CBSE Class 10 English The Making of a Scientist Important Questions Set 03

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. What are the qualities that go into making a scientist?
Answer: There are three essential qualities that make a scientist. The first is a first rate mind. Next is the presence of curiosity. Last but not least, it is the will to do the best and win.

Question 2. “Science shows a connection between structure and function.” Discuss this in connection with the spots Ebright saw on Monarch pupas.
Answer: Through Ebright's research, the spots on Monarch pupas revealed a deeper significance. They create a hormone that is essential to the development of butterflies, a prime example of the structure-function relationship. This shows that Science shows a connection between structure and function.

Question 3. What did Ebright learn in the county science fair? (Delhi Gov. 2021)
Answer: In the county science fair, Ebright learned that in order to win a prize, he needed to show a real experiment rather than a neat display of research. He failed in the fair as he just showed the slides of the frog tissues and did no real experiment.

Question 4. Why did Ebright lose interest in tagging butterflies? (CBSE 2020)
Answer: Ebright lost interest in tagging butterflies as it was a less rewarding job. He found the process to be tedious, and there was not much feedback or significant results from his efforts. Also, out of all the butterflies that he tagged, only two could be recaptured. So, ultimately, he lost his interest in it.

Question 5. How important is curiosity to scientific exploration and discovery? Justify your answer with examples from the story ‘The Making of a Scientist’. (CBSE Practice Set-1, 2023)
Answer: Curiosity is extremely important to scientific exploration and discovery. It was Ebright's curiosity that led him to collect items such as butterflies, fossils and coins. His desire to explore and constantly learn served as the foundation for his future scientific pursuits.

Question 6. Hobbies play a very important role in one’s life. Elaborate on this with reference to ‘The Making of a Scientist’. (CBSE 2016)
Answer: Hobbies definitely play a very important role in one’s life. In the story "The Making of a Scientist", Ebright has had a hobby of collecting butterflies since childhood. His hobby made him interested in studying the cells' work of Monarch butterflies and eventually turned him into a great scientist.

Question 7. Which book did Ebright’s mother get for him? How did it change his life? (CBSE 2019)
Answer: Ebright’s mother got him a children’s book titled ‘Travels of Monarch X’. It introduced him to the migration of monarch butterflies to Central America and invited him to participate in butterfly tagging research. This book opened the world of science to the young and enthusiastic butterfly collector.

Question 8. Validate the importance of small, fun learning tasks towards successful careers, in the context of Richard Ebright in “The Making of a Scientist”. (CBSE SQP 2022)
Answer: Richard Ebright was keen to learn new things as a child. Collecting butterflies sparked his curiosity, laid the foundation for his scientific curiosity and helped him achieve greatness. Such tasks help develop skills, build confidence, and inspire passion for growth in a person.

Question 9. What opinion did Mr. Weiherer, Ebright’s Social Studies teacher, have about him? (CBSE 2023)
Answer: Mr. Weiherer was of a great opinion about Ebright. According to him, Ebright was competitive in a true sense as he didn't want to just win the competition for the sake of winning it but he wanted to prove his experiments truly and contribute to the field of science.

Question 10. How can one say that Ebright's curiousity/ inquisitiveness drove him to become a scientist? (CBSE 2024)
Answer: Ebright's curiosity is evident in his early pursuits like collecting butterflies and rocks. He engaged in scientific studies, conducted experiments, and sought answers to complex questions. This drive led him to discover unknown insect hormones and develop a theory on cell life. His insatiable curiosity fueled his journey to becoming a scientist.

Question 11. Describe how perseverance can lead to significant transformation.
Answer: Richard Ebright failed at his first county science fair because he had only shown slides of frog tissues. Instead of giving up, he learnt that he needed a real experiment. He kept working on butterflies, won prizes and finally discovered a new insect hormone and a theory of how cells read their DNA. Perseverance turned a curious boy into a scientist.

Question 12. The various elements of Robert W. Peterson's writing style work together to help us learn from the experiences of Richard Ebright and develop resilience in life. Comment.
Answer: The writer uses simple narration, quotations from Ebright, his mother and his teacher, and details of his failures and successes. By showing how Ebright lost at a science fair and still kept going, the story helps readers learn from his experiences and develop resilience in their own lives.

Question 13. How does the story challenge the notion that scientific success is solely dependent on academic credentials?
Answer: The story shows that Ebright began making real discoveries while still in school, long before he had any degree. His success came from curiosity, hard work, good mentors and the will to win. It challenges the idea that only academic qualifications can make a person a successful scientist.

Question 14. How did Richard Ebright’s mother help him? (CBSE 2020)
Answer: As a child Ebright was always interested in learning new things. His mother encouraged him to learn more by introducing him to the world around him: she took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipment, and helped him in many other ways.

Question 15. Which book did Ebright’s mother get for him? How did it change his life? (AI 2017)
Answer: The book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ was given to Richard by his mother and it opened the world of science for him. In the book, the readers were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr. Urquhart. Ebright had to attach light adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs. After reading it, he became interested in tracking the migration of monarch butterflies. This interest led to his other projects and experiments. Richard came in contact with Dr. Urquhart, a scientist who influenced him greatly. Dr. Urquhart provided valuable guidance to Richard for his projects and also helped him in his future research. As a result, Richard started researching butterflies with renewed interest.

Question 16. What lesson did Ebright learn when in the seventh grade he entered a County Science Fair? (Foreign 2017)
Answer: In the seventh grade, Richard participated in the County Science Fair. He displayed slides of frog tissue, which he showed under a microscope. Although he did not win, he understood that simply making a neat display is not enough to win such a competition. The winners had done real experiments. This experience gave Richard Ebright a hint of what real science is.

Question 17. According to Mr. Weiherer, what makes Richard Ebright a winner? (Delhi Com. 2017)
Answer: According to Mr. Weiherer, Richard Ebright was a winner because he was always curious and hardworking. He always put in extra effort. He was extremely competitive. However, Richard didn’t want to win for the sake of winning. He wanted to do the best job he could.

Question 18. How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist? (Foreign 2015)
Answer: Richard’s mother played an important role in making him a scientist. She was a great source of encouragement to him. She bought him scientific equipment, cameras, etc. She took him on trips and prepared various learning activities for him to do. This helped him learn a lot. It was she who bought Richard the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’, which opened the world of science for him.

Question 19. What were the factors which contributed to making Ebright a scientist? (Foreign 2014)
Answer: According to Mr. Weiherer, Richard Ebright was a winner because he was always curious and hardworking. He always put in extra effort. He was extremely competitive. However, Richard didn’t want to win for the sake of winning. He wanted to do the best job he could.

Question 20. Mention any two of Ebright’s contributions to the world of science. (AI 2012)
Answer: Richard Ebright discovered an unknown insect hormone, which indirectly also led to his new theory on the life of cells.
Another significant contribution Richard Ebright made to the world of science is his theory of how the cell reads the blueprint of its DNA. The theory might lead to new ideas for preventing some types of cancer and other diseases.

Question 21. According to the author, what are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist? (AI 2011)
Answer: According to the author, the qualities that go into the making of a scientist are a first-rate mind, curiosity and competitiveness/the will to win (but not in a bad sense). A good scientist must not win for the sake of winning, but be willing to do the best job he/she can.

Question 22. How did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
Answer: In the second grade, Richard had collected all the species of butterflies found around his hometown due to which there was a possibility of him losing interest in science. However, that was when his mother brought him the book ‘Travels of Monarch X’ which opened up a whole new world of science for him and was a turning point in his life.

Question 23. What other interests, besides Science, did Richard Ebright pursue? What did Mr. Weiherer, his Social Studies teacher, tell us about Ebright? (Board Question)
Answer: Richard Ebright was interested in science since childhood, but he also had many other interests. He was a passionate public speaker and was an important part of Debating Society and Model United Nations Club. He was an enthusiastic photographer, especially interested in nature and scientific exhibits. He was also a canoeist and enjoyed the outdoors. Mr. Weiherer said that Ebright would always put extra effort. Not only did he put in three or four hours at night engaging himself in debate research but would also do all his research with butterflies and deal with his other areas of interest. Mr. Weiherer was of the opinion that Ebright was competitive in a true sense. He didn’t want to win just for the sake of winning but to accomplish his ambition and contribute the best that he could in this field. In fact, Mr. Weiherer always said, “For the right reasons, he wants to be the best.”

Question 24. 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 25. 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 recaptured and that too from near his home.

Question 26. 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 27. Already the competitive spirit that drives Richard Ebright was appearing. “I knew that for the next year’s fair I would have to do a real experiment,” he said. Reflect upon the nature of the mentioned “competitive spirit” of Ebright based on your reading of “The Making of a Scientist”.
Answer: “The Making of a scientist” is about how the young boy named Richard Ebright grew into a successful scientist. It was his enterprising and dedicated nature, coupled with his scientific eye which made him so. The competitive spirit talked about here was not meant to win the science fairs and satisfy personal ambitions. He wanted to improve his experimental works so that they contributed something to science. This inspired him to work harder and gave a proper channel to his efforts. He wrote to Dr Urquhart and enquired for ideas which ultimately led to the discovery of the tiny spots on butterflies. Mr Weiherer, Ebright’s social science teacher reiterated his competitive streak, saying it did not carry any negative connotation. Rather it solely meant an urge to succeed for the “right reasons”, that is, contributing to science.

Question 28. Read the following quote by Greek Philosopher Plato. "Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the wind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." Elaborate the relevance of this quote in relation to Richard Ebright’s contribution to science.
Answer: Richard Ebright possessed a scientific knack for collecting natural items like rocks, fossils and engaging in activities like star gazing. He also collected butterflies and observed them. But at one point of time, he landed in a stagnant position when he collected all kinds of butterflies. At this time, the book entitled “The Travels of Monarch X” opened a new world of possibilities and ideas in front of him. It inspired him to carry on his experiments on butterflies with transformed ideas and skills. This ultimately led to flowering of Ebright into a successful scientist. The contribution of this book has been life-changing. No doubt the seeds of eager scientific eye were already present in Ebright, along with his hard-working disposition. Yet this book had gifted him the direction and guidance due to which he became a successful 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 childhood. He always spent his time observing his surroundings. He was an intelligent boy with an interest in collecting 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 had tried 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 experience for him. We should learn from it that we should never give up but move on. After that failure, Ebright worked on real experiments 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 do will and curiosity help us in becoming successful in our life? Elaborate with reference to Ebright.
Answer: “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 were supported by his mother through his school years. He worked hard on various projects 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 a chance to work in a well-equipped Army laboratory during the summer. In his senior year, he again got an opportunity to work in a government laboratory. Thus, he was able to conduct many experiments. His will to work and his curiosity overcame the lack of resources and helped him become a successful scientist. When we are willing to do something, resources are found. 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 a desirable thing for all of us. We want to win as it motivates us to work harder. But everyone cannot be the winner. For me, participating in the competition is more important than winning a prize. If one participates in a competition and does not win a prize, it should not demotivate one. We should continue to work hard. Richard is an example to follow. He did not win anything at the science fair but it was a stepping stone to his success. He continued to work hard and one day became a successful scientist. As a student, it is more important for me to participate in the competition rather than crave a prize. If I don’t get a prize in a 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 these, what are the other values required to become a successful scientist? What do you learn from the character of Richard? Elaborate with reference to the lesson ‘The Making of a 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 without the 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 extra effort into 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 required to become successful. 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 values of curiosity, hard work, determination and strong willpower from the life of Richard Ebright.

Question 5. Give a brief character sketch of Ebright’s mother. (Delhi 2020)
Answer: Ebright lost his father when he was in the third grade. His mother was his whole life’s companion. She was an ideal mother who was a constant source of motivation and encouragement. She played a very important and active role in making him a successful scientist. She recognised his scientific temper and provided all support to him. She bought him scientific equipment like telescopes, microscopes and cameras. She brought him the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’, which opened the world of science for Ebright. She was a keen observer and a mature guide who understood the child’s psychology very well. She knew what her son needed and always provided it. She was a good motivator and a source of inspiration for Ebright.

Question 6. Give a character sketch of Richard Ebright highlighting his achievements and his added interests.
Answer: Richard H Ebright was a many faceted genius. He was a competent scientist, a lovable son, a respecting pupil and above all, a man with varied interests and hobbies. But first and foremost, he was a scientist. His fame rests on his wonderful works and achievement on butterflies. By the time he was in the second grade, Ebright collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around in his hometown. Ebright was a great learner. He learnt an important lesson at his first county science fair. He learnt that winners do real experiments than making a neat display. The book, Travels of Monarch X, opened the world of science to the eager young collector. One of his famous projects was based on theory that viceroy butterflies copied monarch butterflies to escape being eaten by birds. This project was placed first in the zoology division. Later, Ebright showed that the spots on a monarch pupa produced a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s development. He also proved that DNA controls heredity and is the blueprint for life. Richard Ebright got all his encouragement, help and inspiration from his mother. He was her only companion and they spent almost every evening at the dining table. She encouraged his interest in learning. She bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras and other instruments for him. Dr Urquhart helped him with new suggestions and ideas. His Social Studies teacher, Richard A Weiherer, opened his mind to new ideas and made him competitive. Richard Ebright was more than a scientist. He found time for other interests and hobbies. He was a champion debater and public speaker. He was a good canoeist and an expert photographer. He had a first rate mind, competitive spirit and scientific curiosity.

Question 7. 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 learnt 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 another 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. 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 honours in county and International Science Fairs.

Question 8. Describe the contribution of his mother in Richard Ebright’s life. What role did she play in making Ebright a scientist?
Answer: They say that behind the success of a man stands a woman. And in Richard Ebright’s success as a scientist and also as a man, solidly stood his mother. Richard Ebright’s father had died when he was just in the third grade. “Richie was my life after his father died …,” said his mother. He was her only companion and they spent almost every evening at the dining table. Ebright’s mother encouraged his interest in learning. She knew that her son had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipments. She helped Ebright in many ways. She was an important link between Dr Urquhart and her son. She wrote to Dr Urquhart and after her advice, Ebright sent tagged butterflies to him in Canada. She knew that her son had a passion for collecting things. By the time he was in the second grade, Ebright had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown. His interest in his butterfly collecting would have ended had she not got him a children’s book called The Travels of Monarch X. That book told how monarch butterflies migrated to Central America. It opened the world of science to the eager collector.