Making of a Scientist Class 10 English Exam Questions

Please refer to Making of a Scientist Class 10 English Exam Questions provided below. These questions and answers for Class 10 English have been designed based on the past trend of questions and important topics in your class 10 English books. You should go through all Class 10 English Important Questions provided by our teachers which will help you to get more marks in upcoming exams.

Class 10 English Exam Questions Making of a Scientist

Class 10 English students should read and understand the important questions and answers provided below for Making of a Scientist which will help them to understand all important and difficult topics.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What were the readers of the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ asked to do? What did Ebright do? 
Ans. The readers were asked to tag butterflies. This was to be done for a research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. Ebright started attaching adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs.
Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr. Urquhart.

Question. Why did Ebright raise a bunch of butterflies?
Ans. 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. When did Ebright start collecting things? What did he collect and do first?
Ans. Ebright started collecting things in kindergarten as he could not play football or baseball. He collected rocks, fossils and coins. He also became an eager astronomer and did star-gazing all night.

Question. Apart from science research what else was Richard interested in?
Ans. 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. According to Mr. Wiiehrer, what make Richard Ebright a winner?
Ans. Richard A Wiiehrer spoke highly of his student’s interests. He said that bright was a real winner because he wanted to do good things which were selfless. This characteristic of working so hard without any selfish motive made Ebright a winner.

Question. How did Richard Ebright’s mother help him?
Ans. Richard Ebright was curious as well as bright. His mother played a pivotal role in encouraging his interest to learn. She took him on trips. She also brought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials as well as other equipments. She pushed him to learn more and explore the environment around him.

Question. Which project of Ebright enabled him to work at the army lab and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s laboratory?
Ans. 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.

Question. What lesson did Ebright learn when he did not win anything at a science fair?
Ans. In the seventh grade, Ebright entered a country science fair. For the fair, he entered with slides of frog tissues, which he showed under the microscope. He had simply made a neat display. At the end of the fair, he realised that unlike his display, the winners had tried to do real experiments. This was where he failed.

Question. How did Ebright’s mother help him to becoming a scientist?
Ans. Ebright’s mother motivated him to learn. She was his only childhood friend and a companion. She used to take him on trips, buy scientific equipments like microscopes, telescopes, cameras, etc., and help him in many ways. She introduced him to Dr. Fredrick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. She found many interesting things for him to learn.

Question. What were the readers of the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ asked to do? What did Ebright do?
Ans. The readers were asked to tag butterflies. This was to be done for a research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. Ebright started attaching adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs. Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr. Urquhart.

Question. Which book did Ebright’s mother get for him? How did it change his life.
Ans. 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. What lesson did Ebright learn when in the seventh grade he entered a country science fair? 
Ans. Ebright spent his time only tagging the butterflies but soon lost interest in the same. In seventh grade, when he entered the science country fair, he got a hint of what real science was. His entry for the science fair was a slide of frog tissues which did not win any prize. This disheartened him, but he realized that the winners of the fair had tried to do real experiments unlike him. Thereafter, he decided to do a real experiment and not lose hope.

Question. Why did Richard begin to lose interest in tagging butterflies?
Ans. 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. What made Ebright continue his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa?
Ans. Ebright’s dedication, perseverance, success and prizes encouraged him do advanced experiments on the monarch pupa. His project won third place for Zoology. He also got a chance to work during the summer at the entomology lab of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

Question. What lesson did Ebright learn when in the seventh grade he entered a country science fair?
Ans. Ebright spent his time only tagging the butterflies but soon lost interest in the same. In seventh grade, when he entered the science country fair, he got a hint of what real science was. His entry for the science fair was a slide of frog tissues which did notwin  any prize. This disheartened him, but he realized that the winners of the fair had tried to do real experiments unlike him. Thereafter, he decided to do a real experiment and not lose hope.

Question. She and her son spent almost every evening at the dining room table. “If he didn’t have things to do, I found work for him — not physical work, but learning things,” his mother said. “He liked it. He wanted to learn.”
(a) How did the mother help with her son’s eagerness to learn?
(b) What did the son go on to discover?
Ans. (a) Richard used to be an extremely curious child with a thirst for knowledge. His mother encouraged him to learn more by taking him on excursions, buying him scientific equipment like telescopes, microscopes, and cameras.
(b) Richard Ebright went on to achieve scientific brilliance especially in terms of his research on how cells work.

Question. According to Mr. Wiiehrer, what make Richard Ebright a winner? 
Ans. Richard A Wiiehrer spoke highly of his student’s interests. He said that bright was a real winner because he wanted to do good things which were selfless. This characteristic of working so hard without any selfish motive made Ebright a winner.

Question. How did Ebright’s mother help him to becoming a scientist? 
Ans. Ebright’s mother motivated him to learn. She was his only childhood friend and a companion. She used to take him on trips, buy scientific equipments like microscopes, telescopes, cameras, etc., and help him in many ways. She introduced him to Dr. Fredrick A.
Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. She found many interesting things for him to learn.

Question. How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist? 
Ans. Richard Ebright’s mother helped him in becoming a scientist by encouraging his interest in learning.
She took him on trips and bought scientific equipment for him. She spent all her time in setting up challenges for him. This helped Richard to learn a lot. She presented him the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. The book changed Richard’s life forever.

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?  
Ans. Reading of books is important for becoming a scientist, an economist and a historian.
However, it is not enough. Apart from the knowledge gained from books, one must be able to think independently.
Yes, one also requires a keen interest in observing, thinking and doing experiments and gain as much practical knowledge as possible to be successful in their fields.

Question. Why did Ebright lose interest in tagging bufferflies?
Ans. Richard raised thousands of butterflies, tagged them and released them to study their migration. But soon, he lost interest because only two of his tagged butterflies were recaptured and they had travelled only seventy-five miles.

Question. Why do viceroy butterflies copy the monarch butterflies?
Ans. Birds eat viceroy butterflies because they taste good to them, whereas monarch butterflies do not. So, the viceroys try to copy the monarchs to protect themselves from the birds.

Question. What lesson did Ebright learn when he entered the county science fair in the seventh garde?
Ans. When Ebright entered the county science fair he learnt what science was all about. He learnt that science was not a neat and tidy display of tissues on a slide. It was about the real experiments that were performed to get some real results.

Question. In addition to science, what were the other interests of Richard?
Ans. Apart from science, Richard was a good debater and a public speaker as well as a canoeist and an outdoor person. He also loved photography and likes to collect different kinds of things and butterflies.

Question. Who was Dr. Frederick A Urquhart? Why did Richard Ebright look to him for fresh ideas?
Ans. Dr. Frederick A Urquhart was a scientist and teacher at the University of Toronto, Canada. He was doing research on butterfly migrations. Ebright sent him many tagged butterflies for his research work.
Richard looked to him for fresh ideas and suggestions because the suggestions sent by Dr. Urquhart helped in shaping Ebright’s career as a scientist.

Question. Mention any two of Ebright’s contributions to the world of science. 
Ans. The two contributions of Ebright to the world of science were
● Ebright built a device that showed that the spots on monarch butterflies wings produce a hormone that is necessary for the growth of the butterfly.
● His other important contribution was his study of how cells read their DNA.

Question. What rare achievement did Richard manage at the age of twenty-two?
Ans. Richard had a rare achievement at the age of twenty-two. He wrote an article with his friend about a theory of how cells work. The article was published in the scientific journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.’ It was the first time that this journal had ever published the work of college students.

Question. Do you think Richard’s mother was too indulgent when she bought him things like cameras, telescopes, microscopes? Give two reasons to support your answer. 
Ans. I don’t think that Richard’smother was too indulgent when she bought him things like cameras, telescopes, etc. due to the following reasons
(a) She knew that Richard was highly curious and had a bright mind.
(b) He wanted to learn things. Thus, Richard’s mother was justified in providing him the appropriate equipment to help him in the process.

Question. Mr Weiherer pays a glowing tribute to Richard. What did he say?
Ans. Mr Weiherer was Ebright’s social studies teacher and the advisor to the clubs that Richard Ebright had joined. He praised him for his brilliant mind, his curiosity and a will to win for the right reason. He also admired Richard for his spirit to do his best all the time.

Question. What experiments and projects does Richard undertake? 
Ans. Richard Ebright undertook many projects and experiments. His first project was to prove that a beetle carries a viral disease that kills monarch caterpillars. Then, he tried to prove that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. Later, he studied the twelve golden spots on monarch pupa and discovered a new hormone. Also, he found out how cells read their DNA.

Question. Richardbecameacollectoratanearlyage.How?
Ans. Richard was the only child of his parents. He had no company at home to play with. So, he started collecting things in his spare time. He would collect coins, fossils, rocks and butterflies as a hobby. In this way, Richard became a collector at an early age.

Question. Suggest two ways by which you feel scientific temperament can be developed in a child.
Ans. Scientific temperament is all about questioning. It can be developed in a child in the following ways
(a) By encouraging him/her to ask questions rather than making him/her accept somethingblindly.
(b) Logical thinking is another way to develop scientific temperament in children.

Question. How did the book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
Ans. The book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ became a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life as after reading it, he became interested in studying the migration of butterflies. It opened the world of science for Richard.

Question. Hobbies play a very important role in one’s life.
Elaborate this with reference to ‘The Making of a Scientist’. 
Ans. It is true that hobbies play a very important role in one’s life. It was Richard Ebright’s hobbies that led him into the field of science.
His hobbies were encouraged by his mother who always motivated him to learn new things.
Further, it is because of his hobbies that he became a curious all rounder, always ready to participate in things that he loved to do.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Who inspired Ebright further after he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown? What did Ebright do?
Ans. 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. Give a brief character sketch of Ebright‘s mother.
Ans. Richard H. Ebright’s mother was an important driving force behind him who laid the foundation of his success . Ebright was her only child whom she affectionately called ‘Richie’. After her husband’s death, her son who was in third grade, was her whole life. She would encourage his interest in learning and would take him to trips, buy him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials, and other equipments. She was his only companion until he started school. After that, she would bring home his friends for him and at night be with him to do things together. She would spend almost every evening at the dining room table with her son ‘Richie’, When he did not have things to do, she would find work for him that would help him learn things. This support, guidance, care and concern of Ebright’s mother, helped the growth of a curious child into an accomplished scientist.

Question. Which research did Ebright begin in his second year in high school? Which new theory did it lead to?
Ans. 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. Elaborate the line ‘Richard Ebright displayed a wellrounded personality’.
Ans. Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. The fact can be deduced from the different things that he was interested in and excelled at. As an academican, he collected all the 25 species of butterflies around his town and classified them. As an active student, he was a very good debater and an active member of the rotary club and Model United Nations Club. As a fit person, he was a social person who was enthusiastic about canoeing. He was also into photography as well. These points dictate that Richard Ebright was not only academically excellent but was also an active person altogether. It can thus, be concluded that he displayed a well-rounded personality.

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?
Ans. 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.

Question. Richard Ebright had all the ingredients for the making of a scientist. Discuss.
Ans. Richard Ebright was bright and intelligent from childhood. Beginning in kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with the same determination that has marked all his activities. It is necessary for a scientist to be curious about the things around him, so that it may ignite a quest for further research and finding satisfactory answers to unanswered questions. He had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. His competitive spirit led him to win many laurels at Science fairs. The three most important qualities of a scientist are a first-rate mind, curiosity and the will to win for the right reasons. A scientist has to be competitive but not in the bad way. All these qualities were there in Richard Ebright and so he was a great scientist.

Question. Elaborate the line ‘Richard Ebright displayed a wellrounded personality’.
Ans. Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. The fact can be deduced from the different things that he was interested in and excelled at. As an academican, he collected all the 25 species of butterflies around his town and classified them. As an active student, he was a very good debater and an active member of the rotary club and Model United Nations Club. As a fit person, he was a social person who was enthusiastic about canoeing.
He was also into photography as well. These points dictate that Richard Ebright was not only academically excellent but was also an active person altogether. It can thus, be concluded that he displayed a well-rounded personality.

Question. Give a brief character sketch of Ebright‘s mother.
Ans. Richard H. Ebright’s mother was an important driving force behind him who laid the foundation of his success . Ebright was her only child whom she affectionately called ‘Richie’. After her husband’s death, her son who was in third grade, was her whole life. She would encourage his interest in learning and would take him to trips, buy him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials, and other equipments. She was his only companion until he started school. After that, she would bring home his friends for him and at night be with him to do things together. She would spend almost every evening at the dining room table with her son ‘Richie’, When he did not have things to do, she would find work for him that would help him learn things. This support, guidance, care and concern of Ebright’s mother, helped the growth of a curious child into an accomplished scientist.

Question. Give a brief character sketch of Ebrights mother.
Ans. Richard H Ebright’s mother was a gentle and kind lady who encouraged and inspired Ebright’s interest in learning. It was she who laid the foundation of his success as a scientist. After her husband’s death, her son, who was studying in the third grade, became her life. She encouraged her son’s keen interest in learning. She understood that her son had a curious and a bright mind. She recognised his son’s scientific temper, so she made sure that her son had everything that he needed. She took him on trips and bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting material and all other equipments. She was his only companion before Richard started going to school. When Richard’s school started it was she who encouraged him to make friends. She would invite his friends to their house. She would sit with him at night. Even when Richard did not have any work to do, his mother made sure that she finds something to engage her son. It was she who got him the book “The Travels of Monarch X” and opened the world of science for him. She knew that her son had a passion and did all things possible to fulfill them. This support, guidance, care and concern of Ebright’s mother made him into the prodigal and successful scientist.

Question. Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. Do you agree? Elucidate in the context of the given text. 
Ans. Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality from his childhood. His genius was obvious by the time he was in second grade. He not only collected butterflies but also collected rocks, fossils and coins. He had managed to collect all the twenty-five species of butterflies that were found in his hometown and had classified them. Science was not his only passion. He was an active member of his school’s debating club and Model United Nations Clubs and was also an effective debator and public speaker.
He was an enthusiastic canoeist and an all-round outdoor person with a keen interest in photography. Because of his interest and hobbies, it was simple for him to devote time and energy to many other interests.
He was a champion, not because of his desire to win for the sake of winnings but for attempting to do his best. All of these qualities make him a well-rounded personality.

Question. Richard’s mother had a great influence on him. Discuss.
                                            Or
Discuss the role of Ebright’s mother in making him a scientist. 
Ans. Richard’s mother played a huge role in making him a great scientist. She would take him on trips to encourage learning. He was a single child. After his father died, his mother made him the focus of her life.
She would buy him all kinds of microscopes, telescopes and other equipments. After dinner, she gave him problems to solve. This helped Richard to learn a lot. She was his only companion for a long time. She always tried to give him work that required no physical labour but those which enhanced his learning skill.
It was his mother who got him the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. This book opened the world of science for Richard. She also wrote to Dr Urquhart to guide her son. The scientist helped Richard and guided him. Thus, his mother shaped him into an extraordinary scientist.

Question. ‘Richard Ebright had all the ingredients required for the making of a scientist.’’ 
Ans. Ebright was a keen observer and a hardworking child. He was sharp-minded and had great curiosity. He started working when he was very young, i.e. in kindergarten. He collected all 25 species of butterflies found around his hometown by the time he was in second grade. He raised a flock of butterflies and tagged themto help Dr. Fredrick to study their migration.
In the seventh grade, when he lost in county science fair he learnt that actual science was about real experiments which give results. His competitive spirit derived him to perform real experiments. In his high school, he led to the discovery of new theory on the life of cells.
With his perseverance, dedication and continuous hard work to achieve his aim, he could determine that DNA is the blueprint for life. This discovery helped him to become a renowned scientist all over the world.
Thus, Richard Ebright had all the ingredients required for the making of a scientist-analytical mind, providing ideas through experiment, a strong will to win and work for the benefits of others.

Question. How did Ebright use determination and perseverance to achieve him aim of becoming a scientist? 
Ans. Richard Ebright had been a curious child since he was in kindergarten. His curiosity prompted him to collect rocks, fossils, coins and butterflies. His mother’s encouragement and his bright mind also contributed to making him a successful scientist.
His mother got him all that he needed to develop his scientific bent of mind. His response to Dr Fredrick A. Urquhart to collect butterflies for his research gave him an opportunity in his endeavours.
Then in the seventh grade, he got a hint of what real science is when he entered a country science fair and lost. He realised that winners had tried to do real experiments, not simply made a neat display.
Thereafter, Ebright worked sincerely on every science project he got every year in school. Then he stood first in a county fair that gave himentry into international science and engineering fair where he won third place. He then went on to win the highest honours and graduated from Harvard.
His High School research into the purpose of the spots on a monarch pupa eventually led himto his theory about cell life and DNA. He never lost his perseverance and determination and thus always kept on moving in life keeping all his failures aside and thus, he became a renowned scientist.

Extract Based Questions :

Question. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.
So the next step for Ebright was to raise a flock of butterflies. He would catch a female monarch, take her eggs and raise them in his basement through their life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult butterfly. Then he would tag the butterflies’ wings and let them go. For several years his basement was home to thousands of monarchs in different stages of development.
(i) Why did Ebright raise butterflies?
(ii) Find the word which has the same meaning as the word ‘rear’ from the extract given above.
(iii) Why did Ebright lose interest in tagging butterflies?
(iv) Why was he tagging butterflies?
(v) Whom did he have to send the tagged butterflies to?
Ans. (i) Ebright raised butterflies as it was difficult to catch many butterflies one by one.
(ii) ‘Raise’ is the similar meaning word as ‘rear’ from the extract.
(iii) Ebright lost interest in tagging butterflies because he didn’t get much feedback and it was a tedious work.
(iv) He was tagging butterflies to study their migration pattern.
(v) He had to send the tagged butterflies to Dr. Urquhart.

Question. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.
So he did, and did he ever! Beginning in kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with same determination that has marked all his activities. He also collected rocks, fossils and coins.
He became an eager astronomer, too, sometimes star-gazing all night. From the first he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. He also had a mother who encouraged his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipment and helped him in many other ways.
(i) What does ‘he did’ in the extract refer to?
(ii) What else did he collect other than butterflies?
(iii) Find aword fromthe extractwhichmeans ‘resoluteness’.
(iv) How did Richard’s mother encourage his interest in learning?
(v) How did Richard develop an interest in collecting things?
Ans. (i) ‘He did’ refers to Richard’s habit of collecting various things.
(ii) He collected fossils, coins and rocks other than butterflies.
(iii) ‘Determination’ is a word from the extract which means ‘resoluteness’.
(iv) Richard’s mother encouraged his interest in learning.
She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipment.
(v) Since, Richard had no one to play with, he developed a habit of collecting things.