Here is a comprehensive study guide for the SEBA Class 10 English Supplementary Reader chapter, “Footprints without Feet,” by H.G. Wells. This guide includes a summary, complete textual question answers, previous years’ HSLC questions, and a list of most important questions in both English and Assamese.
Chapter: “Footprints without Feet”
by H.G. Wells
Summary Note (পাঠটোৰ সাৰাংশ)
In English: “Footprints without Feet” is a science fiction story about a brilliant but lawless scientist named Griffin. After numerous experiments, Griffin discovers a way to make the human body transparent and invisible. He successfully tests the formula on himself. However, being invisible came with its own problems. He was naked in the cold London winter and could be felt even if not seen.
To escape the cold, he slips into a big London store after it closes. There, he gets food, wine, and warm clothes. Dressed, he becomes a visible person. He sleeps on a pile of quilts but oversleeps. The next morning, when the store assistants arrive, he has to take off all his clothes again to become invisible and escape. He then enters a theatrical shop in Drury Lane and equips himself with bandages around his forehead, dark glasses, a false nose, and a large hat to cover his empty space. He attacks the shopkeeper and robs him.
Seeking solitude, he takes a train to the village of Iping and books two rooms at a local inn. The villagers, especially the landlord’s wife, Mrs. Hall, find his strange appearance and irritable temper very eccentric. When his money runs out, he secretly robs a clergyman’s house using his invisibility. Later, when Mrs. Hall questions him about the mysterious happenings and the furniture in his room moving on its own, Griffin loses his temper. He throws off his bandages, glasses, and false nose, revealing himself as a headless man. When the village constable, Mr. Jaffers, tries to arrest him, Griffin removes all his clothes one by one, becoming completely invisible and knocking the constable unconscious. He escapes easily, leaving everyone in chaos.
In Assamese: “Footprints without Feet” হৈছে গ্ৰীফিন নামৰ এজন মেধাবী কিন্তু আইন নমনা বিজ্ঞানীৰ এক কল্পবিজ্ঞান কাহিনী। বহুতো পৰীক্ষা-নিৰীক্ষাৰ পিছত, গ্ৰীফিনে মানৱ শৰীৰক স্বচ্ছ আৰু অদৃশ্য কৰাৰ এক উপায় আৱিষ্কাৰ কৰে। তেওঁ সফলতাৰে এই ফৰ্মূলাটো নিজৰ ওপৰত প্ৰয়োগ কৰে। কিন্তু, অদৃশ্য হোৱাৰ লগত নিজা সমস্যাও আহিছিল। তেওঁ লণ্ডনৰ ঠাণ্ডা জাৰকালিত উলংগ হৈ আছিল আৰু দেখা নাপালেও তেওঁক স্পৰ্শ কৰিব পৰা গৈছিল।
ঠাণ্ডাৰ পৰা বাচিবলৈ, তেওঁ এখন ডাঙৰ লণ্ডনৰ দোকান বন্ধ হোৱাৰ পিছত তাত সোমাই পৰে। তাত, তেওঁ খাদ্য, ৱাইন আৰু গৰম কাপোৰ পায়। কাপোৰ পিন্ধাৰ পিছত, তেওঁ এজন দৃশ্যমান ব্যক্তিত পৰিণত হয়। তেওঁ দ’মৰ ওপৰত শুই পৰে কিন্তু বেছি দেৰি শুই থাকে। পিছদিনা ৰাতিপুৱা, যেতিয়া দোকানৰ কৰ্মচাৰীসকল আহে, তেওঁ অদৃশ্য হ’বলৈ আৰু পলাবলৈ পুনৰ সকলো কাপোৰ খুলিবলগীয়া হয়। তাৰপিছত, তেওঁ ড্ৰুৰী লেনৰ এখন থিয়েটাৰৰ দোকানত সোমাই নিজৰ কপালত বেণ্ডেজ, ক’লা চশমা, এটা নকল নাক আৰু এখন ডাঙৰ টুপী পিন্ধি নিজৰ খালী ঠাই ঢাকি লয়। তেওঁ দোকানীজনক আক্ৰমণ কৰি তেওঁৰ পৰা টকা-পইচা কাঢ়ি নিয়ে।
একান্ততা বিচাৰি, তেওঁ ইপিং নামৰ এখন গাঁৱলৈ ৰেলত যায় আৰু স্থানীয় হোটেল এখনত দুটা কোঠা বুক কৰে। গাঁৱৰ মানুহ, বিশেষকৈ হোটেলৰ মালকিন, শ্ৰীমতী হলে, তেওঁৰ অদ্ভুত চেহেৰা আৰু খিংখিঙীয়া স্বভাৱক অতি আচহুৱা বুলি ভাবে। যেতিয়া তেওঁৰ টকা শেষ হয়, তেওঁ অদৃশ্য হৈ এজন ধৰ্মযাজকৰ ঘৰত গোপনে চুৰি কৰে। পিছত, যেতিয়া শ্ৰীমতী হলে তেওঁক তেওঁৰ কোঠাত ঘটা ৰহস্যময় ঘটনা আৰু আচবাব নিজে নিজে লৰচৰ কৰাৰ বিষয়ে প্ৰশ্ন কৰে, গ্ৰীফিনৰ খং উঠে। তেওঁ তেওঁৰ বেণ্ডেজ, চশমা আৰু নকল নাক দলিয়াই দিয়ে, আৰু নিজকে এজন মুৰ নথকা মানুহ হিচাপে প্ৰকাশ কৰে। যেতিয়া গাঁৱৰ কনিষ্টবল, শ্ৰীযুত জেফাৰ্ছে তেওঁক গ্ৰেপ্তাৰ কৰিবলৈ চেষ্টা কৰে, গ্ৰীফিনে এপদ এপদকৈ নিজৰ সকলো কাপোৰ খুলি পেলায়, আৰু সম্পূৰ্ণ অদৃশ্য হৈ কনিষ্টবলজনক অচেতন কৰি পেলায়। তেওঁ সকলোকে বিশৃংখলতাৰ মাজত এৰি সহজে পলাই যায়।
Textual Question Answers
(পাঠ্যপুথিৰ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
Read and Find Out (পঢ়া আৰু বিচাৰি উলিওৱা)
1. How did the invisible man first become visible?
(অদৃশ্য মানুহজন প্ৰথমে কেনেকৈ দৃশ্যমান হৈছিল?)
Answer: The invisible man first became visible when he stepped in some mud, which caused him to leave fresh muddy footprints as he walked.
2. Why was he wandering the streets?
(তেওঁ কিয় ৰাস্তাত ঘূৰি ফুৰিছিল?)
Answer: He was wandering the streets because he had set fire to his landlord’s house in revenge and had to remove his clothes to become invisible and escape without being seen. This left him a homeless wanderer without clothes or money.
3. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
(শ্ৰীমতী হলে বিজ্ঞানীজনক কিয় আচহুৱা বুলি পাইছিল?)
Answer: Mrs. Hall found the scientist eccentric because of his strange appearance with bandages all over his face, his desire for solitude, his irritable temper, and his unusual arrival at an inn in Iping during the winter.
4. What curious episode occurs in the study?
(অধ্যয়ন কোঠাত কি আচৰিত ঘটনা ঘটে?)
Answer: The curious episode that occurred in the study was that the clergyman and his wife heard the chink of money being taken from their desk, but when they entered the room, they found it to be empty. Yet, the desk had been opened and the money was missing.
5. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
(হোটেলখনত আন কি কি অসাধাৰণ ঘটনা ঘটে?)
Answer: The other extraordinary things that happened at the inn were:
- Mrs. Hall saw the hat on the bedpost leap up and dash itself into her face.
- The bedroom chair became alive, sprang into the air, and charged at her and her husband.
- The chair then pushed them both out of the room and slammed and locked the door after them.
Think about it (ভাবি চোৱা)
1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
(“গ্ৰীফিন এজন আইন নমনা ব্যক্তি আছিল।” মন্তব্য কৰা।)
Answer: This statement is completely true. Griffin was a brilliant scientist, but he misused his discovery for his own selfish ends. He was a lawless person because:
- He set fire to his landlord’s house.
- He stole food and clothes from a London store.
- He attacked and robbed a shopkeeper in Drury Lane.
- He stole money from a clergyman’s house.
- He attacked and knocked the constable, Mr. Jaffers, unconscious.
All these actions prove that he had no regard for the law or for other people’s well-being.
2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
(এজন বিজ্ঞানী হিচাপে তুমি গ্ৰীফিনক কেনেকৈ মূল্যায়ন কৰিবা?)
Answer: As a scientist, Griffin was brilliant and dedicated. He carried out numerous experiments to prove that the human body could become invisible, which was a remarkable scientific achievement. However, he was not a noble scientist because he used his great discovery for destructive and criminal purposes rather than for the good of humanity. He was a great scientist but a terrible human being.
Talk about it (কথা পতা)
1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?
(তুমি অদৃশ্য হ’ব বিচাৰিবানে? যদি তুমি অদৃশ্য হোৱা, তেন্তে কি কি সুবিধা আৰু অসুবিধাৰ সন্মুখীন হ’বা বুলি ভাবা?)
Answer: Yes, the idea of becoming invisible is exciting.
Advantages: I could travel anywhere without a ticket, play harmless pranks on my friends, and help catch criminals without being seen.
Disadvantages: It would be difficult to live a normal life. I would have to remain naked to be invisible, which would be impossible in winter. People might get scared if they bumped into me, and I could easily misuse my power, which would be morally wrong.
2. Are there forces around us that are invisible? What makes glass or water transparent?
(আমাৰ চাৰিওফালে অদৃশ্য শক্তি আছেনে? কিহে গ্লাছ বা পানী স্বচ্ছ কৰে?)
Answer: Yes, there are many invisible forces around us, such as gravity, magnetism, and radio waves.
Glass or water is transparent because light can pass straight through them without being scattered or absorbed. An object becomes visible when it reflects or absorbs light. If an object does not do this and lets all light pass through, it becomes transparent, just like Griffin’s body.
Previous Year HSLC Question Answers
(বিগত বৰ্ষৰ HSLC প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. Which place was known as the centre of the theatre world? (HSLC 2023)
(কোনখন ঠাইক থিয়েটাৰ জগতৰ কেন্দ্ৰবিন্দু বুলি জনা গৈছিল?)
Answer: Drury Lane in London was known as the centre of the theatre world.
2. Write about any one incident which proves that Griffin was a lawless person. (HSLC 2023)
(গ্ৰীফিন যে এজন আইন নমনা ব্যক্তি আছিল, সেইটো প্ৰমাণ কৰা যিকোনো এটা ঘটনাৰ বিষয়ে লিখা।)
Answer: One incident that proves Griffin was a lawless person is when he set fire to his landlord’s house in London simply because the landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. This act of revenge shows his disregard for the law and other people’s property.
3. Why did Griffin become a homeless wanderer? (HSLC 2018)
(গ্ৰীফিন কিয় এজন গৃহহীন যাযাবৰ হৈ পৰিছিল?)
Answer: Griffin became a homeless wanderer because he had to remove his clothes to become invisible and escape after setting fire to his landlord’s house. Without clothes and money, he had no place to live.
4. Why did Griffin slip into the big London store? (HSLC 2018)
(গ্ৰীফিন কিয় লণ্ডনৰ ডাঙৰ দোকানখনত সোমাইছিল?)
Answer: Griffin slipped into the big London store to get some warmth from the bitter cold of the mid-winter, as he was wandering without any clothes.
5. Describe Griffin’s experience in Drury Lane. (HSLC 2020)
(ড্ৰুৰী লেনত গ্ৰীফিনৰ অভিজ্ঞতা বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: In Drury Lane, the centre of the theatre world, Griffin went into a theatrical shop to find clothes and something to hide the empty space above his shoulders. He came out wearing bandages around his forehead, dark glasses, a false nose, big side-whiskers, and a large hat. To escape without being seen, he callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind and robbed him of all his money.
7. Why did Griffin go to the village of Iping? (HSLC 2019)
(গ্ৰীফিন কিয় ইপিং গাঁৱলৈ গৈছিল?)
Answer: Griffin went to the village of Iping to get away from the crowded and curious environment of London. He desired solitude to work on his experiments in peace.
8. How and why did Griffin come to the village of Iping? Why does Mrs. Hall find him eccentric? (HSLC 2019)
(গ্ৰীফিন কেনেকৈ আৰু কিয় ইপিং গাঁৱলৈ আহিছিল? শ্ৰীমতী হলে তেওঁক কিয় আচহুৱা বুলি পাইছিল?)
Answer: Griffin came to Iping by taking a train from London because he wanted to find a quiet place to live and work in solitude.
Mrs. Hall found him eccentric due to his strange bandaged appearance, his desire not to be disturbed, and his arrival at the inn during the off-season (winter), which was an unusual event.
Most Important 10 Questions and Answers
(১০টা আটাইতকৈ গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. What was Griffin’s great discovery?
(গ্ৰীফিনৰ মহান আৱিষ্কাৰ কি আছিল?)
Answer: Griffin’s great discovery was a formula with certain rare drugs that could make the human body as transparent as a sheet of glass and thus, invisible.
2. Why were the two boys in London surprised and fascinated?
(লণ্ডনৰ ল’ৰা দুজন কিয় আচৰিত আৰু মুগ্ধ হৈছিল?)
Answer: The two boys were surprised and fascinated because they saw fresh, muddy footprints of a pair of bare feet appearing on the steps of a house from nowhere, without seeing anyone making them.
3. What did Griffin do inside the big London store?
(লণ্ডনৰ ডাঙৰ দোকানখনৰ ভিতৰত গ্ৰীফিনে কি কৰিছিল?)
Answer: Inside the big London store, Griffin gave himself the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself. He wore warm clothes, shoes, an overcoat, and a hat. He ate cold meat, drank coffee and wine, and finally slept on a pile of quilts.
4. Why did Griffin have to become invisible again in the London store?
(লণ্ডনৰ দোকানখনত গ্ৰীফিন কিয় পুনৰ অদৃশ্য হ’বলগীয়া হ’ল?)
Answer: He had to become invisible again because he overslept and was discovered by the shop assistants the next morning. To escape from them, he had to quickly take off all his newly-found clothes.
5. Describe the appearance of the invisible man at the inn in Iping.
(ইপিংৰ হোটেলত অদৃশ্য মানুহজনৰ চেহেৰা বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: At the inn, Griffin was fully dressed but had his head covered with bandages. He wore a false nose, big bushy side-whiskers, dark glasses, and a large hat to hide his invisibility above the shoulders.
6. How did Griffin pay his rent when he ran out of money?
(টকা শেষ হোৱাত গ্ৰীফিনে তেওঁৰ ভাড়া কেনেকৈ পৰিশোধ কৰিছিল?)
Answer: When he ran out of money, Griffin used his invisibility to steal money from the clergyman’s desk and then used that stolen money to pay his rent.
7. Describe the “extraordinary affair” at the clergyman’s house.
(ধৰ্মযাজকৰ ঘৰত ঘটা “অসাধাৰণ ঘটনাটো” বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: The clergyman and his wife heard the sound of money being stolen from their study. They rushed in with a poker but found the room empty. This was an extraordinary affair because the money was gone, but there was no sign of anybody.
8. Describe the scene when Mr. Jaffers tried to arrest the “headless man”.
(“মুৰ নথকা মানুহজনক” যেতিয়া শ্ৰীযুত জেফাৰ্ছে গ্ৰেপ্তাৰ কৰিবলৈ চেষ্টা কৰিছিল, সেই দৃশ্যটো বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: When Mr. Jaffers tried to arrest him, a remarkable scene followed. Griffin threw off his clothes one by one, becoming more and more invisible. Jaffers found himself struggling with someone he could not see at all and was finally knocked unconscious by invisible blows.
9. What is the irony of Griffin’s situation?
(গ্ৰীফিনৰ পৰিস্থিতিৰ বিদ্ৰূপ কি?)
Answer: The irony is that Griffin’s great scientific discovery, which should have brought him fame and honour, instead turned him into a lawless and homeless wanderer. His power of invisibility became the cause of his downfall.
10. What message does the story “Footprints without Feet” convey?
(“Footprints without Feet” কাহিনীটোৱে কি বাৰ্তা দিয়ে?)
Answer: The story conveys the message that a great scientific discovery, if misused by a lawless person, can be a threat to society. It shows that knowledge without human values and conscience can be dangerous.