Question Bank — Footprints 6 — The Making of a Scientist

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What was the first turning point in Richard Ebright’s scientific journey?
   a) Winning the county science fair
   b) Receiving The Travels of Monarch X from his mother
   c) Publishing a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
   d) Working at the Walter Reed Army Institute

2. Which quality of Ebright is highlighted when he decided to do “a real experiment” after losing the seventh-grade science fair?
   a) Patience
   b) Competitive spirit for the right reasons
   c) Interest in photography
   d) Skill in debating

3. Assertion (A): Ebright’s mother was his only companion until he started school and continued to support his learning even after that.
   Reason (R): She bought him scientific equipment and found learning activities for him every evening.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

4. What did Ebright discover about the twelve gold spots on a monarch pupa?
   a) They were merely ornamental
   b) They produced a hormone necessary for full development
   c) They helped the butterfly migrate
   d) They protected the pupa from disease

5. Assertion (A): Ebright’s high-school project on viceroy butterflies won first place in the zoology division.
   Reason (R): He proved that birds would eat monarchs but not viceroys.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

6. Which book opened the world of science to Ebright?
   a) The Travels of Monarch X
   b) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
   c) Discovered Questions
   d) School Days

7. What does the phrase “making the big leagues at the age of fifteen” refer to in the text?
   a) Playing professional baseball
   b) Getting a research paper published as a college student
   c) Winning an international science fair
   d) Becoming a scout of the year

8. Ebright’s work on the hormone from the gold spots eventually helped him form a theory about
   a) butterfly migration
   b) how a cell reads the blueprint of its DNA
   c) viral diseases in caterpillars
   d) viceroy-monarch mimicry

9. Which of the following shows Ebright’s all-round personality?
   a) He was only interested in butterflies
   b) He became a champion debater, public speaker and expert photographer
   c) He gave up all hobbies after high school
   d) He disliked outdoor activities

10. The text suggests that the making of a scientist requires
    a) only a first-rate mind
    b) curiosity and the will to win for the right reasons
    c) participation in many science fairs
    d) a famous mentor from the beginning

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“That probably would have been the end of my butterfly collecting,” he said. “But then my mother got me a children’s book called The Travels of Monarch X.”

i. Who is the speaker and what context does this statement belong to?
ii. What change did the book bring in Ebright’s life?
iii. Identify the literary device used in the phrase “opened the world of science”.
iv. Give the meaning of the word “tedious” as used later in the same paragraph of the text.

Extract 2

“It was really a sad feeling to sit there and not get anything while everybody else had won something,” Ebright said.

i. Which event is Ebright referring to and in which grade did it occur?
ii. What important lesson did Ebright learn from this experience?
iii. Name the figure of speech in “a sad feeling to sit there”.
iv. What does the word “real” imply in the sentence “I would have to do a real experiment”?

Extract 3

“Richard wasn’t interested in winning for winning’s sake or winning to get a prize. Rather, he was winning because he wanted to do the best job he could.”

i. Who makes this observation about Ebright and in what capacity?
ii. Which quality of Ebright is being described?
iii. Identify the literary device in the repetition of “winning”.
iv. How did this attitude help Ebright later in his scientific career?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. How did Ebright’s mother encourage his scientific interests?
2. What lesson did Ebright learn after losing the county science fair in seventh grade?
3. Why did Ebright lose interest in tagging butterflies after some years?
4. How did Ebright prove that the gold spots on a monarch pupa were not merely ornamental?
5. Mention any three qualities that, according to the text, go into the making of a scientist.

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. “Ebright’s success was the result of his scientific curiosity coupled with his mother’s encouragement and his competitive spirit for the right reasons.” Elaborate.
2. Draw a brief character sketch of Richard Ebright highlighting his qualities as a student and as a scientist.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the unit, fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words given in brackets:
   a) Ebright showed great __ (curious) from a very young age.
   b) His project on the gold spots was _ (complete) successful.
   c) The teacher admired Richard’s (determine) to do his best.
   d) The hormone’s chemical structure was finally ___ (identify) with sophisticated instruments.

2. Imagine you are Richard Ebright. After identifying the chemical structure of the hormone from the gold spots, write a diary entry (80–100 words) expressing your feelings and future plans.