Discover the enchanting world of “Footprints Without Feet” with NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 5. Unearth the mysteries behind these captivating stories through comprehensive questions and expertly crafted answers. Dive into the realms of fantasy, science fiction, and the supernatural as you explore the unique tales. These solutions ensure a profound grasp of the plots, characters, and themes, enhancing your literary understanding and exam performance. Unleash your imagination and delve into the magical world of “Footprints Without Feet.”
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 5 Footprints without Feet Questions and Answers
Page no. 26
• Read and Find Out
Q1. How did the invisible man first become visible?
Ans: The invisible man first became visible in the streets of London. Two boys first noticed fresh muddy imprints of their bare feet on the steps of a house, but they didn’t see anyone. As they looked on, they saw a remarkable sight. A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere. Further footprints followed, one after another, descending the steps and progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter, and at last disappeared altogether.
Q2. Why was he wandering the streets?
Ans: Griffin’s landlord disliked him because he was a lawless person. He wanted to evict him from the house. In revenge, Griffin set the house on fire. To get away without being seen, he had to remove his clothes. Thus, he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money and quite invisible.
Page no. 28
• Read and Find Out
Q1. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Ans: Griffin arrived at an inn in Iping village during winter season which itself was an uncommon thing to happen. Griffin had a weird appearance. Mrs. Hall tried to be friendly with him but he gave her a cold response. He told her that he didn’t want to be disturbed and the reason for his visit to the village of Iping was solitude. These were some of the reasons due to which Mrs.Hall considered him to be an eccentric scientist.
Q2. What curious episode occurs in the study?
Ans: Very early in the morning, a clergyman and his wife were awakened by noises in the study. Creeping downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk. Without making any noise and with a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman flung open the door of the study, but he found no one. He and his wife looked under the desk, and behind the curtains,and even up the chimney. There wasn’t a sign of anybody. Yet the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing.
Q3. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Ans: Early one morning, Mr and Mrs Hall noticed that Griffin wasn’t in his room, so they decided to investigate, and suddenly, Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later, the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then the bedroom chair came alive. Springing into the air it charged straight at her, legs foremost. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that the stranger had somehow caused these to enter into her furniture.
Page no. 31
Think about it
Q1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Ans: At the beginning of the story, we are told that Griffin was a brilliant scientist but a lawless person because when his landlord tried to evict him from the house, Griffin set the house on fire. And to get away without being noticed, he removed his clothes, became invisible and moved around like a homeless wanderer. To escape the mid-winter cold, he slipped into a big London store for warmth. When the doors were shut at the end of the day, he gave himself the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself without regard to expense. In the morning when he saw the shop assistants approaching, he shed his clothes one by one to escape. He needed clothes to keep him warm, so he raided a theatrical company and took off with the clothes and things he needed, but not before attacking and robbing the shopkeeper. Once at Iping, when he ran out of money, he robbed the clergyman. And when he noticed Mr and Mrs Hall snooping in his room, he flung furniture at them. Since he was invisible to them, they thought their furniture was possessed by ghosts. All these events tell us that Griffin was indeed a lawless man.
Q2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Ans: Griffin was a short-tempered person. He wanted to discover a method to make the human body transparent. He carried out experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. And finally, he consumed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. He was successful in his discovery, however he took advantage of his invisibility and tried to cheat people and steal their money. So, as a human being, he was not a noble person, but as a scientist, he was successful.
Page no. 31
Think about it
Q1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?
Ans: Yes, I would like to become invisible. The advantages would be that I would be able to go wherever I wish without spending any money. I would be able to do things that my parents have not permitted to, such as going to parties, going on treks with friends, etc. The disadvantage would be that I would not be able to wear any clothes, because the moment I would wear clothes, I would become visible. I would not be able to protect myself from rain, heat or cold.
Q2. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of matter that are ‘invisible1 or not visible to the naked eye? What would the world be like if you could see such forces or such aspects of matter?‘
Ans: Yes, there are forces around us that are invisible, such as gravitational forces that bind the planets in the solar system, that bind us to the earth, the electrons around the nucleus of an atom; magnetism that attracts things made of iron to magnets. Then, there are bacteria, viruses and germs that are invisible to the naked eye. If such forces and such aspects were visible, perhaps we would not have had many scientific discoveries.
Q3. What makes glass or water transparent (what is the scientific explanation for this)? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent? (Keep in mind that writers of science fiction have often turned out to be prophetic in their imagination)
Ans: The fact that light can pass through glass or water makes them transparent. When light rays fall on an object, the reflected light from that object makes it visible to us. If some device can be made that can prevent reflection of light from the human body then the human body can also become invisible.