The Making of a Scientist Class 10: Summary, Themes and Answers
Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked
The Making of a Scientist by Robert W. Peterson, from Footprints without Feet, traces how Richard Ebright's childhood hobby of collecting butterflies grew into a new theory about how cells work. In the CBSE board paper, it is tested through 3-mark short answers of 40-50 words and 6-mark long answers of 100-120 words.
What The Making of a Scientist is about
The Making of a Scientist is a prose chapter by Robert W. Peterson in Footprints without Feet, the supplementary reader for CBSE Class 10. It is a true-life account of Richard H. Ebright. A curious boy who collected butterflies became, at twenty-two, the co-author of a new theory on how cells work.
This book has no extract-based questions in the board paper. You meet this chapter in Section C. It can come as a short answer in Q9 (40-50 words, 3 marks, you answer two of three). It can also come as a long answer in Q11 (about 100-120 words, 6 marks, you answer one of two). Long answers may ask about theme, plot, interpretation, inference, a character sketch or extrapolation to your own life.
In real board papers: asked in 6 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 1.6 marks per paper. See the questions
The Making of a Scientist: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
The chapter opens with a big achievement. At twenty-two, Richard H. Ebright, a former 'scout of the year', and his college room-mate published a new theory on how cells work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. It was the first time this journal had published work by college students. The writer compares it to hitting a home run on your first time at bat in the big leagues at fifteen. And it all began with butterflies.
Ebright was an only child who grew up north of Reading, Pennsylvania. With no team to play with, he collected things. From kindergarten he collected butterflies, and also rocks, fossils and coins. He sometimes watched the stars all night. He had a sharp mind and strong curiosity. His mother encouraged him at every step. She took him on trips and bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras and mounting materials. After his father died when Richie was in the third grade, mother and son spent almost every evening at the dining table learning things. He earned top grades.
By the second grade he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies around his hometown. His collecting might have ended there. Then his mother gave him a children's book, The Travels of Monarch X, about monarchs migrating to Central America. The book invited readers to tag butterflies for Dr Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto. His mother wrote to Dr Urquhart, and Ebright began tagging monarchs. The local season lasted only six weeks, so he raised thousands of monarchs in his basement, from egg to adult. Later he lost interest because tagging was tedious and gave little feedback. Only two of his tagged butterflies were ever recaptured.
In the seventh grade he lost at a county science fair with slides of frog tissues. He realised the winners had done real experiments, not just neat displays. He wrote to Dr Urquhart, who sent a stack of ideas for experiments. In the eighth grade he tested whether a beetle carried a viral disease that killed monarch caterpillars. He got no real results but showed his effort, and won. Next year he tested the theory that viceroys copy monarchs. A starling ate all the monarchs it could get. This project came first in zoology and third overall.
In his second year of high school he studied the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa. With another student he built a device showing that the spots produced a hormone needed for full development. This won prizes, including third place for zoology at the International Science and Engineering Fair, and summer work at the Walter Reed Army laboratory. As a junior he won first place at the International Science Fair. As a senior he showed that wing cells grown in a culture developed into normal scales only when fed the hormone. At the Department of Agriculture laboratory, after his first year at Harvard, he identified the hormone's chemical structure.
In his junior year at Harvard, X-ray photos of a hormone's structure gave him an idea about how a cell reads its DNA blueprint. He and his room-mate, James R. Wong, worked all night making models and later wrote the paper. Ebright graduated second in a class of 1,510 and began testing his theory at Harvard Medical School. If correct, it may help prevent some cancers. He was also a champion debater, canoeist and photographer. His teacher, Mr Weiherer, praised his extra effort and his wish to win for the right reasons. The writer ends with the recipe for a scientist: a first-rate mind, curiosity and the will to win for the right reasons.
Themes and message
Curiosity as the root of science
The chapter shows that great science begins with simple questions asked by a curious mind. Ebright's curiosity started with collecting butterflies as a small child. It grew when a book showed him that butterflies could be studied, not just collected. His most important high school question was a simple one: why does a monarch pupa have twelve gold spots? Others assumed they were decoration, but he wanted proof. This one question led him, step by step, to a theory about cell life. The writer suggests that curiosity, kept alive over many years, is what turns a hobby into discovery.
From the text: Ebright asked "What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?" The writer notes that his high school research on these spots "eventually led him to his theory about cell life" and ends: "Richard Ebright has never lost his scientific curiosity."
Learning from failure
Ebright's turning point in science came from a loss, not a win. In the seventh grade he sat at a county science fair with nothing while everyone else won something. Instead of giving up, he worked out why he had lost. The winners had done real experiments, while he had only made a neat display. He decided to do a real experiment the next year and asked Dr Urquhart for ideas. This suggests that failure, when you study it honestly, can teach you more than success. Even his eighth grade experiment gave no real results, yet showing honest effort won him a prize.
From the text: After losing with slides of frog tissues, "He realised the winners had tried to do real experiments, not simply make a neat display." He then said, "I knew that for the next year's fair I would have to do a real experiment."
The role of encouragement and mentors
Ebright did not grow alone. His mother bought him equipment, took him on trips, found learning work for him in the evenings and, most importantly, gave him The Travels of Monarch X. She even wrote to Dr Urquhart for him. Dr Urquhart then guided his projects with a stack of ideas and doubted that the gold spots were mere decoration. In high school, his teacher Mr Weiherer opened his mind to new ideas. We can infer that talent needs support. Each adult in the story gave Ebright a door at the right time, and he walked through it.
From the text: His mother "bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials" and "got me a children's book called The Travels of Monarch X." Dr Urquhart sent "a stack of suggestions for experiments". Ebright says of Mr Weiherer, "He opened my mind to new ideas."
Healthy competition and the will to win for the right reasons
The writer shows that Ebright was competitive, but his competitiveness was healthy. He did not want to win just for a prize or to beat others. He wanted to do the best job possible. Mr Weiherer makes this clear, and the writer lists it as one ingredient of a scientist. This drive pushed him to work three or four hours at night on debate research on top of his butterfly projects. The message is that ambition is good when it aims at excellence and honest work, not at showing off.
From the text: Mr Weiherer says Ebright was competitive "but not in a bad sense" and "For the right reasons, he wants to be the best." The writer's recipe includes "the will to win for the right reasons."
Perseverance and step-by-step growth
Ebright's success came through years of patient work, not one lucky moment. Each project led to the next: collecting led to tagging, then raising monarchs, then science fair experiments, the gold spots, the hormone, its chemical structure and finally the theory of cell life. He kept going even when the work was tedious or gave no results. He also had a balanced life, with debating, canoeing and photography. This suggests that a big achievement is really many small efforts joined together over time.
From the text: For several years his basement was "home to thousands of monarchs". His gold spot research ran from his second year in high school, through identifying the hormone's chemical structure after his freshman year at Harvard, to his theory of cell life in his junior year.
Characters
Richard H. Ebright
The central figure: a curious boy from near Reading, Pennsylvania, who grows into a scientist with a new theory about how cells work.
- Curious and determined
- Learns from failure
- Hardworking and persevering
- Competitive in a healthy way
- Many-sided: debater, canoeist, photographer
He collected butterflies "with the same determination that has marked all his activities" and all twenty-five local species by the second grade. After losing at the seventh grade fair, he resolved to do a real experiment. He raised thousands of monarchs in his basement. Mr Weiherer says he "would always give that extra effort" and wanted to win "For the right reasons". He also became a champion debater, a good canoeist and an expert photographer.
Ebright's mother
His first teacher and companion, who nurtured his interest in learning, especially after his father's death.
- Encouraging and supportive
- Devoted to her son
- Wise in guiding his free time towards learning
- Practical and helpful
She bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras and mounting materials and took him on trips. She says, "Richie was my whole life after his father died." When he had nothing to do, she found learning work for him. She gave him The Travels of Monarch X and wrote to Dr Urquhart so that he could tag butterflies.
Dr Frederick A. Urquhart
A researcher at the University of Toronto who studied butterfly migration and became Ebright's guide in experiments.
- Generous with guidance
- Questioning and scientific
- A mentor from a distance
He asked readers of the book to tag butterflies for his research. When Ebright wrote for ideas, "back came a stack of suggestions for experiments" that kept him busy through high school. When everyone thought the gold spots were decoration, "Dr Urquhart didn't believe it."
Richard A. Weiherer
Ebright's social studies teacher and adviser to the Debating and Model United Nations clubs; someone Ebright admired.
- Inspiring teacher
- Observant of his student's character
- Values effort and honest ambition
Ebright says, "He opened my mind to new ideas." Mr Weiherer noticed that Richard put in three or four hours at night on debate research besides his butterfly work. He explains that Richard won "because he wanted to do the best job he could."
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Sports analogy | Publishing in the journal as a college student is compared to making the big leagues at fifteen and hitting a home run on your first time at bat. | It helps ordinary readers feel how rare and impressive Ebright's achievement was, and it hooks you right at the start. |
| Biographical narrative built on direct quotations | Ebright, his mother and Mr Weiherer speak in their own words, for example the mother saying, "He liked it. He wanted to learn." | The real voices make the account lively and believable. You hear the people who knew him, not just the writer's opinion. |
| Chronological structure with a frame | The chapter begins with his success at twenty-two, then goes back to kindergarten and follows him grade by grade to Harvard. | Starting with the result creates interest. The step-by-step order then shows how each small project led to the next, which supports the theme of perseverance. |
| Extended metaphor of a recipe | "Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity, and mix in the will to win" | The cooking image sums up the chapter's message in a simple, memorable way: a scientist is made from a mix of qualities, not born ready. |
| Understatement | When he saw the X-ray photos, Ebright "didn't shout, 'Eureka!' or even, 'I've got it!'" | It presents Ebright as calm and modest. Discovery here is quiet, careful thinking, not a dramatic moment. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
But there was one thing I could do — collect things.
Richard Ebright: Ebright explains that, as an only child near Reading, he could not play team games, so he turned to collecting.
It shows how a limitation became the start of his scientific journey. His collecting habit was the seed of his later research.
Richie was my whole life after his father died
Ebright's mother: She describes how she and her son spent their evenings together after his father's death in his third grade.
It reveals the depth of her devotion and explains why she put so much effort into his learning. It is key evidence for her character.
the winners had tried to do real experiments, not simply make a neat display.
Narrator: After Ebright lost at the county science fair in the seventh grade with slides of frog tissues.
This is his first hint of what real science is. It marks his turn from display to experiment and shows that he learnt from failure.
Everyone assumed the spots were just ornamental,
Richard Ebright: He explains the question behind his high school research on the twelve gold spots of the monarch pupa.
It shows the scientific habit of questioning accepted ideas. This research later led to the hormone discovery and his theory of cell life.
Richard would always give that extra effort,
Mr Weiherer: His teacher describes how Ebright did hours of debate research at night besides his butterfly work.
It proves Ebright's hard work and dedication through the eyes of someone who knew him well.
For the right reasons, he wants to be the best.
Mr Weiherer: He explains that Ebright was competitive but did not want to win just for a prize.
It defines healthy competition, which the writer calls one of the ingredients in the making of a scientist.
Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity, and mix in the will to win
Narrator: The writer's conclusion about the qualities that make a scientist.
It sums up the chapter's central message and is the best line to use in any answer on the qualities of a scientist.
Richard Ebright has never lost his scientific curiosity.
Narrator: The last line of the chapter, linking his success back to The Travels of Monarch X.
It closes the chapter by stressing that lasting curiosity was the thread running through his whole journey.
The Making of a Scientist in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Learning from failure
Imagine your class enters an inter-school science exhibition in your city. Your group builds a colourful model of a volcano, but a team that tested how different soils hold water wins first prize. Your group feels the judges were unfair.
Compare your group's situation with Ebright's seventh-grade science fair. What lesson should your group take? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Ebright's frog-tissue slides were a display and won nothing.
- He realised the winners had done real experiments.
- Apply: stop blaming, design a real experiment, seek a mentor's ideas as he asked Dr Urquhart.
Answer: Like Ebright, whose frog-tissue slides won nothing, our model was a neat display, not an experiment. The winners tested a real question, just as Ebright's rivals did. Instead of blaming the judges, we should design a real experiment next time, perhaps seeking a teacher's ideas, as Ebright asked Dr Urquhart.
Memory hook: A pretty model is a display; a tested question is science.
The role of encouragement and mentors
Suppose your younger sister in Class 4 keeps asking why the moon changes shape and collects pebbles on every family trip. Your parents are busy and tell her to focus only on homework.
Using the example of Ebright's mother, explain how you would persuade your parents to encourage her curiosity. Answer in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- What Ebright's mother did: trips, equipment, learning tasks almost every evening.
- She got him the book that opened science to him.
- Apply: support can turn a child's questions into real learning.
Answer: Ebright's mother took him on trips, bought him telescopes and microscopes, and found learning tasks for him almost every evening. She even gave him the book that opened science to him. If we support my sister's questions and collection, her curiosity could grow into real learning, not fade away.
Memory hook: One book from a mother opened a whole world of science.
Healthy competition and the will to win for the right reasons
Imagine an inter-house quiz at your school. One classmate memorises only likely answers to win the trophy. Another reads widely because she enjoys understanding things, even if she might lose.
Which classmate shows the competitive spirit Mr Weiherer praised in Ebright? Explain in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Pick the second classmate.
- Mr Weiherer: competitive but not in a bad sense.
- Ebright did not win for winning's sake or for a prize but to do the best job he could.
Answer: The second classmate does. Mr Weiherer said Ebright was competitive, but not in a bad sense: he did not win for winning's sake or for a prize, but because he wanted to do the best job he could. Reading widely for understanding reflects that spirit.
Memory hook: Chase the best job, not the trophy.
Perseverance and step-by-step growth
Suppose you start growing tomato plants on your balcony for a school project. For weeks little happens, and you feel like giving up because there is nothing to show.
How does Ebright's butterfly work show that slow, patient effort can lead to big results? Relate it to your project in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Tagging was tedious; only two tagged butterflies were recaptured.
- Yet monarch work led step by step to prizes, a hormone and a theory of cell life.
- Apply: keep observing patiently.
Answer: Ebright found tagging tedious, with only two butterflies recaptured. Yet his patient monarch work led, step by step, to science fair prizes, a new hormone and a theory of cell life. Like him, I should keep observing my plants carefully, because small, steady steps can build real understanding.
Memory hook: From a basement full of monarchs to a theory of cells: one step at a time.
Topics in this chapter
- Richard Ebright Character SketchComing soon
- Qualities That Make a Scientist: ThemeComing soon
- The Making of a Scientist Question AnswersComing soon
- Ebright's Mother and The Travels of Monarch XComing soon
- Ebright's Experiments and Discoveries
How the board asks The Making of a Scientist
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Short answer on a quality or turning point (Q9, 3 marks) | You are asked how a specific event shaped Ebright, for example how tagging butterflies built his scientific temperament, or what he learnt from losing a science fair. | Name the quality or lesson in your first sentence. Then give two precise details from the text (such as raising monarchs in the basement, or the frog-tissue slides). End with one line on why it mattered. Stay within 40-50 words. |
| Short answer on a supporting character (Q9, 3 marks) | You may be asked about the role of Ebright's mother, Dr Urquhart or Mr Weiherer in his growth. | Give two or three concrete actions from the text (the book, the letter to Dr Urquhart, the equipment; or the stack of suggestions; or opening his mind to new ideas). Link each action to its effect on Ebright. |
| Short answer on an experiment (Q9, 3 marks) | You may be asked about his vision in raising a flock of butterflies, or about the viceroy-monarch project or the gold spots. | State the aim of the experiment, what he did and what came of it, in that order. Get the facts exact: the six-week season, the starling, the twelve gold spots, the hormone. |
| Long answer tracing his journey (Q11, 6 marks) | You are asked to trace Ebright's transformation from a curious child to an accomplished scientist. | Write in time order: collecting from kindergarten, the mother and the book, tagging and raising monarchs, the lost fair, prize projects, the gold spots and hormone, Harvard and the cell theory. Join the stages with the qualities that drove him. Finish with the writer's recipe. Keep to 100-120 words. |
| Long answer on character or theme (Q11, 6 marks) | You may be asked for a character sketch of Ebright, or to explain what goes into the making of a scientist. | Pick three or four traits or qualities. Back each with one event or short quotation. Use a short introduction and a one-line conclusion. Examiners reward content, expression and accuracy. |
| Extrapolation and value-based long answer (Q11, 6 marks) | You may be asked how Ebright's perseverance, curiosity or attitude to failure inspires you, or what you would do in a 'Suppose...' situation. | Start from the text. Name Ebright's quality and give the event that shows it. Then apply it to your own studies or goals with a concrete example. Balance the two halves so that both the text and your own view are clear. |
Tricks to remember The Making of a Scientist
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
The grade ladder
Climb the ladder: Kindergarten (collecting begins) → Grade 2 (all 25 species, then the book) → Grade 7 (lost with frog slides) → Grade 8 (beetle test, won) → next year (viceroy and starling) → High school second year (gold spots, device) → Junior (first at International Fair) → Senior (wing cells in culture) → Harvard (hormone structure, X-ray photos, cell theory with James R. Wong).
Use it when: Use it for any 'trace the journey' long answer so your events stay in the right order.
The scientist recipe: M + C + W
Mind + Curiosity + Will to win (for the right reasons). Say it as 'My Curious Will'.
Use it when: Use it as the backbone of any theme answer on the qualities that make a scientist.
Four helpers: M-U-W-W
Mother (book and letter), Urquhart (tagging and experiment ideas), Weiherer (opened his mind to new ideas), Wong (room-mate, plastic models all night, co-wrote the paper).
Use it when: Stops you mixing up Dr Urquhart and Mr Weiherer, and gives quick examples for answers on mentors.
The life cycle map
Match the story to a monarch's life: Egg = collecting as a child; Caterpillar = tagging and raising a flock; Pupa = the gold spots research; Adult butterfly = the theory of cell life.
Use it when: A picture to recall the four big stages of his growth during a long answer.
The Making of a Scientist: board-level solved questions
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Why the butterfly hobby did not end · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Ebright said his butterfly collecting might have ended when he was in the second grade. What changed this, and how? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- By the second grade he had collected all twenty-five butterfly species around his hometown, so the hobby could have ended.
- His mother got him the children's book The Travels of Monarch X, about monarchs migrating to Central America.
- The book invited readers to tag butterflies for Dr Urquhart's research, and this opened the world of science to him.
Answer: By the second grade, Ebright had collected all twenty-five butterfly species around his hometown, so his hobby could have ended. His mother gave him The Travels of Monarch X, about monarch migration to Central America. It invited readers to tag butterflies for Dr Urquhart's research, which opened science to him.
Example 2: The lesson of the seventh-grade defeat · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What did Ebright's defeat at the seventh-grade county science fair teach him, and how did he act on the lesson? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- His entry, slides of frog tissues shown under a microscope, won nothing.
- He realised the winners had done real experiments, not simply made a neat display.
- He decided to do a real experiment the next year and wrote to Dr Urquhart for ideas: failure became a lesson, not a reason to quit.
Answer: Ebright's slides of frog tissues under a microscope won nothing. He realised the winners had done real experiments, not just made a neat display. Instead of giving up, he decided to do a real experiment next year, wrote to Dr Urquhart for ideas and turned failure into a lesson.
Example 3: Questioning what everyone assumes · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
"Everyone assumed the spots were just ornamental." How does Ebright's research on the gold spots show the value of questioning a common belief? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The common belief: the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa were only decoration; Dr Urquhart did not believe it.
- Ebright and another student built a device showing the spots produced a hormone needed for the butterfly's full development.
- Questioning the belief led to an unknown insect hormone and, indirectly, to his theory of cell life.
Answer: Everyone thought the twelve gold spots on a monarch pupa were ornamental, but Dr Urquhart doubted this. Ebright and another student built a device showing the spots produced a hormone needed for the butterfly's full development. Questioning an assumption led to a new hormone and his theory of cell life.
Example 4: Character sketch of Richard Ebright · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Richard Ebright was not just a gifted student but a well-rounded person driven by curiosity. Write a character sketch of Ebright, supporting each trait with evidence from the text. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Curious with a bright mind: collected butterflies, rocks, fossils and coins; star-gazed all night.
- Determined: all twenty-five local species by the second grade; thousands of monarchs raised in his basement.
- Learns from failure: the seventh-grade loss taught him that real experiments matter.
- Healthy competitor: Mr Weiherer says he wanted to do the best job, not just win prizes.
- All-rounder: champion debater, public speaker, canoeist, expert photographer.
- Closing link to the title: he has the qualities that make a scientist.
Answer: Richard Ebright combined a bright mind with endless curiosity. As an only child near Reading, Pennsylvania, he collected butterflies, rocks, fossils and coins, and star-gazed all night. He was determined: by the second grade he had collected all twenty-five local butterfly species, and later raised thousands of monarchs in his basement. He learnt from failure. After losing at the seventh-grade fair, he understood that real experiments matter more than neat displays. He was competitive, but in a healthy way; Mr Weiherer said he wanted to do the best job he could, not just win prizes. Yet science did not swallow his life. He became a champion debater, public speaker, canoeist and expert photographer. He shows what makes a scientist.
Example 5: Winning without results · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
In his eighth-grade project Ebright got no real results, yet he won. Do you think the judges were right? Give reasons in about 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- State your view clearly (yes or no).
- The project: finding whether a beetle carried the viral disease that kills monarch caterpillars, by raising caterpillars with beetles.
- No real results, but he showed he had tried a real experiment; we can infer the judges valued a genuine test of an idea.
Answer: Yes, I think the judges were right. Ebright tried to find whether beetles carried the viral disease killing monarch caterpillars by raising caterpillars alongside beetles. Though he got no real results, he showed a genuine experiment. Science rewards an honest attempt to test an idea, not only success.
Example 6: Guiding a cousin who failed · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose your younger cousin says, "I failed at my school science exhibition, so science is not for me." Drawing on Richard Ebright's journey, explain how you would guide him. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Open with the main idea: failure can be the first lesson in science.
- Ebright's seventh-grade loss with frog-tissue slides; he realised winners did real experiments.
- He sought ideas from Dr Urquhart and won the next year though his beetle experiment gave no real results.
- Step-by-step rise: county prizes, first place at the International Science Fair, a theory of cell life.
- Advice: seek support from mentors, as Ebright had his mother and mentors.
- Conclusion: curiosity and patience matter more than one result.
Answer: I would tell my cousin that failure is often the first lesson of science. Richard Ebright also lost at his seventh-grade county fair, where his slides of frog tissues won nothing. Instead of quitting, he realised why the winners succeeded: they had done real experiments. He wrote to Dr Urquhart for ideas and, the next year, won even though his beetle experiment gave no real results. Step by step, he went from county prizes to first place at the International Science Fair and, finally, a new theory of cell life. I would also remind him that Ebright's mother and mentors supported him, so he should seek help. Curiosity matters more than one result. Science needs patience, not instant success.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Why did Ebright eventually lose interest in tagging butterflies, and what did he turn to next? (40-50 words) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content point 1: tagging was tedious with little feedback; only two tagged butterflies were recaptured, not more than seventy-five miles away | 1 |
| Content point 2: after losing at the seventh-grade fair, he turned to real experiments, using Dr Urquhart's suggestions | 1 |
| Expression: clear, connected answer within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark may be deducted for spelling or grammar errors) | 1 |
Trace how a childhood hobby turned into a scientific career for Richard Ebright. (100-120 words) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content 1: childhood collecting, mother's support, The Travels of Monarch X and tagging for Dr Urquhart | 1 |
| Content 2: seventh-grade loss, lesson about real experiments, prize projects (beetle, viceroy, gold spots) | 1 |
| Content 3: hormone structure, X-ray photos, theory of how a cell reads DNA, Harvard with highest honours | 1 |
| Expression: logical order, linking words, within 100-120 words | 2 |
| Accuracy: correct spelling, grammar and names | 1 |
Where students lose marks in The Making of a Scientist
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Getting the seventh-grade entry wrong
Students assume a butterfly boy must have shown butterflies.
Wrong working
At the seventh-grade fair Ebright displayed his butterfly collection and lost.
Right working
At the seventh-grade county fair he showed slides of frog tissues under a microscope and won nothing, because the winners had done real experiments.
Do this: Remember: frog slides = display; loss = lesson about real experiments.
Usually costs: Can cost up to 1 of the 2 Content marks in a 3-mark answer.
Mistake: Mixing up Dr Urquhart and Mr Weiherer
Both guide Ebright, and the names are unusual.
Wrong working
Mr Weiherer of the University of Toronto sent Ebright a stack of experiment ideas.
Right working
Dr Urquhart of the University of Toronto sent the experiment ideas; Mr Weiherer was his social studies teacher who opened his mind to new ideas.
Do this: Urquhart = University and butterflies; Weiherer = school and debating.
Usually costs: Can cost 1 Content mark or more, as the point becomes factually wrong.
Mistake: Retelling the story instead of writing a character sketch
The events feel easier to write than the traits.
Wrong working
First Ebright collected butterflies, then his mother gave him a book, then he tagged butterflies, then he lost a fair...
Right working
Ebright was determined: by the second grade he had collected all twenty-five butterfly species around his hometown.
Do this: Start each point with a trait, then add one piece of evidence.
Usually costs: Can cost 1-2 of the 3 Content marks in a 6-mark answer.
Mistake: Claiming the eighth-grade beetle experiment found the cause of the disease
Students assume winning means success.
Wrong working
Ebright proved that beetles carry the viral disease that kills monarch caterpillars.
Right working
He got no real results, but he showed he had tried a real experiment, and this time he won.
Do this: Winning here rewarded a real attempt, not a proof.
Usually costs: Can cost 1 Content mark.
Mistake: Treating 'competitive' as wanting prizes
The word 'competitive' sounds negative on its own.
Wrong working
Ebright was competitive and wanted to win every prize.
Right working
Ebright was competitive but not in a bad sense: he wanted to do the best job he could, for the right reasons.
Do this: Always add 'for the right reasons' when you use this trait.
Usually costs: Can cost 1 Content mark, as it misreads the theme.
Mistake: Going far beyond 40-50 words in a 3-mark answer
Students pour in every fact they remember.
Wrong working
An 80-word answer listing every science fair from Grade 7 to Harvard for a question only about the gold spots.
Right working
Three focused value points in 40-50 words that answer exactly what is asked.
Do this: Plan three points, write one or two sentences each, then stop.
Usually costs: Can cost the Expression mark.
The Making of a Scientist: previous year questions
- Asked in 6 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 1.6 marks per paper; 6 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 2 of 4 sample papers.
Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.
Solved board questions from The Making of a Scientist
Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.
2026, set 2/1/1, Q9 · 6 marks · Long answer
Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions, in about 40-50 words each: 2×3 = 6
- I.3 marks
Working through his project of collecting and tagging butterflies, Ebright developed a scientific temperament. Elaborate. (Making of a Scientist)
- II.3 marks
Mention how Ausable was always one step ahead of everyone. (The Midnight Visitor)
- III.3 marks
Mention any two reasons that substantiate that Bholi's mother was a negative presence in her life. (Bholi)
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 3 marks
I. Tagging butterflies taught Ebright patience, observation and systematic record-keeping. His curiosity grew from collecting to questioning. Meeting Dr Urquhart fuelled his imagination, and his shift from hobby to deep engagement shows scientific temperament.
- 3 marks
II. Ausable was spontaneous and witty, inventing a convincing balcony story. As a spy he stayed alert. He handled Max calmly and used the police trick to trap him, showing presence of mind.
- 3 marks
III. Bholi's mother neglected her and ignored her education. She called her a 'dumb cow' and saw her as a burden. She sent her to school only to be rid of her and tried to marry her to a greedy old man.
Answer: Any two of the three answers above (each 3 marks).
Where the marks are
- Two relevant points with textual evidence (2 marks each answer)
- Clear expression (1 mark each answer)
2026, set 2/2/1, Q6(b) · 5 marks · Case-basedCompetency-based
"Richard was competitive," Mr. Weiherer continued, "but not in a bad sense." He explained, "Richard wasn't interested in winning for winning's sake or winning to get a prize. Rather, he was winning because he wanted to do the best job he could. For the right reasons, he wants to be the best." And that is one of the ingredients in the making of a scientist. Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity, and mix in the will to win for the right reasons. Ebright has these qualities. (The Making of a Scientist)
- (i)1 mark
In light of the excerpt, what can we infer about Richard from Mr. Weiherer's statement, "Richard was competitive, but not in a bad sense"?
- (ii)2 marks
Mention the 'ingredients' which are necessarily required in the making of a scientist.
- (iii)1 mark
Fill in the blank with the correct word from the brackets: Mr. Weiherer suggests that Richard was _____________. (lethargic/persistent)
- (iv)1 mark
As per the above excerpt, what is not true about Ebright? Select the correct option.
- (A)strongly curious
- (B)bright minded
- (C)competitive spirit
- (D)irrational
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 1 mark
(i) Richard had a strong desire to win, not for fame, a prize or to put others down, but to do his best work. His competitiveness was genuine and healthy.
- 2 marks
(ii) The ingredients are a first-rate mind, curiosity and the will to win (to excel) for the right reasons.
- 1 mark
(iii) persistent
- 1 mark
(iv) (D) irrational. Ebright is curious, bright and competitive, but not irrational.
Answer: (i) His competitiveness was healthy, aimed at doing his best; (ii) first-rate mind, curiosity, will to win for the right reasons; (iii) persistent; (iv) D
Where the marks are
- (i) A valid inference (1 mark)
- (ii) Two ingredients (2 marks)
- (iii) persistent (1 mark)
- (iv) D (1 mark)
Every The Making of a Scientist question, by year
Practice questions on The Making of a Scientist
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Why did Ebright decide to raise his own flock of butterflies, and how did he do it? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Hint
Think about how long the butterfly season around Reading lasts.
Answer
Value points:
- The collecting season around Reading lasts only six weeks in late summer; chasing butterflies one by one catches very few.
- He caught a female monarch, took her eggs and raised them in his basement through the life cycle.
- He tagged the adults' wings and released them.
Model answer: The butterfly season around Reading lasts only six weeks in late summer, and chasing butterflies one by one yields few. So Ebright caught a female monarch, took her eggs and raised them in his basement from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult. Then he tagged and released them.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
What theory about viceroy butterflies did Ebright test, and what did he find? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Hint
Remember the bird he used and what it would and would not eat.
Answer
Value points:
- Theory: viceroys copy monarchs because monarchs taste bad to birds while viceroys taste good, so looking like monarchs protects viceroys.
- He tested whether birds would eat monarchs.
- A starling would not eat ordinary bird food but ate all the monarchs it could get; the project came first in zoology.
Model answer: The theory said viceroys copy monarchs because monarchs taste bad to birds, while viceroys taste good. Looking like monarchs protects viceroys. Ebright tested whether birds would eat monarchs and found a starling that refused ordinary bird food ate all the monarchs it could get. The project won first in zoology.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How did Mr Richard A. Weiherer influence Ebright, and what did he value in him? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Hint
Two things: what Ebright says about him, and what he says about Ebright.
Answer
Value points:
- Social studies teacher and adviser to the Debating and Model United Nations clubs; opened Ebright's mind to new ideas.
- Valued his extra effort: three or four hours of debate research at night besides butterfly research.
- Valued his healthy competitiveness: he wanted to do the best job, not win for prizes.
Model answer: Mr Weiherer, Ebright's social studies teacher and adviser to the Debating and Model United Nations clubs, opened his mind to new ideas. He valued Ebright's extra effort, like three or four hours of debate research at night, and his healthy competitiveness: Ebright wanted to do his best, not win prizes.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How did Dr Frederick A. Urquhart guide Ebright's journey at different stages? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Hint
Look for him at three points: the book, the science fair, the gold spots.
Answer
Value points:
- His tagging research, mentioned in The Travels of Monarch X, drew Ebright into real research.
- After the seventh-grade defeat, he sent a stack of experiment ideas that kept Ebright busy through high school.
- He doubted the gold spots were ornamental, which lay behind Ebright's hormone research.
Model answer: Dr Urquhart's tagging programme, mentioned in The Travels of Monarch X, first drew Ebright into real research. After the seventh-grade defeat, he sent a stack of experiment ideas that kept Ebright busy through high school. His doubt that the gold spots were ornamental also lay behind Ebright's hormone research.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Trace how Ebright's high school curiosity about the gold spots on a monarch pupa grew, step by step, into a new theory about cell life. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Go year by year: second year, senior year, after freshman year at Harvard, junior year at Harvard.
Answer
Value points:
- Second year of high school: the question of the twelve gold spots; a device showed they produce a hormone needed for full development.
- County first place; third in zoology at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
- Senior year: wing cells in culture formed normal scales only when fed the hormone.
- After freshman year at Harvard: identified the hormone's chemical structure.
- Junior year: X-ray photos of a hormone's structure gave the idea of how a cell reads its DNA.
Model answer: In his second year of high school, Ebright asked a simple question: what purpose do the twelve gold spots on a monarch pupa serve? With another student, he built a device showing that the spots produced a hormone needed for full development. This won first place at the county fair and third in zoology at the International Science and Engineering Fair. As a senior, he grew wing cells in a culture and proved they formed normal wing scales only when fed this hormone. After his freshman year at Harvard, he identified the hormone's chemical structure. Later, X-ray photos of a hormone's structure gave him a theory of how a cell reads its DNA. Each step built on the last.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
"Behind every young achiever is someone who believes in them." Discuss the role of Ebright's mother in his growth as a scientist. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
List what she gave him: company, time, equipment, and one book plus one letter.
Answer
Value points:
- His only companion until he started school; after his father died, Richie was her whole life.
- Found learning tasks for him at the dining room table almost every evening.
- Took him on trips; bought telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials.
- Got him The Travels of Monarch X and wrote to Dr Urquhart.
- Inference: without her, his curiosity might have stopped at a collection.
Model answer: Ebright's mother was the first and steadiest support in his life. He was an only child, and she was his only companion until he started school. After his father died when Richie was in third grade, he became her whole life. She did not push him into physical chores; instead, she found learning tasks for him at the dining room table almost every evening. She took him on trips and bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras and mounting materials. Most importantly, she gave him The Travels of Monarch X and wrote to Dr Urquhart, which started his tagging work. We can infer that without her, his curiosity might have ended with a childhood collection.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose Ebright had won a prize for his neat display of frog-tissue slides in the seventh grade. How might his path have been different? Answer in about 40-50 words.
Hint
What did losing make him realise and do next?
Answer
Value points:
- Possibly he would have kept making neat displays, not real experiments.
- The defeat taught him what real science is and made him write to Dr Urquhart.
- So the failure was valuable; an early win might have hidden the lesson.
Model answer: Possibly, he would have kept making neat displays instead of real experiments. The defeat made him realise what real science is, pushed him to write to Dr Urquhart and start his prize-winning research. Winning early could have hidden this lesson, so the failure was actually valuable.
Q8 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Ebright was a straight-A student but also a champion debater, canoeist and photographer. Under board-exam pressure, should students follow his example of a balanced life? Justify your view with reference to the text. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Use his other interests and Mr Weiherer's remark about three or four hours at night.
Answer
Value points:
- Clear stand.
- Evidence: champion debater, public speaker, good canoeist, expert photographer.
- Debating linked him to Mr Weiherer, who opened his mind to new ideas.
- Inference: such activities build thinking and confidence.
- Balance needs discipline: three or four hours of debate research at night besides butterfly work.
- Application to a student's own life.
Model answer: Yes, I believe students should follow Ebright's balanced approach. His science never stopped him from having other interests. He became a champion debater and public speaker, a good canoeist and an expert photographer of nature and scientific exhibits. Debating even brought him a mentor, Mr Weiherer, who opened his mind to new ideas. These activities probably sharpened his thinking, confidence and patience, qualities any scientist needs. For us, under board-exam pressure, a hobby or sport can refresh the mind and build skills that marks cannot measure. However, balance needs discipline. Ebright put in three or four hours of debate research at night while continuing his butterfly work. Hard work and wide interests together, not marks alone, make a complete person.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Which book opened the world of science to Ebright, and who got it for him?Show answer
The Travels of Monarch X, a children's book his mother got him.
2.Who was Dr Frederick A. Urquhart?Show answer
A researcher at the University of Toronto, Canada, who studied butterfly migration; Ebright tagged monarchs for him and got experiment ideas from him.
3.What did Ebright show at the seventh-grade fair?Show answer
Slides of frog tissues under a microscope; he won nothing.
4.What did the eighth-grade project try to find?Show answer
Whether a beetle carried the viral disease that kills nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years.
5.What is the purpose of the twelve gold spots on a monarch pupa, according to Ebright's research?Show answer
They produce a hormone necessary for the butterfly's full development.
6.Who was James R. Wong?Show answer
Ebright's college room-mate, who worked all night with him making plastic models and co-wrote the paper on the theory.
7.Which line sums up the recipe for a scientist?Show answer
"Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity, and mix in the will to win" for the right reasons.
8.Where did Ebright finish at Harvard?Show answer
He graduated with highest honours, second in his class of 1,510.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Where did Ebright grow up, and why did he collect things?
- How many butterfly species did he collect by the second grade?
- Why did tagging become boring, and how many tagged butterflies were recaptured?
- What lesson did the seventh-grade defeat teach him?
- What did the starling experiment show?
- How did the gold spots research lead to his theory of cell life?
- What did Mr Weiherer mean by 'competitive, but not in a bad sense'?
- Name three interests Ebright had besides science.
The Making of a Scientist: frequently asked questions
Who wrote The Making of a Scientist and what is it about?
It was written by Robert W. Peterson and is in Footprints without Feet. It tells how Richard Ebright's childhood love of butterflies led him, step by step, to a new theory about how cells work.
How did The Travels of Monarch X become a turning point for Ebright?
By the second grade he had collected all twenty-five local butterfly species and might have stopped. The book, a gift from his mother, explained monarch migration and invited readers to tag butterflies for Dr Urquhart. This opened the world of science to him.
What lesson did Ebright learn from losing the science fair?
In the seventh grade he won nothing with slides of frog tissues. He realised the winners had done real experiments, not neat displays. So he decided to do a real experiment the next year and wrote to Dr Urquhart for ideas.
What was the purpose of the gold spots on the monarch pupa?
Everyone thought the twelve gold spots were only decoration. Ebright showed that they produced a hormone needed for the butterfly's full development. Later he identified the hormone's chemical structure, and this research led to his theory of cell life.
What qualities make a scientist, according to the chapter?
The writer names a first-rate mind, curiosity and the will to win for the right reasons. The story also shows hard work, perseverance and the ability to learn from failure.
Are there extract-based questions from this chapter?
No. The board paper has no extract-based questions on Footprints without Feet. This chapter comes as a 40-50 word short answer in Q9 or a 100-120 word long answer in Q11.
Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT Footprints without Feet (Reprint 2026-27), The Making of a Scientist