the midnight visitor

new words
Gloomy: nearly dark
Ex:It was a gloomy day. The room was quite gloomy.

Chuckled: laughed quietly

Ex: She chuckled at the new comer.The students chuckled at the new teacher.

Passably: just well enough.

Ex: Ausable spoke French and German passably. She speaks passably good Telugu.

Wheezed: spoke breathing noisily and heavily

Ex: His old father wheezed all night. “I have a chest infection” the patient wheezed.

Missiles: weapons directed by remote control or automatically.

Ex: Our scientists have invented some new nuclear missiles.

key points
 Ausable was a secret agent but he didn’t look like that .he was very fat but not much tall but he is much
alert in his mind.
 Ausable had a room on the sixth and top floor of a French Hotel.
 Fowler was a writer. Ausable told him that he would get an important report that night concerning some
new missiles.This report could change the course of history.
 Fowler saw Max,another secret agent who threatens Fowler with a pistol demanding the report.
 Ausable handled Max cleverly. He told Max that he would complain to the hotel authorities about the
balcony Which should be closed immediately.
 There was a loud knocking at the door.Ausable smiled and told that that was the police.
 Max got nervous. His face was black with anger.He asked Ausable to send the police back.In the meantime
he would go and wait on the balcony.
 Max jumped into the balcony. In this way Ausable got rid of Max.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What made the story of the balcony so convincing?

Answer: Ausable showed his annoyance for the nuisance created by the balcony. He said
that this was the second time that someone had got into his room through it. He also said
that the balcony was not his but belongs to the next apartment and earlier his room used to
be a part of a large unit.

 . How did Max go out of Ausable’s room to save himself from the police?
 Answer: Max was very nervous to find the police at the door. He went out of the
window saying that he would wait in the balcony. He warned Ausable to send them
away or he would shoot him. Max did not confirm the balcony and stepped out of
the window and died.
 3. How did Ausable kill Max without using a weapon?
  Answer: Ausable was an intelligent spy. When he found Max waiting for him in his
room, he made a story of a balcony under his window. He convinced Max about the
balcony. And thus, when someone knocked at the door, Max fearing it to be the
police, jumped out of the window and died.
 Why did Fowler come to meet Ausable? Was he able to achieve his target?
 Answer: Fowler was a young and romantic writer. He had come to see Ausable know
about the life of a secret agent. Fowler was fascinated n by them and thought of
them as mysterious and romantic. He was not able to achieve his target as Ausable
was a boring man.

footprints without feet

WORD MEANINGS
The given page nos. correspond to the pages in the prescribed textbook.

Word Meaning

PAGE 26

started jumped with surprise

imprints marks due to pressure

progressing moving

impressions footmarks

altogether totally

bewildered puzzled
 transparent invisible

rare drugs chemicals / medicines not easily made

eject remove

PAGE 27

by no means not yet

warmth keeping warm

pile heap lying one on top of another

PAGE 28

panicked got alarmed

stock items

callously without caring

set all tongues wagging started people gossiping

eccentric strange
ready cash money

clergyman Christian priest

chink high pitched ringing sound

poker metal rod

flung open suddenly opened

PAGE 29

sniff sound made by nose drawing in air

bedpost upright support of bed

dashed struck

springing jumping

foremost in front

slam quickly close

 hysterics wildly emotional reaction

witchcraft practice of magic

PAGE 30

quick-tempered losing temper quickly

warrant official authorization

PAGE 31

blows powerful hits with the hands

knocked forced to fall

key points
 Griffin, a Scientist discovers a rare drug which can make a person invisible.
 His landlord dislikes him. Griffin wants to revenge on him.
 He swallows the drug and puts the house on fire. He puts off clothes becomes
invisible and runs away.
 It was cold weather and he felt the need of clothes.
 He slips inside a clothe store had meal and slept at night.
  Two attendants chase him in the morning. He was again homeless and clothes
less.
 He loots a shopkeeper of a theatrical company and catches a train to Iping
village to live in a village.
 The money of loot doesn't last long. He steals money from Clergyman's desk to
pay rent.
 Suspicion falls on the scientist when he pays rent.
 Mrs. Hall finds the room of the scientist opened. She wants to look into the
room. A hat springs up and hits on her face.
 The chair of the room becomes alive and forces Mr. And Mrs. hall out of the
room.
 Suddenly Griffin appears from nowhere.
 When Mr. and Mrs. Hall enquire about the theft Griffin gets angry.
 He removes the bandages and falls nose. Now he was headless.
 The constable is called to arrest the headless man but he is wounded by the
invisible scientist.

About the Characters

 “Griffin” He is the eccentric scientist who makes himself invisible. He does not hesitate to resort to
criminal activities to remain a mystery.
 “Mrs Hall” She is the resolute but superstitious owner of the inn at Iping where Griffin stays.
 “Mr Jaffers” He is a dutiful policeman who fails to arrest the ‘invisible’ scientist.
 SHORT AND LONG ANSWER
 Question 1.
What was the “curious episode” that took place in the clergyman’s study?
Answer:
One morning, the clergyman and his wife were awakened by noise. They saw no person. They
were shocked to find that their money had been stolen from the desk.
 Question 2.
The landlord’s wife was convinced that Griffin was an “eccentric scientist”. What made her
think of Griffin in these terms?
Answer:
Griffin remained indoors and did not mix up with others. His habits were strange and his
appearance was fantastic. All these things of Griffin made the landlady think that he was an
“eccentric scientist.
 3. Why did Griffin set the landlord’s house on fire?
Answer: Griffin was not liked by his landlord. He decided to take revenge on him, so
one day he set his house on fire. Moreover, he did not want anyone to know about
his secret discovery
 4. How did Griffin escape from the London store?
Answer: When two attendants of the store discovered Griffin, they chased him.
Hence, in order to protect himself, he threw away his clothes and became invisible
and escaped from the London store.
 5. How did Griffin become invisible?
Answer: Griffin swallowed a concoction of certain rare drugs that made his body
transparent like glass, and also, solid as glass.
  Question 1.‘Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was a lawless person. Does this
statement approve the apprehension that science in wrong hands is Devil’s Pandora Box?
Answer:
Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He had discovered a rare drug that could make a human body
invisible. This made Griffin an arrogant lawless person. He broke the law more them once but
never for a good reason. He could dedicate his discovery to his country but he didn’t do that. His
lawlessness made the law helpless. All his actions prove that science in devil’s hand is
disastrous.
 Question 2.
‘Griffin could use his discovery for welfare of the people but misuses it to take revenge.’
Discuss with reference with the story Footprints without Feet.
OR
Do you think Griffin misused a scientific discovery or he took advantages of his
discovery?
OR
Griffin misused his invention, instead of using it for the betterment of the society. Do you
think moral values are important along with intellectual abilities? Discuss.
Answer:
Griffin was a scientist who had made a discovery due to which’he could be invisible. But he was
rather a lawless scientist, who misused a scientific discovery for his petty, selfish gains. He set
his landlord’s house on fire, when he asked him to vacate it. He entered the store invisible, stole
clothes and food. At another shop, he attacked the shopkeeper from behind and ran away after
robbing his money. , At Iping, he stole the clergyman’s money from his desk and hit Mrs Hall by
throwing a chair on her. He hurled blows on the police constable Mr Jaffers and knocked him
down. In this way, Griffin misused his scientific discovery without making benefit to the mankind.
 Question 3.
“A lawless scientist is a curse to the society.” Discuss.
Answer:
It is true, that a lawless scientist is a curse to the society. A true scientist uses his discoveries for
the good of the society and welfare of the people. It helps the nations to progress. A lawless
scientist increases the miseries and sufferings of society. In this story, we find how Griffin
misuses his discovery. He causes pain and suffering to others. He causes destruction. Suppose
the nuclear weapons fall in the hands of a lawless scientist, he can cause widespread
destruction. He may ruin the achievements of other scientists. That’s why the leaders of the world
are worried about chemical weapons falling into the hands of lawless heads of governments or
terrorists. If this happens, all the scientists of the world will be doomed.
 Question 4.
Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Answer:
The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in itself a strange occurrence. In addition, the
stranger had an uncommon appearance. Inspite of Mrs Hall’s repeated attempts to be friendly, he
would respond in a closed manner. He told her that he had no desire to talk and wanted to live in
solitude. He did not wish to be disturbed in his work. For all these strange reasons, she regarded
him as an eccentric scientist.
 Question 5.
“Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Answer:
It is rightly said that Griffin was a lawless person. A person who follows law and order of the
country can not think of damaging other’s property. But Griffin set fire to the house and became a
homeless wanderer. He also robbed a shopkeeper of all the money he could find. He also stole
the housekeeping money from the clergyman’s desk. Griffin also attacked Mrs Hall when she
entered his room. All these activities and instances prove that he was not a law abiding citizen.
 Question 6.
Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if
you did?
 Answer:
Yes, I would like to become invisible. It would be fun. I would be able to see everyone without being
seen. I would be able to enjoy all activities. I may go to movie hall without paying for it. I would also
help the police in nabbing the criminals. But being invisible would be a disadvantage also. I will be
able to see all but nobody would see me. I will not get any recognition for my work.

The Making of a Scientist

Word Meanings
Word Meaning Word Meaning

a member of the able to stick fast to a

scout scout adhesive surface or object
association sticky

a newspaper or

magazine that deals to hurry after

journal chase
with a particular someone

subject

becoming part of a
making the big
successful or stack large number
leagues
important group

kindergarten school for small starling a dark brown or

children black bird that is

common in Europe
 and the US

the branch of

science that
a scientific observer
involves the study of
astronomer of stars zoology
animals
and planets
and animal

behaviour

determination firmness of purpose ornamental showy, decorative

a branch of science
strongly wanting to
that deals
eager do or entomology
with the study of
have something
insects

the growing of cells

in a
star-gazing looking at the stars culture specially prepared
nutrient
medium

having patches,
small, thin, horny or
stripes or
variegated scales bony
marks of different
plates
colours
 a shape that is

curved, wide at its a cry of joy when

crescent center and pointed eureka one

at its two ends like discovers something

a crescent moon

a group of animals
or plants
species that are similar and blueprint a design plan
can produce young
animals or plants

a natural substance
a butterfly with
that is produced in
orange-
the
brown wings that
fritillary hormone body and that
are
influences the wayin
chequered with
which body grows or
black
develops

monarch and types of butterflies pupa an insect that is in

viceroy found in the

North America stage of

development
 between larva and

adult

boring and too slow person paddling a

tedious canoeist
or long canoe

exhibits things sake for the purpose of

key points
 Richard H. Ebright grew up in Reading in Pennsylvania.
In Kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies.
 His mother would take him on trips, bought him telescope, microscope, cameras,
mounting materials, and other materials required for learning.
 By the time he was in the second grade, Ebright had collected all twentyfive
species of butterflies found around his hometown.
 His mother gave him a children’s book called “The Travels of Monarch X.”That
book, which told how monarch butterflies migrate to Central America, opened
the world of science to Richard.
 At the end of book readers were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr.
Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada.
 For several years his basement was home to thousands of monarchs in different
stages of development.
 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.
 In county science fair his entry was slides of frog tissues, which he showed
under a microscope.
 For his eighth grade project, Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease that
kills nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years.
 The next year his science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy
butterflies copy monarchs.
  This project was placed first in the zoology division and third overall in the
county science fair.There he won third place for zoology. lndirectly, it also led to
his new theory on the life of cells.
This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and entry into the
International Science and Engineering Fair.
 In his second year in high school, Richard Ebright began the research that led to
his discovery of an unknown insect hormone.

Questions and Answers

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Which project did Albright submit in his eighth grade? Why did he win?

Answer: For his eighth grade project, he tried to find the cause of a viral disease that killed
all monarch caterpillars every few years. He thought it all happened because of a hectic and
tried raising caterpillars in the presence of beetles but he did not get any results, but he
went ahead and showed his experiments and trials arid won a prize.

.3. Comment on the role of Mr. Weathered in Albright’s life,

Or
Who were the important people in Albright’s life? Why

Answer: Ebright’s mother who encouraged him as a child and Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart O.
had inspired him to study about butterflies were quite important in Albright’s life, Also,
Ridded A Weathered, Albright’s Social Studies teacher opened Albright’s mind to new ideas
and praised him for his handwork and indomitable spirit.

4. Why did Ebright lose interest in tagging butterflies?

Answer: Albright lost interest in tagging butterflies because it was a tedious work that did
not provide much feedback.

5. How did Richard’s mother helped him to become a scientist?

Or
How did Ebright’s mother help in his learning?

Answer: Ebright had a driving curiosity and a bright brain — essential ingredients for
becoming a scientist. His mother encouraged him to learn more. She exposed him to the
world around him by taking him to trips, bought him books, telescope, microscope,
cameras, mounting materials and other equipment, which helped him in his learning.
6.What book opened the world of science to the eager young collector, Richard
Ebright?

Answer: Richard Ebright was fond of collecting things. By the time he was in the second
grade, he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown.
But the book that opened the world of science to the eager young collector was The Travels
of Monarch X. It was a children’s book gifted to him by his mother. The book described how
monarch butterflies migrated to Central America.

When and how did Richard Ebright get a hint of what real science is?

Answer: Richard Ebright was in seventh grade when he got a hint of what real science was.
Actually, he entered a county science fair — and lost. He didn’t get anything while
everybody else had won. It was a very sad feeling for young Ebright. His entry was slides of
frog tissues. He showed them under a microscope. He realised that the winners had tried to
do real experiments. On the other hand, he failed because he simply made a neat display.

Who was Dr. Frederick A Urquhart? Why did Richard Ebright look to him for fresh
ideas?

Answer: 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 Ebright looked to him for fresh ideas and
suggestions. Dr. Urquhart sent many suggestions for experiments which helped Richard
Ebright in winning many prizes in County and International Science Fairs.

What lessons did Richard Ebright learn when he didn’t win anything at the County
Science Fair?

Answer: Richard Ebright was in seventh grade when he sent his first project in the County
Science Fair. Everybody else had won something. But he returned empty-handed. It was
really a sad experience for him. But his loss taught him an important lesson in life. He
realised that to be a winner, he would have to do real experiments. His project of merely
showing slides of frog tissues under a microscope didn’t click. He should have done real
experiments and that is what real science is all about.

Did Richard Ebright have all the ingredients that are necessary for the making of a
scientist? Give a reasoned answer.
Or
Assess Richard Ebright as a scientist.
Answer: Fortunately, Richard Ebright had all the essential ingredients that are necessary for
the making of a great scientist. He had a first-rate mind and always got first grades in
schools. At Harvard, he was second in his class of 1510. He had the curiosity of knowing
‘why’ and ‘how’ of things. Last but not least, he was competitive and wanted to be the best.
He had the will to win for the right reasons.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. ‘Success is failure turned inside out’. Prove the above statement with instances from
the journey taken by Richard Ebright from losing at the science fair to winning at the
international fair.

Answer: Success is the fruit of failure. It never comes straight but through failure. This can
be seen in the life of Richard Ebright. Although he earned top grades in school, on everyday
things he was just like every other kid. He faced many failures in his life but every failure
strengthened his will to succeed. When he was in seventh grade he participated in County
Science Fair with his slides of frog tissues. But he could not win a prize. This made him
determined to win the prize and in his eighth grade, he again participated in the science fair
with the experiment of viral disease in monarch caterpillars and won the prize. The very next
year he participated with his experiment of whether viceroy butterflies copy the monarch
butterflies in order to save their life from the birds and this project won Ebright, third prize
in the overall county science fair.

His experiment regarding gold spots of monarch liar which he built a device that showed.
That the spots produced hormones necessary for the full development of butterflies won
third prize in international science and engineering fair.
Next year his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa won him first place at the
international science fair. Thus, for Richard Ebright, we can say that success is failure turned
inside out.

Ebright’s backbone was his mother. How did she contribute to his learning? What
kind of work did she find for him even at the dining table? What values did Ebright
imbibe from his mother?
Or
Discuss the role of Ebright’s mother in making him a scientist.

Answer: Ebright’s mother played an important role in making him a scientist. She motivated
him to learn new things. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes,
cameras, mounting material and other equipment.
Every evening mother and son worked together at the dining table. If Ebright had nothing
to do, she would find his work — learning work. He was a keen learner, liked learning and
got `A’ grade throughout his schooling. She also bought him a book, `The Travels of
Monarch X’, which opened the world of science to him. Ebright’s mother helped him to
become a scientist by sustaining his interest in the scientific field.

5. How did Ebright’s mother encourage him to become a scientist?

Answer: Ebright’s mother recognized his curiosity and encourage him. She took him on
trips. She also bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras and other equipment so that
he could follow his hobbies. Ebright’s mother was his friend until he started going to school.
She would bring home friends to him. Ebright’s mother would find work for him if he had
nothing to do. She found learning tasks for him. He had a great hunger for learning. He
earned top grades in school. By the time he was in second grade, he had collected 25
species of butterflies. One day his mother other gave him a children’s book. It opened the
world of science to Ebright.

6. Which book proved to be a turning point in Ebright’s life?

Answer: One day, Ebright’s mother gave him a book. That book was ‘The Travels of
Monarch X’. It described readers were monarch butterflies migrate to Central America. This
book fascinated him. At the end of the book, deere invited to help study butterfly
migrations. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr. Frederick of Toronto
University, Canada. Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr.
Frederick. Ebright started tagging monarch butterflies. The butterfly collecting season
around Reading lasts only six weeks in late summer. He realized that chasing the butterflies
one by one won’t enable him to catch many. So he decided to raise a flock of butterflies.