Chapter 2
Plants also Breathe and Feel
1. Who was Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, and why is he remembered as a great scientist?
Ans: Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose was an Indian scientist born in 1858 in Bengal. He is remembered for his pioneering work in plant physiology and physics, especially for inventing the crescograph, which proved that plants have the ability to feel, see, and react to stimuli. His discoveries brought India recognition in the global scientific community.
2. What was the event that amazed the scientific world in 1900?
Ans: The event that amazed the scientific world was Bose demonstrating his instrument, the crescograph, at the Paris Congress of Science. The machine showed that plants have sight and can sense approaching strangers, proving that plants are capable of feeling.
3. What is a crescograph, and why is it important?
Ans: The crescograph is a unique instrument designed by Bose that records the growth of plants with extreme precision, magnifying movements of plant tissues ten thousand times. It also measures the reactions of plants to stimuli like light, sound, and wireless waves, proving that plants are capable of feeling and responding to their environment.
4. Where and when was Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose born?
Ans: Bose was born in 1858 in a village in Bengal, India.
5. Where did Bose study Physics, and what higher education did he pursue?
Ans: Bose studied Physics at Calcutta University and then went to England for higher studies. He graduated from Cambridge University before returning to India.
6. What challenges did Bose face during his appointment at Presidency College?
Ans: During British rule, Bose was appointed as a temporary professor, receiving only half the salary paid to a European doing the same work. He struggled for equal pay, refusing to accept his salary for three years until he was granted full justice.
7. Why did Bose refuse to accept his salary for three years?
Ans: Bose refused the salary as a matter of self-respect and principle. He believed that work should be rewarded equally regardless of race or nationality and did not want to compromise his dignity.
8. How did Bose’s early interest in animals and plants influence his scientific work?
Ans: From boyhood, Bose loved observing animal and plant life. Later, while working in Physics, he noticed that his wireless receiver would get “tired” and recover after rest. This observation inspired him to study the similarities between living and non-living things, leading to his discoveries about plant responses.
9. How did the discoveries of Galileo and Newton change the approach to science?
Ans: Galileo and Newton shifted science from viewing the world as a unified creation to studying each branch separately in detail. This led to specialization in different sciences, whereas Bose emphasized the unity of all scientific disciplines and the similarity between living and non-living matter.
10. What was Bose’s revolutionary idea about plants and metals?
Ans: Bose proposed that plants and metals share certain life-like qualities. He suggested that both can become “tired,” “depressed,” or “happy,” challenging traditional beliefs. Though initially mocked, he proved it scientifically through his experiments.
11. Why did people laugh at Bose’s claims initially?
Ans: People laughed because Bose’s ideas contradicted traditional scientific beliefs that plants are lifeless. They could not imagine plants having senses or emotions, so his claims seemed absurd at first.
12. How did Bose prove that plants can feel?
Ans: Bose designed the crescograph, which recorded plant movements with great accuracy. It showed that plants react to stimuli such as light, sound, manures, and wireless waves, proving that plants have a sense of feeling.
13. What stimuli can plants react to according to Bose’s research?
Ans: Plants can react to light rays, sound, wireless waves, chemicals like manures, and approaching strangers, showing they have a sensory perception similar to animals.
14. How does the crescograph magnify plant movements?
Ans: The crescograph magnifies the growth and movements of plant tissues ten thousand times, allowing scientists to observe and record tiny responses that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye.
15. What does Bose’s work reveal about the “life” of plants?
Ans: Bose’s work reveals that plants are living organisms capable of feelings, reactions, and sensitivity. They respond to external stimuli, show stress or relaxation, and have a kind of “awareness” of their surroundings.
16. How did Bose’s discovery change India’s reputation in science?
Ans: Before Bose, India was known for literature, arts, and philosophy but not science. His invention and research brought international recognition for India in the scientific world.
17. What qualities of Bose helped him succeed despite opposition?
Ans: Bose’s qualities included perseverance, self-respect, principled behavior, rebellion against injustice, and scientific curiosity, which allowed him to overcome challenges and succeed in his research.
18. What lesson does Bose’s struggle for equal pay teach us?
Ans: It teaches that one should stand up for justice and equality. Bose’s determination shows that fairness and integrity are as important as scientific talent.
19. How did Bose combine his interest in Physics with biology?
Ans: Bose applied physical instruments like the crescograph to measure biological phenomena, bridging the gap between Physics and biology, and proving that interdisciplinary approaches can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
20. How did Bose view the relationship between living and non-living matter?
Ans: Bose believed there is a similarity between living and lifeless things, suggesting a unity in nature where plants and metals can respond to stimuli and exhibit properties akin to life.
21. What role did curiosity play in Bose’s scientific achievements?
Ans: Bose’s curiosity about plant and animal life, combined with careful observation of his wireless receiver’s “tiredness,” sparked his ideas about plant responses. Curiosity was the starting point for his revolutionary experiments.
22. How does the crescograph help in scientific experiments?
Ans: It allows precise measurement of plant growth and reactions to stimuli. Scientists can record tiny movements, analyze plant behavior, and validate theories about plant sensitivity.
23. What does it mean that plants have “hearts” in Bose’s research?
Ans: Saying plants have “hearts” means they respond to stimuli emotionally or physiologically, such as reacting to touch, light, sound, or chemicals, similar to how living beings respond to their environment.
24. How did Bose demonstrate the plant’s sense of sight?
Ans: The crescograph showed that plants react to light and approaching objects, indicating a form of perception similar to sight.
25. Why was Bose considered a rebel in science?
Ans: He questioned accepted beliefs, challenged authority, and pursued unconventional ideas about plant life, proving that great discoveries often come from doubters and rebels.
26. How did Bose show faith in India and its people?
Ans: He believed that Indians were capable of great achievements, just as their ancestors had been, and encouraged them to have hope, faith, and active engagement in nation-building.
27. What did Bose say about India’s past glory?
Ans: In a 1927 convocation at the University of Mysore, he spoke about India’s past achievements and stated that action, not idleness, was the key to this glory, inspiring his countrymen to work diligently.
28. How did Bose prove the unity of sciences?
Ans: By using physics tools to study biological phenomena, he linked different branches of science, showing that disciplines are connected rather than isolated.
29. How did Bose react to initial criticism of his work?
Ans: He remained confident, persistent, and continued his research despite ridicule, eventually proving the validity of his discoveries scientifically.
30. What does the story of Bose teach about scientific discoveries?
Ans: It teaches that curiosity, observation, rebellion against norms, and perseverance are essential for major discoveries, and that one must sometimes go against established beliefs to find the truth.
Answer by Mrinmoee
