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Footprints Without Feet | Class X | Text Explanation with Questions-Answers and Board PYQs | Competency Questions
Decoding the Story with Insights & Important Questions for Board Exams 2026-27
Lesson Architecture Lesson Overview NCERT solution Competency Questions Board PYQs
Lesson Overview
Footprints Without Feet — H. G. Wells
1. Key Takeaways
Griffin, a brilliant scientist, discovers a way to make the human body transparent and therefore invisible.
He becomes invisible by swallowing rare drugs after conducting repeated experiments.
Although scientifically brilliant, Griffin is lawless and irresponsible. He burns his landlord’s house when he is threatened with eviction.
Being invisible does not make Griffin free; instead, it creates practical difficulties because he has no clothes, money or shelter.
He enters a London store for warmth, steals clothes and food, and later robs a shopkeeper.
At Drury Lane, he disguises himself with bandages, dark glasses, a false nose and whiskers, and attacks and robs the shopkeeper.
At Iping, Mrs Hall considers him an eccentric scientist because of his strange appearance, behaviour and desire for solitude.
Griffin misuses his invisibility to steal money, frighten people and escape from the law.
His invisible presence causes the furniture in Mrs Hall’s room to appear haunted.
When confronted, Griffin reveals himself as a headless-looking man and eventually escapes from the constable.
Central message: Scientific discoveries become dangerous when intelligence is not accompanied by morality, responsibility and self-control.
NCERT Solutions
Think About It
Q1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Answer:Griffin was a brilliant scientist but a lawless and irresponsible person. When his landlord tried to evict him, he set fire to the house in revenge. Later, he stole clothes, food and money. He also attacked a shopkeeper and robbed him. His misuse of invisibility shows that he had little respect for law or morality.
Q2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Answer:Griffin was undoubtedly a highly talented and innovative scientist. He conducted repeated experiments and finally discovered how to make the human body transparent. However, his scientific brilliance was not matched by moral responsibility. Instead of using his discovery for the benefit of humanity, he used it for theft, violence and escape. Thus, Griffin was scientifically brilliant but ethically irresponsible.
Talk About It
Q1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee?
Answer:Being invisible could have some advantages, such as moving unnoticed, observing situations secretly or escaping danger. However, it could also create serious problems. An invisible person might be tempted to misuse the power for theft, spying or harming others. Griffin’s experience shows that invisibility can lead to loneliness, lawlessness and fear. Therefore, I would not want to become invisible because such power requires exceptional responsibility and self-control.
Q2. Are there forces around us that are invisible? What would the world be like if you could see them?
Answer:Yes, many forces and forms of matter are invisible to the naked eye, such as magnetism, electricity and certain forms of radiation. If humans could see them, we would understand many natural processes more clearly. However, the world might also appear extremely complex and confusing because invisible forces are constantly operating around us. Such a change could greatly influence scientific research and our understanding of nature.
Q3. What makes glass or water transparent? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible?
Answer:Glass and water appear transparent because they allow much of visible light to pass through them rather than strongly absorbing or scattering it. Complete human invisibility, as shown in the story, is much more complicated because the body interacts with light in many ways. Modern science has explored forms of camouflage and optical manipulation, but making a human completely invisible like Griffin remains beyond established science.
Competency-Based Questions — Short Answer
Q1. Scientific knowledge without moral responsibility can become dangerous. How does Griffin prove this?
Answer Griffin’s discovery of invisibility demonstrates the danger of knowledge without ethics. Instead of using his invention responsibly, he commits theft, attacks people and escapes the law. His scientific brilliance becomes harmful because he lacks moral responsibility and self-control.
Q2. How does Griffin’s invisibility become both an advantage and a problem for him?
Answer Invisibility helps Griffin escape from people and the police and move without being noticed. However, it also leaves him without clothes, money and shelter. He has to steal to survive, while his strange actions create fear and suspicion among others.
Q3. Why did Griffin’s footprints become visible even though he himself was invisible?
Answer Griffin’s body had become transparent but remained solid. While walking barefoot, he stepped into mud, which stuck to his feet and left visible impressions on the ground. Thus, although his body could not be seen, his muddy footprints revealed his presence.
Q4. What can Griffin’s behaviour teach modern scientists about scientific discoveries?
Answer Griffin’s behaviour teaches that scientific discoveries must be guided by ethics. Knowledge alone does not guarantee positive outcomes. Scientists should consider how their inventions may affect society and use their knowledge responsibly rather than exploit discoveries for personal gain or harm.
Q5. Why did the people at the inn believe that the room was haunted?
Answer The people could not see Griffin, yet they heard strange sounds and saw furniture moving by itself. The hat attacked Mrs Hall and the chair pushed the couple out. Unable to understand the invisible scientist, they believed spirits or witchcraft were responsible.
Competency-Based Questions — Long Answer
Q1. “Griffin’s greatest weakness was not his scientific experiment but his misuse of it.” Discuss.
Answer Griffin’s scientific achievement was remarkable because he successfully discovered how to make the human body transparent. He conducted repeated experiments and finally made himself invisible while remaining physically solid. However, his real weakness was his inability to use this discovery responsibly. He burned his landlord’s house in revenge, stole clothes and food, robbed a shopkeeper and later stole money from a clergyman’s house. He also used invisibility to escape the police rather than accept responsibility for his actions. Thus, the story shows that scientific intelligence without ethical values can become destructive. Griffin had extraordinary knowledge, but his lack of morality transformed a remarkable discovery into a means of committing crimes.
Q2. Imagine that Griffin had used his discovery ethically. How could his invention have benefited society?
Answer If Griffin had used his discovery ethically, invisibility could potentially have had valuable applications. Scientists might have explored it to improve understanding of light, transparency and the interaction between matter and the human body. It could perhaps have contributed to developments in medicine, scientific research or protective technology. Instead, Griffin used his discovery for personal survival and criminal activities. He stole clothes and food, robbed people and attacked a shopkeeper. His actions demonstrate how the same invention can produce very different consequences depending on the user’s values. Therefore, scientific progress should always be accompanied by ethical thinking, social responsibility and concern for human welfare. Griffin’s story reminds us that how knowledge is used is as important as acquiring it.
Q3. How does the story establish that intelligence alone cannot make a person successful or admirable?
Answer The story presents Griffin as an extremely intelligent scientist who succeeds in making the human body transparent. His repeated experiments demonstrate exceptional scientific ability. However, his intelligence does not make him admirable because he lacks moral discipline. He uses his extraordinary ability to burn property, steal money and clothes, attack a shopkeeper and frighten innocent people. His intelligence helps him escape difficult situations temporarily, but his irresponsible choices repeatedly create new problems. Even invisibility cannot protect him from suspicion and the law. The story therefore suggests that intelligence must be supported by character, empathy and responsibility. A truly successful person uses knowledge constructively rather than exploiting it for selfish or harmful purposes.
Q4. “Power without responsibility can lead to misuse.” Explain this statement with reference to Griffin.
Answer Griffin’s invisibility gives him extraordinary power because he can move without being seen and escape from people pursuing him. However, instead of using this power responsibly, he repeatedly misuses it. When his landlord tries to evict him, Griffin burns the house. Later, he enters a store secretly, takes clothes and food without paying, and sleeps there. At Drury Lane, he attacks a shopkeeper and steals his money. His invisibility therefore becomes a tool for crime rather than a useful scientific achievement. The story highlights an important lesson: having power or knowledge is not enough; responsible use of that power is essential. Without ethics and self-control, even a brilliant discovery can cause fear, harm and social disorder.
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