Jharkhand Board Class 10 English Notes | The Making of a Scientist Solutions Chapter 6
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q 1. How did Ebright's mother help him in the initial stages to
his making of a scientist?
Ans. Richie's father died when he was in third grade. Thus he
became his mother's everything. He was the only child of his parents.
There was not much that Richie could do in north of Reading,
Pennsylvania where he grew up. He could not play football or
baseball with a team of one. But he could do one thing. It was to
collect things. He started collecting things. Beginning in
kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with determination. He
also collected rocks, fossils and coins. He became an eager
astronomer too. Sometimes, he also did stargazing all night. His
mother became his friend. She also brought him home friends. She
also found him work as he wanted to learn. By the time he was in
second grade he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies
around his hometown.
Q. 2. Who inspired Ebright further after he had collected all
twenty-five species of butterfiles found around his hometown?
What did Ebright do? (V.Imp.)
Ans. Ebright had collected all the twenty-five species of
butterflies by the time he was in second grade. Then his mother got
him a children's book called The Travels of Monarch X'. This book
opened the world of science to Ebright. 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 A. Urquhart of
Toronto University, Canada. Ebright started tagging the butterflies.
But he couldn't catch many. So he raised a flock of butterflies. He
caught a female monarch and took her eggs. He raised 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. His basement was a home to thousands of monarchs in
different stages of developments for several years.
Q.3. What science project did Ebright undertake in his eight
and ninth grades at school?
Ans. For his eight-grade project Ebright tried to find the cause
of a viral disease that killed all monarch caterpillars. He thought the
disease might be carried by a beetle. He tried to raise caterpillars in
the presence of beetles. But he did not get any results. But he did
experiments and won. The next years his science project was testing
the theory that Viceroy butterflies copied monarchs. The theory
was that Viceroys looked like monarchs because monarchs didn't
taste good to birds. But on the other hand Viceroys tasted good to
birds. So the more they looked like monarchs the less likely they
were eaten by the birds. His project was to see whether birds would
eat monarchs. He found that starling would not eat ordinary bird
food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get. Ebright's project
was placed first in the zoology division in the country science fair.
Q. 4.Which research did Ebright begin in his second year in
high school? Which new theory did it lead to? (V.Imp.)
Ans. In his second year Ebright began the research. It 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: What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a
monarch pupa? Everyone thought the spots were just omamental.
But Dr. Urquhart didn't believe it. Ebrights and another science
student built a device that 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 and entry into the
International Science and Engineering Fair. There he won third place
for Zoology. He also got a chance to work during the summer at the
entomology laboratory of the Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research.
Q.5. 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?
(V.Imp)
Ans. Ebright got the idea for this new theory about cell life
during his junior year. He got it while he was looking at X-ray
photos of the chemical structure of a hormone. When he saw those
photos, he didn't shout 'Eureka' with joy. But he believed that the
photos gave him the answer to one of biology's puzzles : how the
cell can read the bluprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the
nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and
function of the cell. Thus DNA is the blueprint of life. Ebright and
his roommate James R. Wong worked all night drawing pictures
and making plastic models of molecules. They also wrote the 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 some types of cancer and other diseases.
Q.6. How can you say that Ebright has the ingredients
necessary for making a scientist? What other interest does he
have?
Or, What are the ingredients in the making of a scientist?
Does Ebright have these? What other interests does he have?
Ans. The ingredients necessary for the making of a scientist
are: a first-rate mind and curiosity and the will to win for the right
reasons. Ebright had all these qualities. From the time the book The
Travel of Monarch X opened the world of science to him, he never
lost his scientific curiosity. Ebright was a straight-A student. He
had other interests also. He had a lot of energy towards the Debating
and model United Nations Clubs. His social studies teacher Richard
A. Weiherer opened his mind to new ideas, Ebright became
champion debater and public speaker. He was also a good canocist
and all-round outdoor person. He was also an expert photographer
of nature and scientific exhibits.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. How did a book become a turning point in Richard
Ebright's life?
Ans. A book entitled 'The Travels of Monarch X' became a
turning point in Richard Ebright's life. It was because it told him how
monarch butteflies migrate to Central America. It opened the wide
world of science to this curious young collector.
Q. 2. How did his mother help him ?
Ans. His mother was a source of inspiration for him. She always
encouraged him and provided constant company to him. In the day
she brought friends for him and in the night she herself worked with
him.
Q.3. What lesson does Ebright learn when he does not win
anything at a science fair ?
Ans. Ebright learns a lessons that the real experiments would win
him a prize and not simply a neat display of things.
Q. 4. What experiments and projects does he then undertake?
Ans. He took up his eight-grade project to find the cause of a
viral disease that killed all monarch caterpillars. Next year his science
fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copied
monarchs. His next theory was to see whether birds ate monarchs.
Next he began the research that led to his discovery of an unknown
insect hormone.
Q. 5. What are the qualities that go into the making of a
scientist ?
Ans. These qualitites are: first-rate mind, curiosity, will to win
for the right reasons.
Q. 6. 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. One can become a scientist, an economist, a historian not
by reading many books on the subject. One must have a first-rate
mind. One mus must have the capacity and the will to win for the right
reasons. With all these one must seek the result through experiments.
This involves observing with a sharp mind, thinking and testing
thing through experiments.
Q.7. How could the work of Richard H. Ebright published in the
scientific journal be treated if it were the one in sports ?
Ans. If Ebright's work had been in sports, it could be like making
the big leagues at the age fifteen and hitting a home run one's first
time at bat. It was to be equal in the game of baseball.
Q. 8. How did Ebright's mother help him on a human level?
Why?
Ans. Ebright's mother was his only companion until he started
school. She would bring home friends for him. Richie was her whole
life after his father died. Richie was in third grade then.
Q.9. How did Ebright show the signs that he would do amazing
things when he would grow up?
Ans. Ebright always wanted to learn. His mother helped him in
that. By the time he was in second grade, he had collected all twenty-
five species of butterflies. These were found around his hometown.
Q.10. Why did Ebright soon lose interest in tagging
butterflies?
Ans. Soon Ebright lost interest in tagging butterflies. Tagging
butterflies was tedious and there was no feedback. In all the time only
two butterflies that he had tagged were recaptured.
Q. 11. Why was Ebright's participation in a country science fair
in his seventh grade sad for him? What did he learn from this?
Ans. Ebright was sad because his entry was slides of frog
tissues. It had not experiments. It was merely a neat display. He learnt
that to get success in different things, were to be through
experiments.
Q. 12. What made Ebright continue his advanced experiments
on the monarch pupa?
Ans. Ebright's continuous success and prizes to 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.
Q.13. 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 and develop into
normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from
the gold spots.
Q. 14. How did Ebright get an answer to one of biology's
puzzles : How the cell can read the blueprint of its DNA?
Ans. Ebright was looking at X-ray photos of the chemical
structure of a hormone. He saw that the photos gave him the answer
to one of biology's puzzles : how the cell can'read' the blueprint of
its DNA.
Q. 15. When can be the good result of Ebright's theory if it is
proved correct?
Ans. If Ebright's theory is proved correct, it might lead to
understanding the processes of life. It might also lead to new ideas
for preventing types of cancer and other diseases.
Q.16. What opinion does Ebright's social studies teacher have
about him at initial level?
Ans. Richard A. Weiherer, Ebright's social studies teacher, says
ight would always give extra effort to new ideas. He put in
three or four hours at night doing debate research. He also kept on
his research with butterflies and other interests.
Q.17. 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 astronmer. Sometimes he did star-
gazing all night.
Q.18. How did Ebright's mother encourage him to do those
things? [JAC 2015)]
Ans. Ebright's mother encouraged his interest in learning. She
took him on trips. She bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras
and mounting materials. She bought him other equipment also. She
also helped him in many other ways.
Q.19. What actually proved to be the most important step from
Ebright's mother's side that opened the world of science to him?
Ans. Ebright's mother got him a children's book. It was called The
Travels of Monarch X. This book told how monarch butterflies
migrated to Central America. This opened the world of science to
Ebright.
Q. 20. What were the readers of the book "The travels of
Monarch X' asked to do? What did Ebright do?
Ans. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr.
Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. Ebright
started attaching light adhesive tages to the wings of monarchs.
Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to
Dr. Urquhart.
Q. 21. What did Ebright do to make the tagging of butterflies
successful ?
Ans. Ebright raised a flock of butterflies in his basement. He
would catch a female monarch. Then he would take her eggs, and
raise them through their life cycle from egg to caterpillar to pupa to
adult butterfly. Then he would tag the butterflies' wings and let them
go.
Q.22. What did Ebright decide to do after his failure to win in
the country science fair in his seventh grade?
Ans. Ebright decided to do a real experiment for the next year's
fair. The subject he knew was to be about the insect work. He had
been carrying this work in the past several years.
Q.23. What did Ebright do for his eight-grade project ?
Ans. Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease that killed
nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years. He thought the
disease might be carried by a beetle. He tried raising caterpillars in
the presence of beetles. But he didn't get results. His experiment won
him a prize.
Q. 24. What did Ebright do the next year as his science fair
project ?
Ans. The next year his science fair project was testing the theory
that Viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. The theory was that Viceroys
looked like monarchs becaue monarchs didn't taste good to birds.
Viceroys, however, tasted good to birds.
Q.25. What result did Ebright find in this project? How did it
fare?
Ans. Ebright found that a starling won't eat ordinary bird food.
It would eat all the monarchs it could get. He said that later research
by other people showed that Viceroys probably copied the monarch.
This project was placed first in the zoology division and third in the
country science fair.
Q.26. What did Ebright do that led to his new theory on the life
of cells?
Ans. Ebright began the research in his second year in high
school. It led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone. The
questions he tried to answer was: What was the purpose of the
twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?
Q.27. What did Ebright do to find an answer to the question
relating to the tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?
Ans. Ebright and other science student built a device that
showed that the spots were producing a hormone. It was necessary
for the butterfly's full development.
Q.28. What was the outcome of Ebright's project on the gold
spots?
Ans. This project won Ebright first place in the country fair and
entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair. There he
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.
Q.29. How was Ebright able to identify the hormone's chemical
structure?
Ans. After his freshman year at Harvard University. Ebright
went back to the Dept. of Agriculture's lab. He did more work on the
hormone from the geld spots' hormone. He used the advanced
instruments there and identified the hormone's chemical structure.
Q.30. What is DNA, according to the author ?
Ans. According to the author DNA is the substance in the
nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and
function of the cell. Thus DNA is the blueprint for life.
Q. 31. What are other interests of Ebright?
Ans. Ebright had other interests also. He became a champion
debater and public speaker. He was a good canoeist and all-round
outdoors-person. He was also an expert photographer of nature and
science exhibits.
Q. 32. What makes a scientist?
Or, What are ingredients in the making of a scientist?
Ans. First of all one has to start with a first-rate mind. 'Curiosity'
is the second ingredient. With these there should be the will to win
for the right reasons. Ebright had all these qualities.
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