GSEB Class 10 English Solutions Chapter 5 Footprints without Feet

Read And Find Out (Textbook Page No. 26)

Question 1. How did the invisible man first become visible?
Answer: Griffin, the scientist, performed an experiment and turned invisible. However, he accidentally stepped in some mud, leaving footprints as he walked. Two boys noticed these fascinating tracks and followed them until the muddy marks faded and disappeared. Since it was winter, he went into a large London store for warmth. Inside, he dressed himself in warm clothes, including shoes, an overcoat, and a wide-brimmed hat, becoming a fully clothed and visible person. He then settled down to sleep on a pile of blankets, which made him visible to the shop assistants the next morning.
In simple words: The invisible scientist Griffin stepped in mud, leaving footprints that two boys followed. He then found clothes in a London store, which made him visible again.

Exam Tip: When describing a sequence of events, ensure your answer maintains a clear chronological order for easy understanding.

Question 2. Why was he wandering the streets?
Answer: Griffin, the scientist, had conducted an experiment to prove that the human body could become unseen. Ultimately, he consumed specific rare medicines, and his body turned clear. Despite being a clever scientist, Griffin was quite a lawless person. His landlord did not like him and attempted to force him out. As a form of payback, Griffin set his landlord's house on fire. To escape being seen, he took off his clothes. This is how he became without a home and was roaming the streets, lacking clothes, money, and completely invisible.
In simple words: Griffin burned his landlord's house for revenge. To escape without being seen, he took off his clothes, making him invisible, homeless, and without money, causing him to wander the streets.

Exam Tip: Focus on linking Griffin's actions (setting fire to the house, removing clothes) to the direct consequence (wandering the streets invisible) to provide a complete explanation.

Read And Find Out (Textbook Page No. 28)

Question 1. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Answer: A stranger arriving at an inn during winter was an unusual event. Mrs Hall, the landlord's wife, tried hard to be friendly with the stranger, but Griffin did not wish to chat and explained that he came to Iping seeking privacy. He did not want his work disturbed. Also, he mentioned that an accident had impacted his face. His desire for quietness, strange appearance, odd habits, and short temper all contributed to Mrs Hall finding the scientist peculiar.
In simple words: Mrs Hall found the scientist strange because he wanted to be alone, had a weird appearance due to an accident, acted oddly, and was easily annoyed.

Exam Tip: When asked to describe a character's perception, list the specific actions or traits that led to that perception, as observed by other characters.

Question 2. What curious episode occurs in the study?
Answer: Very early in the morning, a clergyman and his wife woke up due to noises in the study. Creeping downstairs, they heard the clink of money being taken from the clergyman's desk. Without making any sound, and holding a poker tightly, the clergyman suddenly opened the door and yelled 'surrender'. To their surprise, they realized the room seemed empty. They looked under the desk, behind the curtains, and even up the chimney, but there was no sign of anyone. Yet, the desk was open, and the household money was gone. The clergyman kept saying for the rest of the day that it was an "Extraordinary affair!"
In simple words: A clergyman and his wife heard money being stolen from their study. When they checked, the room was empty, but the money was missing, which they found very strange.

Exam Tip: Include sensory details (like "chink of money") and direct quotes (like "Extraordinary affair!") to make your answer more vivid and engaging.

Question 3. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Answer: Another strange event at the inn happened when the landlord and his wife were awake early and were surprised to see the scientist's door wide open. Normally, it was shut and locked. When they peeked around the door, they saw nobody. However, the bedclothes were cold, indicating the scientist had been up for some time. What was even stranger was that the clothes and bandages he always wore were lying around the room. Suddenly, Mrs. Hall heard a sniff very close to her ear. A moment later, the hat on the bedpost jumped up and hit her face. Then, the bedroom chair came alive, leaping into the air and charging directly at her, legs first. As she and her husband recoiled in terror, the unusual chair pushed them both out of the room and then seemed to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall nearly collapsed down the stairs in hysteria and was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits and that the stranger had somehow caused these to enter her furniture. When news of the burglary at the clergyman's home became known, the peculiar scientist was strongly suspected of being involved. Suspicion grew even stronger when he suddenly produced some ready cash, even though he had admitted not long before that he had no money. When Mrs Hall questioned him about the mysterious events in the room, the bandages, whiskers, spectacles, and even his nose were removed, and the terrified people in the bar found themselves staring at a headless man. Mr Jaffers, the constable, was quite surprised to discover that he had to arrest a man without a head. A remarkable scene followed as the policeman tried to catch a man who was becoming increasingly invisible as he shed one garment after another. Some people attempted to help him but were struck by blows that appeared to come from nowhere. In the end, Jeffers was knocked unconscious as he made one last effort to hold onto the unseen scientist.
In simple words: The scientist's door was open, and his clothes were scattered. A hat flew off a bedpost, and a chair attacked Mrs. Hall and her husband, pushing them out of the room. Mrs. Hall thought the room was haunted. The scientist was suspected of a burglary when he suddenly showed money. Later, he took off his bandages, revealing he was headless, surprising Constable Jaffers. Griffin became more and more invisible as he took off his clothes, hitting people and eventually knocking out the constable.

Exam Tip: For questions about multiple events, list each extraordinary occurrence clearly. Using descriptive language helps to convey the strange nature of the happenings.

Think About It

Question 1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person,” comment
Answer: Griffin did not care if he harmed anyone while achieving his goals. He set his landlord's house on fire because the landlord tried to make him leave. His thefts at shops and later in the village show that he was a person who broke rules. When he met the inn's landlady, he threw a chair at her and her husband. People who do not follow laws, like Griffin, never think about the safety and well-being of others. They are only focused on themselves.
In simple words: Griffin was lawless because he burned his landlord's house, stole from shops, and attacked the innkeepers, only caring about himself, not others' safety.

Exam Tip: Support your comment with specific examples from the story where Griffin demonstrated disregard for rules or others' well-being.

Question 2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Answer: Griffin was a brilliant scientist who conducted many experiments to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally, he swallowed specific rare drugs, and his body became as clear as a sheet of glass - though it still remained solid like glass. But he was not an honest person, as he used his discovery of invisibility to attack and harm people, steal money from shopkeepers and others, like the clergy, and make people very angry and afraid of him. At the store, he ate and dressed himself without considering the costs. He was very vengeful because when his landlord disliked him and tried to eject him, he set fire to the house.
In simple words: Griffin was a clever scientist who made himself invisible. However, he was dishonest, using his discovery to hurt people, steal, and take revenge, like burning his landlord's house.

Exam Tip: Evaluate both Griffin's intellectual abilities (brilliant scientist) and his ethical conduct (lawless, dishonest) to provide a balanced assessment.

Talk About It

Question 1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?
Answer: Becoming invisible can be an exciting idea for most individuals. Like two sides of a coin, invisibility can offer many benefits and drawbacks. For a child, being invisible might mean freedom for all sorts of mischief without getting caught. Similar to a Hindi movie, 'Mr India', invisibility could help you defeat all the villains and get rid of them. Once you become unseen, nobody would notice you. Soon, the sadness of being alone will replace the thrill of invisibility. You will have no friends. You might start acting like the strange scientist in this story.
In simple words: Becoming invisible has pros and cons. It could allow for pranks or fighting bad guys, but it might also lead to loneliness and acting strangely, like Griffin.

Exam Tip: When discussing advantages and disadvantages, ensure you present a balanced view with clear examples for both sides of the argument.

Question 2. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of matter that are 'invisible' or not visible to the naked eye? What would the world be like if you could see such forces or such aspects of matter?'
Answer: Magnetic forces and electrostatic forces are examples of invisible forces. The atoms and molecules in matter are so tiny that they are not visible to the naked eye. Similarly, heat energy is invisible, and sound is also unseen by us. While the idea of seeing invisible things can be very thrilling, their visibility would cause too many problems. For instance, if we could see all the sound around us, that would be too annoying for us.
In simple words: Yes, forces like magnetism and electrostatic forces are invisible, as are atoms, molecules, heat, and sound. Seeing all these invisible things could be exciting, but it would also create many irritating problems, like seeing all sound waves.

Exam Tip: Provide clear examples of invisible forces and matter to support your answer. When imagining hypothetical scenarios, explain both potential benefits and drawbacks.

Question 3. What makes glass or water transparent (what is the scientific explanation for this)? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become visible, or transparent? (Keep in mind that writers of science fiction have often turned out to be prophetic in their imagination)
Answer: The fact that light can travel through glass or water makes them transparent. When light hits an object, the reflected light from that object makes it visible to us. If a device could be created to stop the reflection of light from the human body, then the human body could become invisible.
In simple words: Glass and water are clear because light passes through them. We see things when light bounces off them. If something stopped light from reflecting off a human, they could become invisible.

Exam Tip: Clearly explain the scientific principle of transparency and reflection. Connect this principle logically to the hypothetical possibility of human invisibility.

Footprints Without Feet Summary In English

Footprints Without Feet Summary:

Answer: Griffin, an eccentric scientist, discovered a rare medicine. This drug could make a human body invisible. His landlord did not like him, so Griffin decided to get revenge. One day, he set his landlord's house on fire. Then he drank his special drug and took off his clothes. Now, he could see everyone, but no one could see him. He was safe from being caught. However, he was without clothes, and it was very cold. He spent the night in a London store. He stole items and money from the store. After that, he went to a village named Iping and stayed at an inn. He stole money from the clergyman's desk. A policeman named Jeffers was called. A strange fight took place. Griffin removed his bandages, his glasses, and his hat, revealing he was a headless man. People were horrified. Griffin hit the policeman, got free, and ran away.
In simple words: A strange scientist named Griffin invented a drug to become invisible. He used this power for revenge, burning his landlord's house and stealing from shops and an inn. He removed his clothes and disguises, becoming a headless man, eventually escaping the police.

Exam Tip: When writing a summary, include all major plot points and key character actions in chronological order to provide a comprehensive overview of the story.