CBSE Class 10 English The Making of a Scientist Worksheet Set B

Multiple Choice Questions 

Question. What opened the world of science of Ebright?
(a) His fascination for birds
(b) His fascination for dinosaurs
(c) His fascination for butterflies
(d) His fascination for cats
Answer. C

Question. How old was Ebright when he discovered the theory on how cells work?
(a) Twenty-two
(b) Thirty-two
(c) Forty-two
(d) Fifty-two
Answer. A

Question. What was Ebright’s hobby as a child?
(a) Playing basketball
(b) Collecting things
(c) Reading books
(d) Watching cartoons
Answer. B

Question. What is the blueprint for life?
(a) Cells
(b) Blood
(c) Nerves
(d) DNA
Answer. D

Question. Where did Richard Ebright grow up?
(a) Seattle
(b) Washington
(c) Reading
(d) Austin
Answer. C

Short Answer Questions :

Question. What were the factors which contributed to making Ebright a scientist?
Or
What are the essential qualities for becoming a scientist, according to Albright’s teacher?
Answer. Sharp brain, d y observant, anal tic mind, driving curiosity, the keen interest in the subject and strong will for the right cause are some of the essentials for the making of a scientist. He should not run after prizes, have a competitive spirit but not in a bad sense.

Question. Which project of Ebright won first prize in the county science fair?
Answer. Ebright didn’t win anything at his first science fair, thereby realizing that actual experiments alone worked. Later, he started winning prizes. Ebright with his scientist friend first built a device that showed that the tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa were producing a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won the first prize in the county science fair and third prize in zoology in the International science fair.

Question. What idea did Ebright get when he was looking at the X-ray photos of cells?
Answer. One day, Ebright was seeing the X-ray photos of the chemical structure of cells. He got the idea for his new theory about cell life. Those photos provided him with the answer to one of biology’s puzzles: how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA.

Question. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Short Answer Type Questions-II

Question. 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. The lesson The Making of a Scientist describes in detail the essential ingredients that are necessary in the making of a scientist. We need many more things than observing, thinking and doing experiments.
The first thing is the scientific attitude and temperament. To be competitive and to be the best is another ingredient. A first rate mind and scientific curiosity are the two other necessary traits. The will to win for the right reasons is another trait.
The making of an economist and a historian may demand some other virtues. However, the basic ingredients are not much different.

Question. “... 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Long Answer questions :

Question. Which book proved to be a turning point in Ebright’s life?
Answer. One day, Ebright’s mother gave him a book. That book was ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. It described how monarch butterflies migrate to Central America. This book fascinated him. At the end of the book readers were invited to help study butterfly migrations. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr Frederick of Toronto University, Canada. Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr Frederick. Ebright started tagging monarch, butterflies. The butterfly collecting season lasts only six weeks in late summer. He realized that chasing the butterflies one by one won’t enable him to catch many. So he decided to raise a flock of butterflies.

Question.’Success is failure turned inside out’. Prove the above statement with instances from the journey taken by Richard Albright 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 Albright. 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 Albright, third prize in 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 Albright, we can say that success is failure turned inside out.

Question. What other interests, besides science did Richard Ebright pursue? Why did Ebright respect and praise his Social Studies teacher so much?
Answer. No doubt, first and foremost, Richard Ebright was a scientist. He was interested in science, he first began to collect butterflies. But this scientist found time for other interests too. He was a man of many parts — a multifaceted genius. Not only did he collect butterflies but also took a deep interest in other activities. He collected rocks, fossils, and coins. He became an eager astronomer. He would indulge in star-gazing sometimes all night. Ebright also became a champion debater and public speaker. In this field, his Social Studies teacher turned Ebright’s tremendous energy towards the Debating and Model United Nations Clubs. He was a good canoeist and all-around outdoors-person. He was also an expert photographer. He excelled in nature and scientific exhibits. In brief, besides being a remarkable scientist, Richard Ebright enjoyed all pleasures, adventures, hobbies and entertainments that a happy and civilised living provided to him.

Question. 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. 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. 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.

Question. How did Richard Ebright’s not winning anything at his first County Science Fair motivate him to become a great scientist? What lessons did he learn from his failure there?
Answer. Richard Ebright had started the work of butterflies and insects from a very early age. His main work was based on butterflies, particularly monarch butterflies. By the time he was in the second grade, he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown. But he learnt the lesson of his life when he was in the seventh grade. He got a hint of what real science was. He entered the County Science Fair with a project. His project was slides of frog tissues, which he showed under a microscope. In the fair, he failed miserably. He didn’t get anything while everybody else had won something. It was really a very sad feeling for him.
From his first county science fair, Ebright came to know what real science was. He also learnt a lesson of knowing what made a winner. He realised his mistakes. He had only made a neat display of frog tissues under a microscope. He realised that winners had tried real experiments. From then onwards, he looked to Dr Urquhart for new ideas and suggestions. Dr Urquhart gave him number of suggestions for experiments. Continuous research and experimentations won him great honours and prizes locally as well as internationally.

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.