NCERT Solutions · Class 10 English · NCERT First Flight and Footprints Without Feet Footprints Without Feet · Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Making of a Scientist (The Making of a Scientist)
NCERT solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 6: The Making of a Scientist (2026-27). Answers to Think about it and Talk about it, including the answers to the children's questions on DNA fingerprinting, honeybees and raindrops. All 4 questions are answered, with the key answer highlighted.
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?
Solution
Reading many books is useful, but it is not enough. Richard Ebright's life shows what else is needed. He began by collecting butterflies, rocks, fossils and coins and star-gazing, which means he observed closely. He raised thousands of monarchs in his basement, tagged them, and later planned real experiments for science fairs. His own words show that a neat display was not enough: he "realised the winners had tried to do real experiments".
So one becomes a scientist, an economist or a historian by combining curiosity, observation, thinking and experiment (or research) with study. Encouragement from parents and teachers also helps, as Ebright's mother and Dr Urquhart helped him. The story itself sums up the recipe: "Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity, and mix in the will to win for the right reasons."
It needs curiosity, observation, thinking and experiment along with reading, and the will to do one's best.
You must have read about cells and DNA in your science books. Discuss Richard Ebright's work in the light of what you have studied. If you get an opportunity to work like Richard Ebright on projects and experiments, which field would you like to work on and why?
Solution
Sample answer. In science we learn that the cell is the basic unit of living things and that DNA in its nucleus controls heredity and decides the form and function of the cell. Ebright's work was about exactly this. As a school student he found that the gold spots on a monarch pupa produce a hormone needed for the butterfly's full development, and he grew cells from a monarch's wing in a culture and showed that they developed into wing scales only if given that hormone. Later, from X-ray photos of the chemical structure of a hormone, he got the idea of how a cell can "read" the blueprint of its DNA. If his theory proves correct, it may help in understanding the processes of life and in preventing some types of cancer and other diseases.
If I had such an opportunity, I would like to work in the field of biology or medicine, because understanding how cells work can help to cure diseases and improve human life. (Any field chosen with a sensible reason is acceptable.)
Children everywhere wonder about the world around them. The questions they ask are the beginning of scientific inquiry. Given below are some questions that children in India have asked Professor Yash Pal and Dr Rahul Pal as reported in their book, Discovered Questions (NCERT, 2006). (i) What is DNA fingerprinting? What are its uses? (ii) How do honeybees identify their own honeycombs? (iii) Why does rain fall in drops? Can you answer these questions? You will find Professor Yash Pal's and Dr Rahul Pal's answers (as given in Discovered Questions) on page 75.
Solution
The answers given by Professor Yash Pal and Dr Rahul Pal at the end of the book are summarised below.
DNA fingerprinting. DNA exists as strands of bases that carry genetic information specific to each living thing. The sequence of bases in each of our cells is the same, but differs from that of any other living thing except possibly an identical twin. When enzymes are added, the DNA breaks at different places into fragments of different sizes. These fragments migrate at different rates in an electric field and form a unique pattern, called a DNA fingerprint. Uses: since DNA is inherited from both parents, it can identify parentage; it is very useful in forensic science, because from a single hair or a tiny spot of blood it can prove the innocence or guilt of a murder suspect; and it can identify human remains after accidents have caused disfigurement. It also has potential for abuse, for example as an invasion of privacy.
Honeybees and their honeycombs. Honeybees are very good at position, location and navigation. They use the sun as a guide and seem to have a good memory. They tell the hive about a new food source through a clever dance language that shows its direction and distance with respect to the direction of the sun. Since they have some kind of pictorial memory, a direction-finding mechanism and a way of reckoning distance, they are probably better equipped for getting back home than any of us.
Rain in drops. Rain is the result of condensation of vapour when air is cooled below the dew point. All the vapour in a cloud cannot condense at the same time and form one large pool of water. Pockets of air move up independently and cool slowly until condensation begins and droplets form. Most raindrops start as tiny ice crystals that float down, gathering more moisture on the way, and at lower altitudes they melt into water droplets.
You also must have wondered about certain things around you. Share these questions with your class, and try and answer them.
Solution
Sample answer (open-ended class activity). Students should write down two or three questions of their own, for example "Why is the sky blue?", "Why do we get hiccups?" or "How do birds find their way home?", share them in class, and try to answer them from textbooks, teachers or reliable reference books. As in the lesson, questions asked out of curiosity are the beginning of scientific inquiry, so every sensible question is welcome.
