Ncert Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 5 – Footprints without Feet
Page No 26:
Question 1:
How did the invisible man first become visible?
Answer:
Griffin was completely invisible until he happened to step in some mud, which caused him to leave footprints as he walked. His footprints were seen by two boys, who followed him as long as the prints were visible. On getting rid of them, he went into a big London store to put on some warm clothes. After the store was shut, he got dressed by putting on shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. This made him visible to the people who came to work at the store the next day.
Question 2:
Why was he wandering the streets?
Answer:
Griffin was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to get rid of him. In revenge, he set fire to the house. He had to remove his clothes to get away without being seen. This was why he had become a homeless wanderer—without clothes and money.
Page No 28:
Question 1:
Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Answer:
The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in itself a strange occurrence. In addition, the stranger had an uncommon appearance. In spite of Mrs Hall’s attempts to be friendly, he would respond in a cold manner. He told her that he had no desire to talk, and that all he wanted was solitude. He did not wish to be disturbed in his work. For all these reasons she regarded him as an eccentric scientist.
Question 2:
What curious episode occurs in the study?
Answer:
A clergyman and his wife were awakened very early in the morning by noises coming from the study. They crept downstairs and heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk. With a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman hoped to surprise the thief. However, it was he who was surprised when he found the room to be empty. He and his wife looked under the desk, behind the curtains, and even up the chimney. There was nobody there. Yet the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing. It was a curious episode, and the clergyman kept saying the words “extraordinary affair” for the rest of the day.
Question 3:
What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Answer:
Apart from the study room incident, many other extraordinary things happened at the inn. When the landlord and his wife saw the scientist’s door open, they entered his room. They saw that the clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room. Suddenly, Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later, the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then, the bedroom chair became alive and charged straight at her. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the chair pushed them out of the room, and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall, who almost fell down the stairs in hysterics, was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that these spirits had something to do with the strange scientist.
Griffin was strongly suspected of having a hand in the burglary at the clergyman’s home. When Mrs Hall questioned him on the strange happenings in his room, he threw off his bandages, whiskers, spectacles and false nose. The people were horrified to see a headless man. When the police arrived, he threw off one garment after another, thereby becoming invisible and running away.
Page No 31:
Question 1:
“Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Answer:
Griffin was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to get rid of him. In revenge, he set fire to the house and ran away. He had no money. Therefore, he stole and robbed people after becoming invisible. When he went into the London store, he gave himself the pleasure of clothing. He fed himself without regard to expense. Later, he went to Drury Lane, which was the centre of the theatre world. He went to a suitable shop and came out wearing bandages round his forehead, dark glasses, false nose, big bushy side-whiskers, and a large hat. He was visible then. To escape without being seen, he callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind, and robbed him of all the money he could find. When he had exhausted all the money he had stolen, he robbed a clergyman. He even attacked the innkeeper and his wife when they tried to sneak into his room. Later, when the police came to arrest him, he threw off his clothes, thereby becoming invisible and running away.
Question 2:
How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Answer:
After repeated experiments, Griffin had discovered how to make the human body transparent. This was a big achievement. However, he misused his discovery for personal gains and for hurting others. Thus, though he can be termed as a brilliant scientist, he was not a noble one.
