Class 10 Footprints Without Feet by H.G. Wells
Short Questions
Q. How did the invisible man first become visible?
Ans. The invisible man, Griffin, became visible after he entered a department store, wore clothes, a hat, dark glasses, bandages, and a false nose.
Q. Why was he wandering the streets?
Ans. Griffin was wandering the streets because he had set fire to his landlord’s house after an argument. Being invisible, he had no clothes or shelter and was trying to escape.
Q. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Ans. Mrs Hall finds him eccentric because he arrived at her inn in winter without luggage, kept to himself, behaved strangely, and paid in advance. He also got angry when anyone disturbed him.
Q. What curious episode occurs in the study?
Ans. In the study, when Mrs Hall entered, she saw that the chair and other furniture moved on their own. It seemed as if an invisible person was handling them, which terrified her.
Q. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Ans. Other extraordinary things include money disappearing from the clergyman’s desk and Griffin’s clothes and bandages suddenly falling off, leaving him completely invisible before everyone.
Long Questions
Q.1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Ans. Griffin misused his scientific discovery. He set fire to his landlord’s house, robbed shops and people, and behaved rudely with Mrs Hall. Instead of using his power for good, he lived like a criminal. This proves that he was lawless and selfish.
Q.2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Ans. Griffin was a brilliant scientist because he discovered a way to make the human body invisible. But he lacked morality and responsibility. Instead of using his discovery for the welfare of people, he used it for theft and mischief. Therefore, he was a great scientist but a failed human being.
Value-Based Questions
Q.1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?
Ans. If I became invisible, I could avoid danger, move freely, and know people’s secrets. But it could also make me lonely and tempted to misuse the power. So invisibility has both advantages and disadvantages.
Q.2. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of matter that are ‘invisible’ 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, forces like magnetism, electricity, gravity, and air are invisible. Atoms and molecules are also invisible to the naked eye. If we could see them, the world would look strange and confusing, because we would see countless moving particles and energy fields around us.
Q.3. What makes glass or water transparent? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent?
Ans. Glass and water are transparent because light passes through them without scattering much. For a man to become invisible, light would need to pass through his body in the same way. At present, this is not scientifically possible, but with future discoveries (like nanotechnology or advanced optics), it might become a reality. Science fiction has often predicted real inventions.