Question Answers Class 7 Chapter 2.7 English Balbharati Maharashtra Board

Question Answers For All Chapters – Balbharati English Class 7

Great Scientists

ENGLISH WORKSHOP

1. Write what is implied in the following sentences.

(a) But few know his inspirational life story, which is all about courage and fighting against the odds.
(What does it tell you about Faraday’s life ?)

Answer: Faraday was born into an extremely poor family. He had a speech defect that ended his formal education. He wanted to become a scientist. He came across a lot of difficulties and failures but through courage and determination, he achieved fame and name.

(b) Even then Davy did not have much hope for Faraday.
(What do the words ‘even then’ suggest ?)

Answer:

• Davy hired Faraday as his Secretary. Faraday worked relentlessly and became indispensable to Davy.
• ‘Even then’ suggests that even though Faraday did everything to prove himself, Davy did not believe that Faraday was capable of doing anything great.

(c) People started telling Davy that of all his discoveries, the best was Faraday himself. (What does it suggest about Davy’s work?)

Answer:

1. Humphry Davy, a renowned chemist, made numerous discoveries about chemicals and electrical illumination.
2. Faraday wanted Davy to be his mentor, but Davy never believed in Faraday’s abilities and sought to keep him away from the experiments he was conducting.
3. Davy grew envious of Faraday after he became a star scientist suddenly. Davy, however, did not recognise Faraday’s success.
4. So people began telling Davy that Faraday himself was his greatest discovery.

2. Break the passage into convenient smaller sections.

Give sub-headings or titles to each section.

Answer:

• 1st para: Michael Faraday, an inspiration
• 2nd para: Unhappy childhood
• 3rd para: Reading, an obsession
• 4th para: Twist in life

3. List the different gadgets and instruments mentioned in the passage. Find more information about them (at least 3), using the internet.

Answer:

1. Gadgets and Instruments: Fan, air conditioners, sewing machines, power tools, cars, trains, aeroplane engines, induction motors, telescopes, Bavarian glass, microscopes, electrical generators, and light bulbs. Now you add to the list of gadgets and instruments. You can add your own too.
2. Microscope: It is an instrument used to see objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (1632 – 1723), a Dutch scientist, who in the late 17th century became the first man to make and use a real microscope. All microscopes come with a lens that can magnify 40 times the normal size.
3. Electrical generator: It was invented by Michael Faraday in 1831. It is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Sources of mechanical energy include steam, turbines, gas turbines, water turbines, etc. It works on the principle of electromagnetic induction.
4. Fan: A fan is a machine used to create flow within a fluid, typically a gas such as air. The fan consists of a rotating arrangement of blades which act on the fluid. The fan was invented by Schuyler Skaats Wheeler in 1882.

4. Find out more about the following scientists with the help of the internet.

(a) Michael Faraday

Answer: Michael Faraday: Michael Faraday (1791-1867) was an English (British) Scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. He was highly influenced by Humphry Davy and William Thomas Brande. He had notable awards to his credit, a few being Royal Medal, Copley Medal, Rumford Medal, Albert Medal.

(b) Humphry Davy

Answer: Humphry Davy: Humphry Davy (1778-1829) was a British scientist. It was he who found out that the inhalation of nitrous oxide produced surprising results, it came to be known as the laughing gas. He was awarded a medal by Napoleon and he identified the element iodine for the first time. He is remembered for his discoveries of sodium, potassium, calcium.

(c) Thomos Edison

Answer:

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) an American inventor and businessman, has been described as America’s greatest inventor. He invented the photograph in 1877 because of which he came to be known as ‘The Wizard of Monto Park’. Thomas Edison had hearing problems during his childhood which persisted. The phonograph was the first machine that could record the sound of someone’s voice and play it back.

Edison recited the nursery rhyme ‘Mary had a little lamb’ and the phonograph played the words back to him. This was invented by a man whose hearing was poor and thought himself as deaf. It was Edison who designed a system of power plants. He has got 1093 patents to his credit. Many awards to his credit. Some of them are Franklin Medal, Albert Medal, Technical Grammy Award, etc.

(d) James Maxwell

Answer: James Clerk Maxwell: James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was a Scottish scientist in the field of mathematical physics His most notable work was to formulate the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation. He is known as the Father of Modern Physics. His other contributions included producing the first colour photograph taken in 1861 and many more. He earned an array of awards. To name a few, Rumford Medal, Keith and Hopkins prize, Adams prize, etc.