CBSE, Class 10, English, The making of a Scientist.

CBSE CLASS 10, ENGLISH "THE MAKING OF A SCIENTIST"

MCQ, Short Answers and Long Answer.

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Read the extract carefully and select the most suitable option for each question:

1. "At the age of 22, a former 'scout of the year' excited the scientific world with a new theory on how cells work. Richard H. Ebright and his college room-mate explained the theory in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science"

1. How did Richard H. Ebright excite the scientific world ?

(a) By collecting different species of butterflies .

(b) By associating with National Academy of science

(c) By publishing a new theory on how cells work

(d) By becoming an eager astronomer.

 

2. What do you mean by "Proceedings of the National Academy of Science" ?

(a) It is a well equipped laboratory .

(b) It is a new theory on cells

(c) It is an Academy of science

(d) It is an important scientific journal

 

3.  At what age, did Richard H. Ebright  publish his theory on how cells work?

(a) 7

(b) 22

(c) 15

(d) 55

 

4.  What sort of journal was 'Proceedings of National Academy of science' ?

(a) Normally they would not publish students'  theory.

(b) They would publish only reputed scientists' work

(c) They had a great reputation  among all scientific journals

(d) All the above

 

Answers:  1(c),     2(d),     3(b),     4(d)

2. "Ebright grew up north of Reading, Pennsylvania. He collected butterflies with the same determination that has marked all his activities. He collected rocks, fossils and coins. He became an eager astronomer, too."

1. "Ebright grew up north of Reading" What is 'Reading' referred to?

(a) He liked reading very much

(b) He was fond of reading and it became his hobby.

(c) He was from a place named Reading

(d) There were many reading libraries in Pennsylvania.

 

2. He collected butterflies with the same determination. What do you mean by "same determination"?

(a) The great curiosity of a first rate mind

(b) Along with the will of his mother

(c) As a hobby and time pass

(d) None, the above.

 

3. What do you mean by, "fossils" ?

(a) Collected rocks and coins for scientific experiments

(b) The mineralized remains of animals and plants

(c) Old art forms of beautiful and wonderful things

(d) None the above

 

4. Who is an astronomer ?

(a) One who studies on cells

(b) One who studies on butterflies and bats

(c) One who studies on DNA and forensic details

(d) One who studies on stars

 

Answers : 1(c),     2(a),     3(b),     4(d)

 

3. "I was his only companion until he started school. If he didn't have things to do, I found work for him - not physical work,  but learning things"

1. Who said those words mentioned here ?

(a) Ebright

(b) Ebright's college mate

(c) Ebright's mother

(d) Ebright's social studies teacher.

 

2. Who  was the only friend of Ebright before he started schooling ?

(a) His father

(b) His mother

(c) His college mate

(d) His social studies teacher

 

3. "If he didn't have things to do......."  What is the word 'things' referred to ?

(a) Homework or home assignments

(b) Collecting butterflies

(c) Watching stars all night

(d) Playing with his friends

 

4. What work did his mother assign for him,  if he had nothing to do ?

(a) learning books

(b) Some physical work

(c) Collecting,  'monarchs or milkweed'

(d) Tagging  butterflies

 

Answers : 1(c).     2(b).     3(a).     4(a)

 

4. "At the end of the book, readers were invited to help study butterfly migrations. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr. Fredrick  A.  Urquhart of the university of Toronto, Canada. Ebright's mother wrote to Dr. Urquhart, and soon Ebright was attaching light adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs"

1. "At the end of the book....." What was the name of the book ?

(a) How to tag butterflies ?

(b) The travels of Monarch X

(c) Species and sub-species of butterflies

(d) Gossamer-winged butterflies

 

2. Who was Dr. Urquhart ?

(a) He was a monarch

(b) He was a doctor in a hospital at Toronto

(c) He was a scientist and Professor in the university of Toronto

(d) He was a freelance writer in Canada.

 

3.  Why did Ebright's mother write a letter to Dr. Urquhart ?

(a) To know how to tag butterflies

(b) For requesting to be Ebright's tutor

(c) They were old friends

(d) To get some adhesive tags

 

4. Why did they tag butterflies?

(a) If so, butterflies  would not fly away

(b) If so,  they could understand how long the butterflies travelled

(c) They wanted to study about the life cycle of butterflies

(d) They wanted to study about the gold-spots of the monarch's caterpillar.

 

Answers : 1(b).     2(c).     3(a).     4(b)  

 

5. "Richard was competitive," Mr. Weiherer continued, "but not for bad sense." He explained, "Richard wasn't  interested in winning for winning's sake or winning to get prize. Rather, he was winning because he wanted to do the best job he could. For the right reasons, he wants to be the best"

1. Who was Mr. Weiherer ?

(a) The assistant of Dr. Uquhart

(b) An expert photographer, particularly of scientific exhibits

(c) Ebright's social studies teacher

(d) He was an astronomer.

 

2. How should be the right competitive spirit ?

(a)  Winning for winning's sake

(b) Winning by using any means

(c) Healthy and not for winning's sake

(d) All the above

3. 'Rather, he was winning because he wanted to do the best job he could" What does it mean?

(a) He worked hard for winning the prize

(b) He was very industrious so he worked hard

(c) He always wanted the first by any means

(d) He worked not for prizes but  he completed his works in the best way.

 

4. Who wrote the lesson "The Making of a Scientist"?

(a) Robert W. Peterson

(b) Richard Ebright

(c) James Herriot

(d) H.G. Wells

 

Answers: 1(c).     2(c).     3(d).     4(a)

 

SHORT ANSWERS

1. How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist? 
Answer: Ebright’s mother made Richard a successful scientist. She bought for him a microscope, telescope, camera, mounting materials and other equipment. She was his good companion. she bought for him books to read and grow.

2. Why did Richard lose interest in tagging butterflies?
Answer: Richard collected many butterflies and tagged them. Then, he released them into the sky to study about their migration. But he couldn't get them back in bulk size. So he lost his interest. He got back only two of the tagged butterflies and they had travelled only seventy-five miles.

3. Which project did Richard do when he was in the eighth grade?
Answer: Richard did a project to know the reason of a viral fever that had killed many butterflies. He thought that beetles might be carriers  of the virus. But he was wrong and the project became a failure.

4. What did Richard understand about the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?
Answer: He understood that the twelve tiny gold spot of monarch pupa were the source of hormone which was necessary for their growth..

5. What were Ebright's important contributions ?

 Answer: Ebright discovered a hormone that was necessary for the growth of a butterfly. His study on how cells work that helped the scientific world to know about DNA.

6. Who was Mr. Weiherer? What did he say about Ebright ?
Answer: Mr. Weiherer was Ebright’s social studies teacher. He said that Ebright had a brilliant mind. He also praised Ebright's curiosity to do things.. He also admired Ebright for his healthy competitive spirit.

7. Why do viceroy butterflies copy the monarch butterflies?
Answer: Viceroy butterflies are tasty food for birds. But they dislike monarch butterflies to eat as they are tasteless. Hence, viceroy butterflies  try to copy the monarchs to protect themselves from the birds.

8. "Hobbies play a very important role in one’s life". With this reference  how does “The Making of a Scientist” work? 

Answer: Richard Ebright started collecting butterflies as a hobby. This led him to do many researches and discover new knowledge. Hence, one can say hobbies play an important role in life.

9. At the age of twenty-two, Ebright got a great achievement. What was that?
Answer: At the age of twenty-two, he wrote an article with his friend on "How cells work", which was published in the famous scientific journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Science". It was a rare achievement because they would not publish articles of students in their magazine.

LONG ANSWER

1. Discuss the role of Ebright’s mother to make him a scientist ?
Answer: Richard’s mother played a big role to make him a scientist. She worked psychologically to foster the child. She would take him on trips to encourage learning. Ebright lost his father when he was in third grade.

 After his father died, she looked after him with great care. She would buy for him microscopes, telescopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipment and helped him in many other ways. She and her son spent almost every evening at the dining room table. She would instruct him and helped him to study. If he hadn't any home assignments to do, she would give him some learning tasks.

She was his only companion when he was young.. 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 know how to tag butterflies. Dr. Urquhart helped Ebright and also guided him.  In short, his mother was the one behind his great success.

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