5 Footprints Without Feet by H.G. Wellsm 10

5 Footprints Without Feet by H.G. Wells, 

 1. Word Meanings – Footprints Without Feet

Word/Phrase	Meaning (Simple English)
Footprints	Marks left by feet
Eagerly	With excitement or interest
Mysteriously	In a strange or secret way
Bewildered	Confused, not able to understand
Slippers	Soft shoes worn inside the house
Bumped	Hit by accident
Escaped	Ran away or got free
Invisibility	The state of not being seen
Discover	To find or learn something new
Furious	Very angry
Brilliant	Very smart or intelligent
Shiver	A small shake, often due to fear or cold
Strange occurrence	A weird or surprising event
Scientist	A person who studies science and does experiments

2. Textbook Questions & Answers

Q1. How did the invisible man first become visible?

Answer:
The invisible man, Griffin, first became visible when he walked into some mud, leaving footprints behind. People saw the footprints without seeing any person, which surprised and confused them. Later, he became visible when he wore clothes, especially in the shop where he put on a coat, shoes, and a hat.

Q2. Why was he wandering the streets?

Answer:
Griffin was wandering the streets because he had no clothes and no home. After setting his landlord’s house on fire, he became completely invisible to escape, but that also left him cold and homeless, forced to walk around without being seen.

Q3. Why does Mrs. Hall find the scientist eccentric?

Answer:
Mrs. Hall found Griffin strange and unusual (eccentric) because he arrived in winter wearing bandages all over his face, spoke very little, got angry easily, and locked himself in his room most of the time. She thought he was hiding something and not behaving like a normal person.

Q4. What curious episode occurs in the study?

Answer:
In the study, furniture suddenly starts moving on its own — chairs rise, the table turns, and things are thrown around. There was no one visible, so it seemed like ghosts or magic was happening. It was actually Griffin using his invisibility to create panic when Mrs. Hall questioned him.

Q5. What other extraordinary things happened at the inn?

Answer:
Other strange things included money missing from a locked drawer, the sudden opening and closing of doors, and Griffin’s bandages and hat disappearing. People became frightened and suspicious, thinking that some evil spirit or ghost was in the inn.

 Summary in Short:

• Griffin was a scientist who discovered how to become invisible.

• He used this power for selfish and harmful reasons.

• The story shows how misusing science can lead to problems.

• Griffin becomes a danger to society instead of helping it.

 Moral of the Story:

Great power without responsibility can be dangerous.
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should — especially if it harms others.

1. How did the invisible man first become visible?

Griffin was a scientist who discovered a way to make himself invisible. After becoming invisible, he wandered about and created trouble for people. When he reached a village inn, he could not remain unseen anymore because people would get suspicious. So, he covered his face with bandages, put on a wide-brimmed hat, wore dark glasses, and even used a false nose and whiskers. In this way, he looked like a very unusual person. The villagers were surprised to see such a strange guest in their inn. Thus, Griffin first became visible by disguising himself in clothes and bandages. His strange look made everyone curious about who he really was.

2. What other extraordinary things happened at the inn?

Many mysterious events took place at the inn after Griffin’s arrival. The innkeeper and his wife were shocked to see that sometimes nobody was present in the room, but things kept moving on their own. The furniture, chairs, and even the tablecloth seemed to come alive. Once, the landlord’s hat was pulled from his head and thrown in the air by an unseen hand. The inn’s guests were frightened when they saw these strange happenings. It looked as if some ghost was troubling them. In reality, it was Griffin who did all this while being invisible. These unusual happenings made the villagers afraid and doubtful about the strange guest at the inn.

3. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.

Griffin’s behaviour clearly showed that he was a lawless man. Even though he was a great scientist, he misused his discovery of invisibility. When his landlord tried to throw him out, he set fire to the house in anger. He stole clothes from a shop to cover himself and robbed people for food and money. At the inn, he created trouble by scaring the owners and moving furniture. He never thought about helping others or using his knowledge for society. Instead, he used his powers only for selfish purposes and to break the law. He behaved like a criminal instead of a responsible scientist. That is why Griffin is called a lawless person.

4. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?

If I got the chance to be invisible, I would find it very interesting. I could explore places freely without being noticed and secretly help people in trouble. It would also be useful for protecting the country by collecting secret information. However, invisibility has many disadvantages too. People may misuse it for stealing or spying. It can also make a person dishonest and lonely, since no one can see them. Others may even fear an invisible person. So, invisibility is powerful but also dangerous. If I ever became invisible, I would use it only for good work, never for harming or troubling people. Responsible use is the most important thing.

Character Sketch of Griffin (Invisible Man)

Griffin was a brilliant scientist who discovered a way to make the human body invisible. He was intelligent, creative, and had great scientific knowledge. However, he did not use his talent for good purposes. Instead, he became selfish, rude, and lawless. When he got angry with his landlord, he set the house on fire. He stole clothes, food, and money to survive. At the inn, he frightened the owners by moving furniture and creating chaos. Griffin had no respect for rules or people’s safety. Though he was a genius, his misuse of science made him dangerous. His character shows that knowledge without responsibility can destroy both the person and society.