FOOTPRINT WITHOUT FEET
1. Who was Griffin? How did he become invisible? Why did Mrs. Hall find him eccentric? [HSLC 2015]
Answer (150 words):
Griffin was a brilliant but lawless scientist who discovered how to make the human body invisible. He carried out many experiments with chemicals and swallowed certain drugs that made his body transparent like glass while still remaining solid. After becoming invisible, he set fire to his landlord’s house in anger and escaped without being seen. He reached the village of Iping in winter and took a room in the inn owned by Mrs. Hall. She found him eccentric because he behaved strangely. He always kept his face covered with bandages, wore large glasses, and avoided all social contact. He did not want anyone to enter his room and became angry when questioned. He told Mrs. Hall that he needed complete solitude for his work. His secretive nature, odd appearance, and rude behaviour made her feel that he was not a normal guest.
2. Describe the extraordinary behaviour of Mrs. Hall’s furniture. [HSLC 2016, 2022]
Answer (140 words):
One morning a very strange incident took place inside Mrs. Hall’s inn. While Mrs. Hall and her husband were in the visitor’s room, they heard noises coming from Griffin’s room although no one seemed to be there. Suddenly, the furniture inside the room came alive. The chairs and tables started moving on their own. One chair rose into the air and pushed Mrs. Hall out of the room. She was frightened and screamed loudly. The furniture behaved as if it had its own will. In reality, Griffin, who was invisible, was moving them. He wanted to scare Mrs. Hall so that she would stop troubling him with questions about his appearance and work. The extraordinary scene shocked everyone in the inn because they had never seen furniture move without a visible person inside the room.
3 & 4. Give a description of Griffin’s experience in Drury Lane. [HSLC 2017]
Answer (150 words):
After escaping from the London store, Griffin found himself again invisible and freezing in the cold winter air. He needed clothes to protect himself. So he went to Drury Lane, the centre of the theatre world, where theatrical shops sold wigs, masks, and costumes. Inside one such shop, Griffin took advantage of his invisibility and sneaked upstairs. He put on bandages around his head, a false nose, bushy whiskers, dark glasses, and a hat. These items helped him cover his invisible face and look normal. Then he wore a complete set of clothes. Now he became fully visible like an ordinary person. Before leaving the shop, he robbed the shopkeeper by attacking him from behind and took all the money he could find. Griffin’s behaviour in Drury Lane shows how he repeatedly misused his power of invisibility for selfish and criminal activities.
5. Why did Griffin become a homeless wanderer? Why did he slip into the big London store and what did he do there? [HSLC 2018, 2020]
Answer (150 words):
Griffin became a homeless wanderer because he had burned his landlord’s house out of anger and had to escape without being seen. Since he was invisible, he had no clothes, no money, and no shelter. It was mid-winter and the cold London air made life miserable for him. He wandered around helplessly. To save himself from the freezing cold, he slipped into a big London store. When the store closed at night, Griffin enjoyed many comforts. He opened boxes and wore warm clothes like a coat, shoes, and a hat, which made him visible. Then he went to the restaurant section and ate meat, sweets, and drank wine. At last he slept comfortably on a pile of quilts. However, the next morning he was discovered by the store assistants, and he escaped by removing his clothes again and becoming invisible.
6. How and why did Griffin come to the village of Iping? Why does Mrs. Hall find him eccentric? [HSLC 2019]
Answer (150 words):
Griffin reached the village of Iping after wandering around London as an invisible man. He had escaped from the London store and later from Drury Lane. He wanted a quiet place where he could stay without being disturbed. Therefore, he came to Iping in winter and took a room in the inn owned by Mrs. Hall. He told her that he needed silence and privacy for his work. Mrs. Hall found him eccentric from the beginning because he kept his entire face covered with bandages, wore dark glasses, and behaved very strangely. He did not talk to anyone and became angry when people asked questions. He locked himself in his room for hours and never explained the reason behind his odd appearance. His mysterious behaviour, rudeness, and strange looks made Mrs. Hall believe that there was something unnatural about him.
7. Who was Griffin? Why and how did he become invisible? How did he become a homeless wanderer? [HSLC 2022]
Answer (150 words):
Griffin was a brilliant scientist who discovered a way to make the human body invisible. He conducted many experiments and finally swallowed certain drugs that made his body transparent like glass. He became invisible because he wanted to prove his scientific discovery and also to escape from situations he did not like. However, he was also a lawless man. His landlord disliked him for his secret experiments and tried to evict him. In anger, Griffin set fire to the house. To escape without being caught, he removed all his clothes and became completely invisible. This made him a homeless wanderer with no clothes, no food, and no shelter. In the cold winter, he roamed the streets of London, struggling to survive. His invisibility became more of a curse as he had to constantly steal and hide to stay alive.
B. SHORT TYPE QUESTIONS (2/3 Marks)
(Write 60–80 words)
1. Why were the two boys surprised?
They were surprised to see fresh muddy footprints of bare feet on the steps in London although no person was visible. The footprints appeared one after another, which made them wonder how a man could walk without being seen.
2. Why did the bewildered boys follow a scientist?
They followed Griffin without knowing he was a scientist. They were simply curious because the footprints kept appearing mysteriously on the road, even though no man was visible.
3. Who was Griffin? What experiment did he make?
Griffin was a scientist who experimented to make the human body invisible. He discovered some drugs that made his body transparent like glass.
4. Why did Griffin set fire to the house?
Griffin set fire to his landlord’s house because the landlord disliked him and tried to evict him. Out of anger and revenge, Griffin burnt the house down.
5. Why did Griffin slip into a big London store?
He slipped into the store to escape the bitter winter cold. He had no clothes because he was invisible and wandering in the streets.
6. What did Griffin do inside the big London store?
He put on warm clothes, ate food from the restaurant section, drank wine, and slept on a pile of quilts.
7. How did Griffin escape from being caught by the assistants?
He removed all the clothes he had worn in the store and became invisible again. This helped him escape from the shop assistants.
8. Why did he go to Drury Lane?
He went there to find clothes and theatrical items like wigs and bandages to cover his invisible face.
9. What did he do inside a shop in Drury Lane?
He wore bandages, a false nose, whiskers, and glasses to hide his invisibility. He also stole money after attacking the shopkeeper.
10. What did Griffin tell Mrs. Hall, the landlady?
He told her that he wanted complete solitude for his work and an accident had damaged his face, so he needed privacy.
11. Why did Mrs. Hall find Griffin eccentric?
Because he kept his face bandaged, avoided talking, behaved rudely, and insisted on complete privacy.
12. What curious episode took place in the inn?
The furniture started moving on its own. Chairs pushed Mrs. Hall out of the room. It seemed magical, but actually Griffin was invisible and moving them.
13. What other extraordinary things happened at the inn?
Money disappeared from the clergyman’s desk, and people saw clothes walking without a body. Griffin’s invisibility caused these events.
14. Why was Griffin suspected of stealing money from the clergyman’s desk?
Because the money went missing, and Griffin was the most mysterious person in the inn. People believed he used his invisibility to steal.
15. Why were the people shocked and horrified in the bar?
Because Griffin removed his bandages and clothes, and his head disappeared in front of their eyes. They saw an invisible man.
16. How do you assess Griffin as a scientist?
He was brilliant but misused science. He used invisibility for revenge, theft, and harming others.
17. What happened to Jaffers when he tried to catch Griffin?
He could not catch him because Griffin became invisible. Jaffers was hit and beaten by unseen hands.
18. Why doesn't Griffin like to be cordial with Mrs. Hall?
He wanted complete privacy and did not want her asking questions about his appearance or work.
C. VERY SHORT TYPE (1 MARK)
(15–20 words)
-
Who was Griffin?
A scientist who discovered how to make the human body invisible. -
How did he first become visible?
His muddy footprints appeared on the road. -
Why did he go to the London store?
To escape the winter cold. -
Why did Mrs. Hall think Griffin was strange?
Because he kept his face covered and behaved rudely. -
What did Griffin steal?
Money from the clergyman and the theatre shop.
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