LESSON- 5

FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET – H.G WELLS

Answer the following questions.

1. Why was Mrs. Hall hysterical and fell down the stairs?
Ans. When Mrs. Hall went to see the invisible man in his room, she found the
bedroom chair became alive. Springing into the air, it charged straight into her. Then
the chair pushed both husband and wife out of the room. She felt that spirits have
entered into her furniture and she became hysterical.
2. How did Griffin escape from the London store?
Ans. Griffin got up and tried to escape. The assistants ran after him. But Griffin took
off his clothes one by one. He became invisible and escaped.
3. What did Griffin do in the shop of a theatrical company?
Ans. Griffin entered the shop of a theatrical company. He wore bandages around his
forehead. Then he wore dark glasses, a false nose and a big hat. He put side whiskers
also. Then he attacked the shopkeeper. He robbed him of his money and came out.
4. What happened to the constable?
Ans. The policeman tried to catch Griffin. Griffin hit the constable. Then Griffin took
off his clothes and became totally invisible. The constable was hit by unseen blows.
Griffin knocked him unconscious.
5. What did Griffin do in the house of the clergyman?
Ans. Griffin ran short of money. He decided to steal it from the clergyman’s house. He
entered the house invisibly and stole money from his desk.
6. How did Griffin save himself from the cold of January?
Ans. Griffin was shivering with cold. He entered a big store. After some time, the store
was closed. Griffin wore warm clothes. Then he slept on a pile of quilts. Thus he saved
himself from the cold.
7. What discovery did Griffin make?
Ans. Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He made some experiments to show that the
human body could be made transparent. At last, he discovered a rare drug. He took
this drug and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass.

8. Why were the two boys in London surprised and fascinated?

Ans. The two boys in London saw the muddy footprints. The footprints were fresh. But
they could not see any man. The footprints moved on. Soon these prints disappeared.
So, the two boys were surprised and fascinated.
9. How and why did a brilliant scientist like Griffin degenerate into a lawless and
homeless wanderer?
Ans. There can’t be any doubt that Griffin was a brilliant scientist. After all, the man
who discovered invisibility of the human body couldn’t be an ordinary person. But he
misused the discovery. He utilised it for his petty interests. He indulged in petty thefts,
burglaries and beatings of innocent persons. He made illegal and unlawful entries in
stores and shops only to feed and dress without paying anything. All these illegal
activities made him a lawless person.
10. How did the arrival of Griffin at the Iping inn, was taken by the people and the
landlady Mrs. Hall?
Ans. Griffin arrived at an inn in the village of Iping in winter. It was quite an unusual
event in that season. Moreover, the stranger was of an unusual appearance. It set all
tongues wagging in the village. Mrs. Hall, the landlord’s wife, tried to be friendly with
him but was snubbed. She was prepared to excuse Griffin’s strange habits and irritable
temper because the eccentric scientist had paid her in advance.
11. Describe the burglary committed very early morning at the clergyman’s house in
Iping.
Ans. The clergyman and his wife were awakened by the noises in the study. When
they came downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the
clergyman’s desk. He flung open the door and cried, “Surrender!” They were surprised
to realise that the room was empty. The desk was open and money missing. They
looked under the desk, behind the curtains and even up the chimney. They found
nobody anywhere. The poor couple couldn’t realise that the invisible man, Griffin,
decamped unseen with the money.
12. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist and a human being? What qualities or
values would you suggest will make him a better person?

Ans. Griffin was an eccentric scientist who had discovered a rare drug which could
make him invisible. Griffin became invisible not for the welfare of the society but to
satisfy his own ego and carry out satanic deeds. He was a brilliant scientist but not a
law abiding person. He was a criminal scientist who had no respect for humanity. He
stole money from the clergyman’s house and set the landlord’s house on fire. He was
not a good human being. He was rude to everyone. When everyone asked about his
secret, he hit them and escaped becoming invisible. I would like to suggest him to
imbibe empathy, kindness, helpfulness, honesty, generosity, social responsibility, etc.
These values will make him a better person. He should have used his discovery for the
benefit of society and his country.
13. Describe the scene when Mr. Jaffers tries to arrest “a man without a head”?
Ans. One day, Griffin stole money from the clergyman’s house. The people of the
village suspected Griffin. They thought that he had stolen the money. Mrs. Hall called
a policeman. When the policeman reached there, he was surprised. Griffin had
removed his spectacles, false nose and side whiskers. Now, he looked headless. The
policeman was surprised as he had to arrest a headless man. He tried to catch Griffin.
But Griffin started taking off his clothes one by one. He was becoming more and more
invisible. In the end, he became totally invisible. The constable tried to fight with him.
Some villagers also tried to help the policeman. But they received blows from
nowhere. Then Griffin hit the policeman. He fell unconscious. Griffin became free and
walked out.

Q.1. ‘Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was a lawless person. Does this
statement approve the apprehension that science in wrong hands is Devil’s Pandora
Box?

Ans: Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He had discovered a rare drug that could make a
human body invisible. This made Griffin an arrogant lawless person. He broke the law
more than once but never for a good reason. He could dedicate his discovery to his
country but he didn’t do that. His lawlessness made the law helpless. All his actions
prove that science in devil’s hand is disastrous.

Q.2. ‘Griffin could use his discovery for welfare of the people but misuses it to take
revenge.’ Discuss with reference with the story Footprints without Feet.

OR

Do you think Griffin misused a scientific discovery or he took advantages of his

OR

Griffin misused his invention, instead of using it for the betterment of the society. Do
you think moral values are important along with intellectual abilities? Discuss.

Ans: Griffin was a scientist who had made a discovery due to which he could be
invisible. But he was rather a lawless scientist, who misused a scientific discovery for
his petty, selfish gains. He set his landlord’s house on fire, when he asked him to
vacate it. He entered the store invisible, stole clothes and food. At another shop, he
attacked the shopkeeper from behind and ran away after robbing his money. , At
Iping, he stole the clergyman’s money from his desk and hit Mrs. Hall by throwing a
chair on her. He hurled blows on the police constable Mr. Jaffers and knocked him
down. In this way, Griffin misused his scientific discovery without making benefit to
the mankind.

Q.3. “Scientific discoveries have made life easier but insecure.” Explain with reference
to the story ‘Footprints without Feet’ written by H.G. Wells.

Ans: There is no doubt that scientific discoveries have made life easier. Take any
sphere of human activity, electricity, telecommunications, electronics, computer etc.
these have totally changed man’s life. We can interact and walk on moon. Trip to Mars
is next on our agenda. We can fly like birds. Supersonic planes fly at more than the
speed of sound. Wonderful drugs can overcome deadly diseases. Surgery can replace
defective limbs. Despite all these discoveries, human life is becoming insecure.
Weapons of mass destruction are a constant danger. The fear of chemical or biological
warfare looms large. Diseases like AIDS and SARS can destroy human race.

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