Richard Ebright was bright and intelligent from childhood. Beginning in kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with the same determination that has marked all his activities. It is necessary for a scientist to be curious about the things around him, so that it may ignite a quest for further research and finding satisfactory answers to unanswered questions. He had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. His competitive spirit led him to win many laurels at Science fairs. The three most important qualities of a scientist are a first-rate mind, curiosity and the will to win for the right reasons. A scientist has to be competitive but not in the bad way. All these qualities were there in Richard Ebright and so he was a great scientist.

Question. Who inspired Ebright further after he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown? What did Ebright do?
Answer. Ebright had collected all the twenty-five species of butterflies in second grade. His mother got him a children’s book called ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. Which opened the world of science to Ebright. The readers were invited to help study butterfly migrations. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of Totonto University, Canada. Ebright started tagging the butterflies. He would tag the butterflies wings and let them go. But he couldn’t catch many. He caught a female monarch and took her eggs. He raised them in his basement from eggs to adult butterflies.

Question. Which research did Ebright begin in his second year in high school? Which new theory did it lead to?
Answer. In his second year, Ebright began the research. Which led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone. Indirectly, it also led to his new theory on the life of cells. Ebright tried to answer the question that asked the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa? Everyone thought the spots were just ornamental. But Dr. Urquhart didn’t believe it. Ebright and another science student built a device which showed that the spots were producing a hormone. It was necessary for the butterfly’s development. This project won Ebright first place in the country fair. It also won him an entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Question. How did Ebright get the idea for his new theory about cell life? How important was it and how will it be useful for humanity?
Answer. Ebright got the idea for his new theory about cell life during his junior year. While he was looking at X-ray photos, the idea struck him. The photos were that of the chemical structure of a hormone. He believed that the photos gave him the answer to the biological puzzle that asked how can the cell read the blueprint of its DNA. He deduced that DNA is the blueprint of life. Ebright and his roommate James R. Wong drew pictures and made plastic models of molecules. They also wrote the research paper that explained the theory. If the theory proves correct, it will be a big step towards understanding the processes of life. It might also lead to new ideas for preventing cancer and other diseases.