CBSE Class 10 English The Making of a Scientist Important Questions Set 02

Extract Based Questions

Extract 1

(a). What qualities did Ebright have?
Answer: Ebright was competitive in a good sense. He wished to be the best for all the right reasons. He had a first-rate mind, added with curiosity and not just the will to win for a prize, but to do a good job.

(b). How did the book become a turning point in Ebright’s life?
Answer: The book, ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ was the reason he was able to communicate with Dr. Urquhart, who guided and motivated him to initiate scientific research on butterflies.

Short Answer Questions

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. When he read the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’, he was excited to learn that readers were invited to help study the migration of butterflies by tagging them 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 took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes and cameras, and also tried to find 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 that a mere neat display of slides was not enough to win prizes. The winners had done something different—real experiments.

Question 4. What experiments and projects does he then undertake?
Answer: Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease that kills nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years. Next, he tested the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. Later he worked on the gold spots of the monarch pupa and discovered a new hormone.

Question 5. What are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist?
Answer: A scientist has to be inquisitive by nature, with a first-rate mind and the will to win for the right reasons. He should continue his work with the same level of interest, and should be interested not merely in winning prizes but in doing the best job.

Question 6. 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, an economist or a historian. A person can try his hand at any profession by delving deep into that field of knowledge. One should not depend upon others to provide opportunities but should create opportunities by working hard. A thirst for knowledge, dedication and readiness to give time will always bring wonderful results.
Yes, it absolutely involves observing, thinking and doing experiments, not just reading books.

Question 7. 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 did wonderful work on how a cell reads the blueprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity, be it of an insect, a bird or a larger animal.
If I got an opportunity like Ebright, I would choose water bodies and their conservation, purification of water and cleaning of rivers, because clean water is essential for all life.

Question 8. 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 species of butterflies around his hometown. Then his mother bought him a book, ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. It opened the world of science to him.

Question 9. What other interests, besides science, did Richard Ebright pursue?
Answer: Besides science, Ebright 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 10. 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. Only two of the butterflies he tagged were ever recaptured.

Question 11. What lesson did Ebright learn when in the seventh grade he entered a county science fair? (CBSE 2019)
Answer: Richard Ebright, in the seventh grade, entered a county science fair and did not win anything. From this he learnt that in order to win and be a true scientist, one needs to do real experiments and not just show a neat display of slides.

Question 12. What was Ebright’s achievement in his senior year?
Answer: In his senior year, Ebright grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture and showed that the cells would divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. That project won first place for zoology in the International Science and Engineering Fair, and he got a chance to work at the entomology laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Question 13. 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 monarch butterflies to Central America. It opened the world of science to Ebright.

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. Then he read the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. At the end of the book, readers were invited to help study the butterflies’ migration. So Ebright started tagging the butterflies.

Question 15. Ebright could not win a prize in the science fair in class VII. What lesson did he learn? (CBSE 2021(C))
Answer: Ebright’s first project in a competition was in the seventh grade. His entry was slides of frog tissues, which he showed under a microscope. He did not win any prize. He learnt that a mere neat display does not win a prize; one must do real experiments.

Question 16. How did Dr. Urquhart encourage Ebright through a book?
Answer: Dr Urquhart wrote a note in his book inviting readers to tag butterflies for his research. 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 work and involve other people in his projects.

Question 17. 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 18. How was Richard Ebright’s mother a source of inspiration and encouragement in his quest for learning?
Answer: Richard Ebright was fortunate enough to have a highly helping and encouraging mother. She compensated the early loss of his father. She encouraged his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipments. She found work for him and helped him in learning things and in many other ways.

Question 19. Why do viceroy butterflies copy monarch butterflies? What reasons did Richard Ebright give in this regard?
Answer: One of Richard Ebright’s projects was to test the theory that viceroy butterflies copied monarch butterflies. Viceroys looked like monarchs because monarchs didn’t taste good to birds. Viceroy butterflies, on the other hand, tasted good to birds. So, they try to copy and look like them to protect themselves from birds.

Question 20. How and where did Richard Ebright identify the hormone’s chemical structure?
Answer: After his freshman year at Harvard University, Ebright went back to the laboratory of the Department of Agriculture. He did more work on the hormones of the gold spots. Using sophisticated instruments there, he was able to identify the hormone’s chemical structure.

Question 21. 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 minds to new ideas.

Question 22. “... There was one thing I could do – collect things.” What did Richard Ebright do in his childhood?
Answer: Richard Ebright was the only child. “There wasn’t much I could do there … . But there was one thing I could do – collect things,” said he. So he did. While still in kindergarten, he started collecting butterflies. By the time he was in the second grade, he had collected all 25 species of butterflies found around his hometown. He also collected rocks, fossils and coins. He sometimes did star-gazing all night.

Question 23. What book opened the world of science to the eager young collector, Richard Ebright?
Answer: Richard Ebright was fond of collecting things. By the time he was in the second grade, he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown. But the book that opened the world of science to the eager young collector was The Travels of Monarch X. It was a children’s book gifted to him by his mother. The book described how monarch butterflies migrated to Central America.

Question 24. How did Ebright’s basement became a 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 a home to thousands of monarch butterflies.

Question 25. When and how did Richard Ebright get a hint of what real science is?
Answer: Richard Ebright was in the seventh grade when he got a hint what real science was. Actually, he entered a county science fair — and lost. He didn’t get anything while everybody else had won. It was a very sad feeling for young Ebright. His entry was slides of frog tissues. He showed them under a microscope. He realised that winners had tried to do real experiments. On the other hand, he failed because he simply made a neat display.

Question 26. Were twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa just ornamental? What did Richard Ebright prove in this regard? What honours did this project bring to Richard Ebright?
Answer: Many thought that the twelve gold spots on a monarch pupa were just ornamental. But Dr Urquhart didn’t believe it. Richard built a device that showed that the spots were producing a very important hormone. That hormone was necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and an entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Question 27. How did Richard Ebright grow cells from a monarch butterfly’s wing? What did that project win for Ebright?
Answer: Richard Ebright continued his journey further. He grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture. He showed that cells could divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales. They must be fed from the hormone received from the gold spots. This project won first place of zoology at the International Fair.

Question 28. Richard Ebright was a famous scientist but he had time for other interests too. What were the other interests and hobbies of Ebright?
Answer: Richard Ebright’s journey as a scientist started since he first began collecting butterflies. However, he found time for other interests and hobbies too. He became a champion debater and public speaker. He was a good canoeist. He was also an expert photographer. He excelled in photographing nature and scientific exhibits.

Question 29. Did Richard Ebright have all the ingredients that are necessary in the making of a scientist? Give a reasoned answer. OR Assess Richard Ebright as a scientist.
Answer: Fortunately, Richard Ebright had all the essential ingredients that are necessary in the making of a great scientist. He had a first rate mind and always got first grades in schools. At Harvard, he was second in his class of 1510. He had the curiosity of knowing ‘why’ and ‘how’ of things. Last but not the least, he was competitive and wanted to be the best. He had the will to win for the right reasons.

Question 30. How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist?
Answer: Ebright’s mother — encouraged — interest — learning — took him — trips — bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and several other equipments — she encouraged him in becoming a scientist.

Question 31. Why and where did Richard Ebright send the tagged butterflies?
Answer: At the end of the book, The Travels of Monarch X — readers were invited — help study monarch butterflies’ migration — asked to tag butterflies — research by Dr Urquhart — Richard Ebright — attaching light adhesive tags — the wings of monarch butterflies — used to send them — Dr Urquhart — his research work.

Question 32. What was Richard A Weiherer’s opinion of his student, Richard Ebright? OR How did Richard A Weiherer, the Social Studies teacher of Ebright, judge him?
Answer: Mr Richard Weiherer was Ebright’s Social Studies teacher and adviser — Richard A. Weiherer described — Ebright a man of varied interests — Ebright — 3 to 4 hours at night — debate research — research with butterflies — other interests — Ebright — competitive — wanted to be the best.

Question 33. Who was Dr Frederick A Urquhart? Why did Richard Ebright look to him for fresh ideas?
Answer: Dr Frederick A Urquhart — a scientist and teacher — University of Toronto, Canada — research on butterfly migrations — Ebright — sent him many tagged butterflies — research work — looked to him for fresh ideas and suggestions — Dr Urquhart sent — suggestions — experiments — helped Richard Ebright — winning many prizes in County and International Science Fairs.

Question 34. What lesson did Richard Ebright learn when he didn’t win anything at the County Science Fair?
Answer: Richard Ebright — the seventh grade — sent his first project in the County Science Fair — Everybody else — won something — returned empty handed — a sad experience for him — loss taught — an important lesson in life — realised — to be a winner — have to do real experiments — project of merely showing slides — frog tissues — a microscope didn’t click — real experiments — real science is all about.

Question 35. How did Richard Ebright give answer to one of the biology’s puzzles—how the cell can read the blueprint of its DNA?
Answer: Richard Ebright — X-ray photos of the chemical structure of a hormone — didn’t cry, “Eureka!” — didn’t even say, “I’ve got it!” — sure — the photos gave him the answer — one of biology’s puzzles — found out how the cell could read the blueprint of its DNA — DNA — the substance in the nucleus of a cell — controls heredity — blueprint for life.

Question 36. Justify the opinion that Richard Ebright's mother played a crucial role in nurturing his love for learning and scientific exploration.
Answer: Richard's mother played a huge role in making him a great scientist. She would take him on trips to encourage learning. Moreover, 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 also got him the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ which opened the world of science for Richard.

Question 37. Apart from science research, what else was Richard interested in?
Answer: Apart from being a scientist, Richard was also a champion debater, orator, good canoeist and all-around outdoor person. He was also an expert photographer, particularly of nature and scientific exhibits. Since childhood, he has loved collecting various things, including butterflies, rocks, fossils, and coins. This collecting hobby sparked his early curiosity and exploration of the natural world.

Question 38. What rare achievement did Richard manage at the age of twenty-two?
Answer: Richard had a rare achievement at the age of twenty-two. He wrote an article with his friend on a new 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 39. What life lessons can we draw from Richard Ebright's journey about passion, dedication, and following one's passions?
Answer: Richard Ebright's journey teaches us valuable life lessons about passion, dedication, and following our interests. His curiosity in collecting butterflies ignited his love for science. Despite initial setbacks, he continued his research which ultimately led to ground-breaking discoveries. His journey serves as a reminder that devotedly pursuing our passions can result in rewarding and significant accomplishments.

Question 40. Dr. Urquhart's mentorship shaped Richard Ebright's approach to scientific exploration and discovery. Comment.
Answer: Richard Ebright was introduced to Dr. Urquhart when Richard's mother presented him with a book about butterfly migration. After not winning any prizes in the seventh-grade science fair, he reached out to Dr. Urquhart for guidance. Dr. Urquhart guided Richard to diligently carry out experiments, earning the latter many prizes. Inspired by Dr. Urquhart, Richard then focused on investigating the presence of bright spots on monarch pupae, leading to the discovery of a new hormone.

Question 41. What groundbreaking discovery did Richard Ebright make about cells and their interaction with DNA?
Answer: Richard did wonderful work on cells and DNA. He could identify the hormones' chemical structure. He discovered that the cell can read the blue print of its DNA, which is in the nucleus of the cells and controls heredity. DNA determines the form and the function of a cell. Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life.

Question 42. What experiments and projects does Richard undertake?
Answer: He undertook many projects and experiments. He worked on viceroy butterflies to show that they copied monarch butterflies. He studied the bright spots on the monarch pupa and discovered a new hormone. Also, he found out how cells read their DNA.