FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH - KSEEB - CLASS 10 - COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LOUIS PASTEUR, CONQUEROR OF DISEASE

Unit – 4

LOUIS PASTEUR, CONQUEROR OF DISEASE

E.H. Carter

Comprehension Questions

I. Answer the following questions briefly:

1) “Louis Pasteur was not a soldier, but he was a fighter.” What does the statement mean?

Ans: Louis Pasteur fought with diseases whole life and found a cure for numerous diseases. Thus, he was not a soldier but he was a fighter.

 

2) What are bacteria?

Ans: Bacteria are little red shaped plants which exist in the air, water, soil and animal bodies.

 

3) As a scientist, how was Louis Pasteur unique?

Ans: As a scientist Louis Pasteur was very unique person. He performed several experiments and discovered about a range of germs and bacteria which he used in a realistic way to help who were suffering from many diseases.

 

4) How did Pasteur try to solve difficult problems?

Ans: Louis Pasteur sat for hour, quite silent and motionless, thinking hard about difficult problems faced by other scientists.

 

5) a) How would Pasteur react whenever he solved a problem?

Ans: a) Louis Pasteur’s face would brighten up with pleasure and thrill and he would hurry around to share his finding with his wife and others who helped him whenever he solved a problem.

 

b) What does this reveal about him as a person?

Ans: b) Louis Pasteur was simple, open and kind person and he would feel very happy for helping people and cure their diseases.

 

6) What discoveries did Pasteur make about yeast?

Ans: Louis Pasteur discovered that yeast was alive, made up of tiny living cells. When these cells were healthy, the yeast acted well, but if they diseased the yeast and the beer went wrong.

 

7) What does “spontaneous generation” mean?

Ans: “Spontaneous generation” means germs occurred by themselves without any parent germs.

 

8) Did Pasteur believe in spontaneous generation? If not, what did he believe in?

Ans: No, Pasteur did not believe in spontaneous generation. He believed that germs were carried in the air and might infect other things.

 

9) In the statement, “Pasteur proved that he was right” (Para 9), what did he prove?

Ans:  Pasteur proved that germs were carried in the air and might infect other things that came in contact with them by a simple experiment with soup.

 

10) In the second soup experiment (para 10) which soup was the worst, which was the best and which one was better?

Ans: In the second soup experiment, he filled some bottles of soup potted and kept it in closed hotel bedroom the other in an open field and some on a mountain. The bottle in the hotel room was entirely moldy and the worst, in the open field the bottles were somewhat moldy and was better and the soup opened on the mountain was clear, there were no germs and it was the finest.

 

11) What is Pasteurization?

Ans: Pasteurization is the process of heating the wine or milk of any other liquid to a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees centigrade to make the germs harmless.

 

12) The writer says, “It would be impossible to imagine Pasteur experimenting with explosives or poisonous gas” (para 13). What quality of Pasteur is highlighted here?

Ans: The writer felt that it was impossible to imagine Pasteur experimenting with explosives or poisonous gas that would harm human beings. Louis Pasteur conducted experiments to help human beings and cure them form many diseases.

 

13) On what study did Pasteur spend all his time and energy for three years?

Ans: Louis Pasteur for three years spent all his time and energy in tracking down a disease which had ruined the silkworm industry.

 

14) How is vaccination different from inoculation?

Ans: Inoculation is to treat a person by injecting a weak form of the disease itself into the body. Vaccination is injecting a vaccine to protect against a particular disease, to stimulate immunity to fight against disease.

 

15) What made Pasteur believe that a cow could not have anthrax twice?

Ans: Louis Pasteur found that a cow could not have anthrax twice, as its body previously had weak germs of that disease and it could not be attacked by the disease again.

 

16) What made many scientists angry? (para 16)

Ans: Louis Pasteur had injected weak anthrax germs into the cows and sheep, it was dangerous idea and he had already experimented that animal which had anthrax already would have weak germs. So, the scientists were annoyed.

 

17) What is rabies?

Ans: Rabies is a dangerous disease that virus attacks a person when a mad dog or a dog with rabies bites a person.

 

18) How was Pasteur a better scientist than Jenner?

Ans: Dr. Jenner had found vaccination against small pox, and he was unable to understand about bacteria. Whereas Louis Pasteur spent his whole life to find cure for many diseases as he understood about germs and bacteria.

 

19) How was the very low death rate among the troops during the First World War a great tribute to Pasteur’s work?

 

Ans: Louis Pasteur had inoculated the troops against diseases like typhoid and enteric fever, the death rate was very low from illness. Thus that was the great tribute to Louis Pasteur’s work.

 

20) At the opening ceremony of Pasteur Institute in Paris, Pasteur talked about two opposing laws.

a)  Which are the two laws?

Ans: a) The first law was of blood and death, opening out each day new methods of destruction, forces nations to be ready for battle. The second law was of peace, work and health, whose aim was to deliver man from the disasters which surround him.

 

b)  Which one did he favor?

Ans: b) Louis Pasteur had favored the second law which brought respite to human beings.

 

21) What was his message to young students on the occasion of his 70th birthday celebration?

Ans: Louis Pasteur message to young students on the occasion of his 70^th birthday celebration was: “First ask yourselves, ‘What have I done for my education?’ Then as you advance in life, what have I done for my country? so that someday that supreme happiness may come to you, the consciousness of having contributed in some measure to the progress and welfare of humanity.”

 

22) What is the supreme happiness he talks about?

Ans: The supreme happiness he talks about is the consciousness of having contributed to some measure to the progress and welfare of humanity was supreme happiness.

 

23) Here are Louis Pasteur’s thoughts at various points in the lesson. Read the paragraphs mentioned against each and explain how he came to each conclusion.

a) I am certain that yeast is alive, made up of tiny living cells (para 7) ______

Ans: When one of the brewers approached Louis Pasteur, he studied about yeast and found by experiment that yeast was alive, made up of tiny living cells. He found out that when the yeast was diseased, they spoiled the food.

 

b) Germs are carried in the air and may ______ infect other things that came in contact ______ with them, (para 8, 9)

Ans: Louis Pasteur proved germs were present in air and infected all things by his experiment when he placed soup in a long tube with narrow neck and a big bend in the middle. The soup didn’t spoil which was kept in open air but the soup in bent tube had spoiled.

 

c. Pure air is different from stale air (para 10) ______

Ans: Pure air is different from stale air, Louis Pasteur had proved this by his experiment with soup in bottles. He kept soup bottles in three different areas, one in hotel bed room, second in field and third on mountain. He found that the soup in hotel was completely moldy, the soup in field somewhat was moldy and there were no germs in soup which he had kept on high mountain. Hence, he proved that pure air had no germs comparing stale air.

 

d. Pasteurization makes the germs harmless, (para 12) ________

Ans: Pasteurization is the process of heating the wine or milk of any other liquid to a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees centigrade to make the germs harmless.

 

II. Close Study:

Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then write the answers to the questions given below them

1) “Do germs form from other germs, or do they just come of themselves?”

a) What did people like Pasteur actually believe about germs?

Ans: People liked Louis Pasteur believed that germs were carried in the air and they infected people when they came in contact.

 

b) Which of the two was called “spontaneous generation”?

Ans: The belief that germs had no parent germs and they occurred by themselves were the two was called “spontaneous generation”.

 

c) How did Pasteur prove that he was right?

Ans: Louis Pasteur proved that he was right by his simple experiment which he had conducted with soup and a bent tube.

 

2) “If you can cure animals, you can cure my son.”

a) What had Pasteur cured the animals of?

Ans: Louis Pasteur had cured the animals from a deadly disease called anthrax.

 

b) What was wrong with the “son” referred to?

Ans: The “son” referred to was bitten by a mad dog.

 

c) Did Pasteur cure the boy? How?

Ans: Yes, Pasteur cured the boy by inoculating him with weak rabies germs and the boy was cured.

 

III. Paragraph Writing:

Discuss in pairs/groups of 4 each, the answers to the following questions. Individually, note down the important points for each question and then develop the points into one paragraph answers:

1) What was troubling the French wine-growers? How did Pasteur solve their problem? What is the name of the process which was the solution to the wine-growers?

Ans: The French wine-growers were troubled by a germ that had turned the wine sour. Louis Pasteur solved their problem by heating the wine to a temperature of 50 to 60 centigrade; the germs could be made harmless. Pasteurization was the name of the process which was the solution to the wine-growers.

 

2) How did Pasteur develop the idea of immunity?

Ans: Louis Pasteur developed the idea of immunity when he doing experiment on anthrax which was killing cows and sheep in France. He found that cow would not have anthrax second time. He thought of injecting the animals with weak germs to improve immunity. Later he conducted experiment on cows and sheep and he found success in it.

 

3) What human qualities of Pasteur do you admire?

Ans: The human qualities of Louis Pasteur are: He was one of the greatest scientists who had worked only for mankind. He always thought to study on diseases to find cure and to help people. His experiments were never harmed human beings. He got a lot appreciation from a medical congress. He advised students to think of, what they did for their education and what they did for their country. They would get supreme happiness by contributing in some measure for progress and welfare of humanity.

 

4) “All the research which he did in his laboratories was meant to help his fellow human beings”. Elucidate.

Ans: Louis Pasteur whatever had discovered was purely meant to help his fellow human beings, he never did any experiment which would harm people. He helped brewer who were worried about their wine which was turning to sour. He discovered that germs were carried in air. He introduced pasteurization which had made germs harmless by the heating process from 50 to 60 centigrade. He found cure for anthrax and saved a boy from rabies which was dangerous diseases too. Even he inoculated troops so that they would fight against typhoid and enteric fever.

 

5) What would have been the fate of humankind if Louis Pasteur had not discovered a vaccine against rabies?

Ans:  Thousands of people would have died if Louis Pasteur had not discovered a vaccine against rabies. Rabies is a fatal disease, which is caused by the biting of a mad dog. Pasteur had discovered that by injecting weak rabies germs in victims, the disease could be cured.

 

Click Here For Exercise Grammar