LESSON 5. FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET
1. Multiple Choice Questions based on an extract.

A. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair
pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the
door after them.
Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was convinced that
the room was haunted by spirits, and that the stranger had somehow
caused these to enter into her furniture.
“My poor mother used to sit in that chair,” she moaned! To think it should
rise up against me now!
The feeling among the neighbours was that the trouble was caused by
‘’Witch craft”
i. Mrs Hall felt that the room was haunted by spirits because
a) she could see evil spirits.
b) she heard strange noise.
c) uncanny things happened there.
d) the door slammed shut.
ii. Pick the option that best describes how Mrs Hall must be feeling at the
moment described in the extract.
a) stunned and furious
b) shocked and outraged
c) outraged and nervous
d) stunned and agitated
iii) Pick the sentence that brings out the meaning of ‘hysterics’ as used in the
extract.
a) My friend and I were in splits when we saw the clown’s antics.
b) I don’t know why I suddenly felt worried about flying
home.
c) The sight of blood put the old man in a frenzy.

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d) The people who had witnessed the accident were spellbound.
iv) Pick the option that displays a cause -> effect relationship.
a) pushed and locked out -> hysterical
b) rising of the chair -> moaning
c) troubled neighbours -> witchcraft
d) stranger -> haunted spirits
v) The neighbours thought it was ‘witchcraft’. This tells us that neighbours
were
a) suspicious.
b) superstitious.
c) nervous wrecks.
d) gossip-mongers.
vi. Pick the option that includes the correct matches of Column A with Column
B.
Column A Column B
I. The stranger was i) eccentric, lonely and
callous

II. He had escaped ii) Eccentric, callous and

short-tempered

III. He had an uncommon iii) From Iping to London

appearance

iv) as he wore bandages

round his forehead

a) I-ii; II-iv; III-iii

b) I-i; II-iii; III-iv
c) I-iii; II-ii; III-i
d) I-ii; II-iii; III-iv
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B.The two boys started in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of
bare feet. What was a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house in the
middle of London? And where was the man?
As they gazed, a remarkable sight met their eyes. A fresh footmark
appeared from nowhere!
Further footprints followed, one after another, descending the steps and
progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the
muddy impressions became fainter and fainter, and at last disappeared
altogether.

i. Why were the boys surprised to see a barefooted man in London?

The boys were surprised as

i) it was an unusual sight to see someone this way.

j) everybody in London moved around in shoes.
k) it was pretty cold to move around bare feet.
l) only a person who is homeless and wandering does so.

ii. Pick out the option that is NOT related to ‘started’ as used in the extract

a) option (i)
b) option (ii)
c) option (iii)

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d) option (iv)

iii. Pick the option that best describes how the boys are feeling based on the
extract.
a) enchanted, curious, puzzled
b) captivated, curious, puzzled
c) repulsed, curious, captivated
d) enchanted, repulsed, curious

iv. The boys felt that the footprints were

a) seen due to some magic trick.

b) a figment of imagination.
c) of a man who was invisible.
d) those of a mysterious man.

v. Pick the option that best matches synonyms of the word ‘gazed’.
a) i) gaped ii) gawked
b) i) admired ii) disbelieved
c) i) overlooked ii) stared
d) i) surveyed ii) overlooked

vi. Pick the option that lists the correct direction of the footprints on the stairs,
as
noticed by the boys.

a) option (i)

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b) option (ii)
c) option (iii)
d) option (iv)

ANSWERS FOR MCQ

(A.)
1. c) uncanny things happened there.
2. d) stunned and agitated
3. c) The sight of blood put the old man in a frenzy.
4. a) pushed and locked out -> hysterical
5. b) superstitious
6. d) I-ii; II-iii; III-iv

(B)
1. c) it was pretty cold to move around bare feet.
2. d) option (iv)
3. b) captivated, curious, puzzled
4 d) those of a mysterious man.
5. a) i) gaped ii) gawked
6. b) option (ii)

(C) They naturally gave chase. In the end he was able to escape only by
quickly taking off his newly found clothes. So once more he found himself
invisible but naked in the chill January air.
(a) Who are ‘they’ and ‘he’ referred to in the above extract?
(b) Why has the author used the phrase ‘once more’?
(c) Find a word from the extract that means the same as ‘run away’.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘invisible’?

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(e) Choose the Most appropriate word for the

picture.
i) Following ii) Ascending iii) Descending iv) Chasing
Answer:
(a) ‘They’ are the shop assistants and ‘he’ is the invisible scientist, Griffin.
(b) The author has used the phrase ‘once more’ because Griffin was naked
before he had entered the large store, from where he had taken the ‘newly
found’ clothes.
(c) The word is ‘escape’.
(d) Its opposite is ‘visible’. (e) Chasing.
2. Answer the following in 20 to 30 words:

Q1. How was Griffin a lawless man?

Ans. Griffin was lawless because he had committed many anti-social deeds for
which he never felt guilty. He set fire to his landlord’s house and ran away, he
stole ‘ foodstuffs and clothes from a London store, stole other goods from a
theatrical company and also stole money from a clergyman’s house to pay his
bills.

Q2. What did Griffin do in the shop of a theatrical company?

Ans. The second time Griffin tried the stock of a theatrical company in the
hope of finding not only clothes but also something like side whiskers, glasses,
false nose, bandages, hat etc that would hide the empty space above his
shoulders.

Q3. How did the visible man become invisible? What did he do then?
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Ans. The invisible man got angry with Mrs Hall for asking an explanation for
the mysterious happenings and threw off all he was wearing on his head so that
he became a man without a head. Soon the constable Jaffer’s arrived to arrest
him, but the invisible man threw off all his clothes to become invisible and, in
the ensuing scuffle, knocked Jaffer’s unconscious and escaped.
3.Answer the following questions in 100 to 120 words
1. “Discoveries of science can be used for welfare as well as for destruction.”
How is this applicable to Griffin’s scientific discovery? How did Griffin bring
a bad name to his invention? How was his character?
Ans. A true scientist works for the good of humanity. He wants to make man’s
life easier, more comfortable and enjoyable. He does not misuse his discoveries
for personal gains or selfish ends. But Griffin, though a brilliant scientist,
misuses his discovery. By his experiments, he has been able to make his body
transparent and invisible.
He uses this discovery to puzzle other people, enters stores and shops unseen,
robs people of their money or things and escapes. He sets fire to the house of
his landlord who tried to eject him. He steals food, sweets and wine. Griffin
brought a bad name to science by misusing his invention. He was a selfish man
with a criminal bent of mind.
2.Griffin was a brilliant scientist but not a true one. What made him a bad
scientist? What does it show about his character? How is the value of Welfare
for all’ important in the life of a scientist?
Ans. Griffin was a brilliant scientist but not a true one. He discovered how
human body could be made transparent. It was an amazing discovery that could
be used the welfare of the society. But Griffin misused it. He used it to puzzle
others. He disturbed the peace of others. He robbed the innocent people. He
took revenge upon his landlady.
It shows he was not a man of good character. He lacked the value of kindness,
cooperation and humility’. He was an eccentrics dishonest and lawless scientist
who brought bad name to science. He did not understand the value of welfare

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for all. If he had used his invention for a good cause, he would have become
immortal and remembered forever.
3.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, there are forces around us that are invisible such as magnetism,
gravitation, air and electric current. These aspects of matter are not visible to
the naked eye because they cannot be perceived by the sense of sight but these
forces can definitely be felt.
The world would have been more adventurous and interesting because we have
seen such forces only on paper or in books and never with the eye as of now.
The understanding of the components of matter would have been easier and
there would probably be no gap and empty spaces in the world. Above all,
Nature would have never been as mysterious and mighty as it is now, if we
could see some hidden aspects of nature with a naked eye.

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