Here are some CBSE Class 10 English (Footprints Without Feet) extract-based questions from the lesson “The making of a Scientist” to help students check their preparation. You can also explore other sources for CBSE Class 10 English.
Passage – 1
Read the extract and answer the questions given below.
“An only child, Ebright grew up north of Reading, Pennsylvania. “There wasn’t much I could do there,” he said. “I certainly couldn’t play football or baseball with a team of one. But there was one thing I could do – collect things. So he did, and did he ever! Beginning in kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies with the same determination that has marked all his activities. He also collected rocks, fossils, and coins. He became an eager astronomer, too, sometimes star-gazing all night.”
1. Which of these objects did Ebright collect?
A. Butterflies, leaves, shells, and coins
B. Butterflies, rocks, fossils, and coins
C. Butterflies, beetles, bees, and bugs
D. Butterflies, bugs, spiders, and snails
2. Based on the information given in the extract, how would you describe Ebright as a child?
A. Uninterested
B. Interfering
C. Inquisitive
D. Lame
3. Why does Ebright say that he couldn’t play football or baseball as a child?
A. He did not enjoy playing sports since childhood.
B. He did not like to play with his friends.
C. His mother did not allow him to play.
D. He did not have anyone to play with him.
4. What does the author mean by the phrase, ‘a team of one’?
A. Ebright was an only child.
B. Ebright believed that only he could play well in his team.
C. There was only one team in that town.
D. Ebright was a lonely child.
5. According to the extract, Ebright collected things as a child. This suggests that Ebright had __________.
A. a brave heart
B. a curious mind
C. an inspired mind
D. a photographic memory
Passage – 2
Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.
“That probably would have been the end of my butterfly collecting,” he said. “But then my mother got me 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 the eager young collector. 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 the University of Toronto, Canada. Ebright’s mother wrote to Dr Urquhart, and soon Ebright was attaching light adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs.”
1. Which of these options comes closest to the meaning of ‘migrate’ in this extract?
A. Voyage
B. Travel
C. Hike
D. Trek
2. What role did Ebright’s mother play in his life?
A. She tagged monarch butterflies for Richard.
B. She wanted him to become a sports champion.
C. She wrote the book The Travels of Monarch X.
D. She encouraged his interests in learning.
3. How did the book ‘open the world of science’ for Ebright?
A. He became a student of Dr. Urquhart.
B. He discovered his new theory reading that book.
C. It motivated his research on butterflies.
D. He found a new species of butterflies.
4. The title that best suits this extract is __________.
A. The Inspirational Book
B. The Last Game
C. Unseen Adventures
D. The Book of Mystery
5. ‘That book, which told how monarch butterflies migrate to Central America, opened the world of science to the eager young collector.’
Choose the correct option to replace the underlined word ‘eager’.
A. enthusiastic
B. greedy
C. anxious
D. uninterested
Passage – 3
Read the extract and answer the questions given below.
“When Ebright was in the second grade, he began to collect all kinds of butterflies. He also tried to learn as much as he could about them. He read many books and followed his hobbies with great interest. In the seventh grade, he got a hint of real science when he entered a county science fair. He did not win a prize, but he learned an important lesson — that real science is not just about neat displays, but about real experiments and results. This experience changed the way he worked and helped him become more serious about science.”
1. What did Ebright begin to collect in the second grade?
A. Rocks and coins
B. Butterflies
C. Fossils
D. Books
2. What did Ebright try to do along with collecting butterflies?
A. Sell them
B. Draw them
C. Learn more about them
D. Ignore them
3. What important lesson did Ebright learn from the science fair?
A. Science fairs are not useful
B. Winning prizes is most important
C. Science is about real experiments and results
D. Displays should be colorful
4. How did the science fair experience affect Ebright?
A. He stopped working hard
B. He became more serious about science
C. He lost interest in science
D. He changed his school
5. Which word best describes Ebright based on this extract?
A. Careless
B. Curious
C. Lazy
D. Angry