Short Questions and Answers
1.What rare achievement did Richard manage at the age of 22?
Answer: Richard had a rare honour at the age of 22. He wrote an article with his friend about it theory of how cells work. The article was published in the scientific journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. ‘No one had this achievement at such a young age before him.
2. Richard became a collector at an early age. How?
Answer: 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. He also had a sharp mind and curiosity to know, so it helped him in his learning.
3. Comment on the role played by Richard’s mother in his success.
or How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist?
Answer: Richard’s mother made Richard the centre of her life. She would buy microscopes, telescopes and books for him. She arranged trips for him and would also prepare difficult tasks for him. This helped him to learn a lot.
4. How did ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ prove a turning point in Richard’s life?
Answer: Richard was bored with collecting butterflies. At this time his mother got the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ for him. After reading the book, he studied the migration of butterflies which told how monarch butterflies migrated to Central America and it opened the world of science to him.
5. Why do viceroy butterflies copy the monarch butterflies?
Answer: Birds eat viceroy butterflies because they taste good to them, where as monarch butterflies do not taste good to the birds. So the viceroys try to copy the monarchs to protect themselves from the birds. Ebright has placed this project and it was the first in Zoology division.
6. Why did Richard lose interest in tagging butterflies?
Answer: 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 returned to him and they had travelled only 75 miles.
7. Which project did Richard undertake in the eighth grade?
Answer: Richard undertook the project to find the cause of a viral fever that had killed thousands of butterflies. He thought that a beetle might carry the virus, so he rose caterpillars in the presence of beetles. But he was not able to prove it.
8. Richard’s project on the purpose of that 12 tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa was highly valuable in two ways. List the two ways.
Answer: This project had a huge impact. First, he discovered a hormone that was necessary for the growth of the pupa. Secondly, he got a chance to work at a famous laboratory as he won the first prize in the county fair and entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair.
9. Mention any two of Ebright’s contribution to the world of science.
Answer: Ebright built a device that showed that the spot on butterflies wings produce a hormone that is necessary for the growth of a butterfly. His other important contribution proved to be his study of how cells read their DNA.
10. Mr Weiherer pays a glowing tribute to Richard. What did he say?
Answer: Mr Weiherer was Ebright’s social sudies teacher. 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 very best all the time.
11. In addition to science what were the other interests of Richard?
Answer: Apart from science, Richard was a good debater and a public speaker as well as a canoeist and an outdoors person. He loved photography as well. He loved to collect different kinds of things and butterflies.
12.What were the factors which contributed in making Ebright a scientist?
Answer: Three qualities of Ebright which contributed were-a first-rate mind, a sense of curiosity and a will to win for the right reasons. Due to these qualities, he became one of the greatest scientists ever.
13. Hobbies play a very important role in one’s life; elaborate this with reference to “The Making of a Scientist”.
Answer: As there were no one to play with Ebright, his mother encouraged him to learn new things. Richard Ebright started collecting butterflies as a hobby. This led him to research and discover many things. Hence, hobbies play an important role in one’s life.
Long Questions and Answers
1. Richards mother had a great influence on him. Discuss.
or Discuss the role of Ebright’s mother in making him a scientist.
Answer: 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 equipment. 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 works 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 actually shaped him into an extra-ordinary scientist.
2. Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. Do you agree? Elucidate in the context of the given text.
Answer: Richard’s genius was obvious by the time he was in his second grade. He managed to collect all 25 species of butterflies around his hometown and classify them. He also loved to collect coins, fossils and rocks. Science was not his only passion. He was an active member of a school’s oratory club and model United Nations Club and was an effective debater and a public speaker. He loved photography as well. He was an enthusiastic and honest and an outdoors person. Learning was easy for him. So, he found it simple to devote time and energy to many other interests. He became a champion in whatever he did. He believed in the spirit of competition to win. But, he did not wish to defeat others just to win. He wanted to win to do his best. Thus, he displayed a well rounded personality.