Footprints without feet,
Page 1: READ AND FIND OUT
1. How did the invisible man first become visible?
Ans. The invisible man, Griffin, first became visible—or rather, his presence was revealed—when he “happened to step in some mud”. This left fresh, muddy footprints. Two boys saw these “fresh footmark[s] appear from nowhere” and followed them, fascinated, until the impressions disappeared.
2. Why was he wandering the streets?
Ans. Griffin was wandering the streets because he was a “homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money, and quite invisible”. He had become homeless after his landlord tried to eject him. In revenge, Griffin “set fire to the house”. To escape without being seen, he had to remove his clothes.
Page 3: READ AND FIND OUT
1. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Ans. Mrs. Hall found the scientist eccentric because of his “uncommon appearance” and “strange habits and irritable temper”. He arrived at the inn wearing bandages over his forehead, dark glasses, a false nose, and big side-whiskers. He also told her he had “no desire to talk” and that his reason for coming to Iping was “a desire for solitude”.
2. What curious episode occurs in the study?
Ans. The curious episode in the study happened very early in the morning when the clergyman and his wife were awakened by “noises in the study”. They heard the “chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk”. The clergyman grabbed a poker and flung open the door, but was amazed to find “the room appeared to be empty”. Although they searched everywhere, “there wasn’t a sign of anybody”. Yet, “the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing”.
3. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Ans. Another extraordinary event was “the behaviour of Mrs Hall’s furniture”. When Mr. and Mrs. Hall entered the scientist’s room, they found his clothes and bandages “lying about the room”. Suddenly, Mrs. Hall heard a sniff, and “the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face”. Then, “the bedroom chair became alive”, springing into the air and charging “straight at her, legs foremost”. The “extraordinary chair” pushed them both out of the room and “appeared to slam and lock the door after them”.
Page 6: Think about it
* 1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Ans. This statement is accurate. The text clearly states that “Griffin was rather a lawless person” and proves it with several examples:
* Arson: He set fire to his landlord’s house in revenge.
* Theft: He broke into a London store and stole warm clothes, an overcoat, a hat, cold meat, coffee, sweets, and wine.
* Assault and Robbery: He “callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind” at a theatrical shop and “robbed him of all the money he could find”.
* Burglary: He stole the housekeeping money from the clergyman’s desk.
* Assaulting an Officer: When Mr. Jaffers, the constable, tried to arrest him, Griffin fought back and “knocked [Jaffers] unconscious”.
* 2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Ans. As a scientist, Griffin was brilliant. He was dedicated and persistent, having “carried out experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible”. His discovery was groundbreaking, as he “swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass”.
However, he was unethical and irresponsible. He misused his great discovery for personal gain and criminal activities rather than for the benefit of humanity. He used his invisibility to commit arson, theft, robbery, and assault. He demonstrates that intelligence and scientific brilliance are dangerous when they exist without a moral compass.
Page 6: Talk about it
(These questions ask for personal opinions and general knowledge, drawing on the story’s themes.)
* 1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?
Ans. Advantages: Being invisible could be exciting. You could observe people and events without being seen, travel for free, or potentially help people by stopping crimes in secret.
* Disadvantages: The story shows many disadvantages. Like Griffin, you would be exposed to the elements, such as the “bitterly cold” mid-winter air, because you couldn’t wear clothes. You would be lonely and unable to interact with people normally. It might also be tempting to become “a lawless person” and use the power for bad things, like stealing. Finally, people could not see you and might accidentally bump into you or injure you.
* 2. Are there forces around us that are invisible…?
Ans. Yes, there are many invisible forces and aspects of matter around us.
* Invisible forces include gravity (which keeps us on the ground), magnetism (which makes compasses work), and radio waves (which carry music and information).
* Invisible aspects of matter include things that are too small for the “naked eye” to see, such as atoms, molecules, germs, and viruses.
* If we could see these things, the world would look completely different—perhaps like a crowded, vibrating soup of tiny particles and energy fields. It might be very confusing, but we would also understand science much more directly.
* 3. What makes glass or water transparent…? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent?
Ans. Transparency: Glass and water are transparent because their molecular structure allows visible light to pass directly through them instead of reflecting the light (like a mirror) or absorbing it (like a black shirt).
* Possibility of Invisibility: While science fiction writers have often been “prophetic”, making a complex human invisible as Griffin did is likely impossible. The human body is made of many different substances (bone, blood, skin, muscle) that all interact with light differently. To become truly transparent like glass, every single part of the body would have to stop absorbing and reflecting light and also have the exact same refractive index (light-bending property) as air. Furthermore, if his eyes became transparent, light would pass right through his retinas, and he would be blind.