The Making of a Scientist Class 10 MCQ Quiz – Test Your Knowledge

The question he tried to answer was simple: What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?

“Everyone assumed the spots were just ornamental,” Ebright said.

“But Dr. Urquhart didn’t believe it.”

State TRUE or FALSE.

None of the terms (a) -(d) below, can be applied to the question - What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?

a. A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon

b. An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true without proof

c. A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument

d. A theory - a well-substantiated explanation for a natural phenomenon

What is the significance of the title The Making of a Scientist?

How does Richard Ebright's curiosity about butterflies lead to a major scientific discovery?

Richard Ebright's study of the gold spots on monarch butterfly wings demonstrates:

“I didn’t get any real results,” he said. “But I went ahead and showed that I had tried the experiment. This time I won.” The next year his science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs because monarchs don’t taste good to birds. Viceroys, on the other hand, do taste good to birds. So, the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s dinner. Ebright’s project was to see whether, in fact, birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get.

Choose the option that is true for the two statements given about the information in the extract.

• Statement 1- Starling feeds on viceroys.
• Statement 2- Starling does not eat seeds and insects.

What does Richard Ebright's study of monarch butterflies reveal about his character?

The competitive collection of butterflies in Ebright's early years reveals:

“I didn’t get any real results,” he said. “But I went ahead and showed that I had tried the experiment. This time I won.” The next year his science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs because monarchs don’t taste good to birds. Viceroys, on the other hand, do taste good to birds. So, the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s dinner. Ebright’s project was to see whether, in fact, birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get.

According to the dictionary, ‘fair’ as a noun, shows the following meanings.

Choose the option that lists the meaning similar to the usage to that in the extract.

When he saw those photos, Ebright didn’t shout, ‘Eureka!’ or even, ‘I’ve got it!’ But he believed that, along with his findings about insect hormones, the photos gave him the answer to one of biology’s puzzles: how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and function of the cell. Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life. Ebright and his college roommate, James R. Wong, worked all that night drawing pictures and constructing plastic models of molecules to show how it could happen. Together they later wrote a paper that explained the theory.

Ebright was perhaps expected to shout ‘Eureka!’ because he had

“I didn’t get any real results,” he said. “But I went ahead and showed that I had tried the experiment. This time I won.” The next year his science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs because monarchs don’t taste good to birds. Viceroys, on the other hand, do taste good to birds. So, the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s dinner. Ebright’s project was to see whether, in fact, birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get.

Choose the option listing Ebright’s qualities as depicted by the above extract.

1. persevering
2. visionary
3. determined
4. liberal
5. conceited

Dr. Urquhart's response to young Ebright's butterfly collection project teaches us that:

When he saw those photos, Ebright didn’t shout, ‘Eureka!’ or even, ‘I’ve got it!’ But he believed that, along with his findings about insect hormones, the photos gave him the answer to one of biology’s puzzles: how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and function of the cell. Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life. Ebright and his college roommate, James R. Wong, worked all that night drawing pictures and constructing plastic models of molecules to show how it could happen. Together they later wrote a paper that explained the theory.

“Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life”, is another way of saying that DNA contains a genetic __________.

When he saw those photos, Ebright didn’t shout, ‘Eureka!’ or even, ‘I’ve got it!’ But he believed that, along with his findings about insect hormones, the photos gave him the answer to one of biology’s puzzles: how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and function of the cell. Thus, DNA is the blueprint for life. Ebright and his college roommate, James R. Wong, worked all that night drawing pictures and constructing plastic models of molecules to show how it could happen. Together they later wrote a paper that explained the theory.

Choose the option that shows the picture of the type of task Ebright and Wong were engaged in, as per the extract.

How does Richard Ebright's story inspire young scientists?

Ebright's involvement in other activities besides science indicates: