CBSE Class 10 English A Question of Trust Assignment Set 01

A Question of Trust 

INTRODUCTION—
Horace Danby collects rare books, and finances his hobby by breaking safes. This year, however, he is caught by a pretty young lady claiming to be the wife of the house owner. She tricks him into opening the safe and handing her the jewels. Horace is later arrested for the jewel robbery.

SUMMARY—
Horace Danby was generally considered to be a good and respectable citizen. He was a fifty year old bachelor. He lived with a housekeeper. He was an expert lock maker. However, he was not completely honest. He had been to prison, fifteen years ago for stealing jewels. He had no desire to become honest.He was careful lest he should run into difficulties for his dishonesty.

Horace Danby hated prison. He was heartily fond of rare and expensive books. He used to commit one theft a year on an average. The stolen money lasted for the year. He chose the house at Shotover Grange to commit his next burglary. He studied the design of the house carefully for a fortnight. He found that the family had gone to London and the servants to the movie. He broke into the house one afternoon. He hoped to get fifteen thousand pounds worth of jewels from the safe. The jewellery would enable him to buy the books he wanted. He put on his gloves. He took the key from its usual place. He pacified the pet dog by addressing it with love. He reached the safe, placed in the drawing room behind a painting.

He was suffering from hay fever. The smell of the flowers at the table made him sneeze. Just then, a young beautiful woman in red clothes entered the house. She posed to be the mistress of the house. She suggested him that he should see a doctor if he was serious about his work. His sneezing had brought her down from the top of the house. She thanked her stars that she had returned in time not expecting to see a burglar in the house. To avoid trouble, Horace started conversing with her in a pleasant manner. He replied that he too had not expected to find her there. She got furious when he asked her to let him go. She threatened to get him arrested. The thought of going to prison made Horace shudder. He pledged that he would never repeat such kind of thing if he was let off.

The woman took a cigarette from a silver box. Horace took off his gloves and held his lighter towards her. She promised to let him go if he did something for her. Horace readily consented to the proposal. The woman said that she had come to take her jewels as she had to attend a party. She had forgotten the numbers to open the safe. She bade Horace to open it. She would get the safe repaired. Horace broke the safe open and gave her the jewels. Then, he was allowed to go.
Horace’s fingerprints were found on the safe. He was arrested for the jewel robbery on the third day.The house lady was an aged woman of sixty. He realised that he was befooled by a lady who was also a thief.
 

Short Answer Type Questions 

Question. “Horace Danby is a thief who was cheated by another thief.” Justify.
Answer: Horace Danby’s portrayal in “A Question of Trust” reflects the irony of his situation. While he is indeed a thief, his trust is betrayed by another thief, Mr. Cornelius. This deception underscores the complexity of trust and the unpredictable nature of human behavior, even among criminals.

Question. How did the lady in red manage to outsmart and out maneuver the other thief, Horace Danby, by robbing the safe without leaving a single fingerprint ?
Answer: The young lady in red was also a thief but she presented herself as the lady of the house. ... Horace thought that he was opening the safe for the lady of the house. He handed the jewels over to her and went out happily. He had forgotten to wear his gloves and left his fingerprints on the safe.

Question. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfil it?
Answer: Horace Danby had the hobby of collecting rare and expensive books. He managed to fulfill it by robbing a safe every year. Each year he planned carefully just what he would do to steal enough to last for twelve months, and secretly bought the books he loved through an agent.

Question. How did the flowers cause him trouble ?
Answer: Horace Danby had an allergy for flowers especially during pollen season. Whenever flowers are nearby, he got sneezings. The only cure for it was to stay away from those particular flowers.

Question. How did the lady spoil his plan ?
Answer: The lady posed as the owner of the house in front of Horace. Horace got scared and believed her. She asked him to open the safe as she had forgot the password. Horace opened the safe and handed over the jewels to her. Hence, Horace’s plan of robbing the safe was spoiled.

Question. Why did Horace mistake the young lady for the mistress of the house ?
Answer: The young lady snubbed the house-dog with authority as well as love. She stared at Horace with an imposing air of confidence. She spoke that she had returned just in time. Her manner of speaking and actions made Horace mistake her for the mistress of the house.

Question. “Every one thought that Horace Danby was a good, honest citizen.” Do you agree with this statement ?
Answer: Horace Danby was considered to be a good, honest and respectable citizen. He might have been good and respected, but he was not completely honest. Horace loved rare and expensive books. Therefore, he would rob a safe once every year to buy those books he loved.

Question. What made Horace sneeze frequently at the house in Shotover Grange ?
Answer: Horace had hay fever or was allergic to flowers. There was a great bowl of flowers lying on the table in the house he was supposed to rob in Shotover Grange. Therefore, he felt his nose tickle and he sneezed. He sneezed loudly whenever the smell of flowers came to him again and again in that house.

Question. What made Horace believe that the lady was the actual lady of the house ?
Answer: The young lady had a quiet, firm voice. Entering the room, she walked gracefully to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments there as if she was the owner of the house. Her natural reaction and at ease behaviour, made Horace believe that she was the actual lady of the house.

Question. Why is Horace Danby described as good and respectable but not completely honest?
Answer: Horace Danby was a good person. He made locks. He was very successful in his business. He had engaged two helpers in his business. But he was not completely honest because he robbed a safe every year.

Question. Who is the real culprit in the story, the young lady in red or Horace Danby? Comment.
Answer: Law of any land works on evidence. Horace Danby opened the safe without wearing his gloves. He didn’t think it necessary to wear them as he thought he was working for ‘the lady of the house’. So the police matched his fingerprints and he was arrested. The lady in the red was actually the real culprit. She made Horace open the safe for her. She was also a thief and decamped with the jewels. But in the eyes of the law, Horace was the real culprit because the evidence was against him.

Question. ‘Horace Danby was good and respectable but not completely honest.’ Is this an apt description of Horace? If yes, why ?
Answer: Yes, Horace was good but not completely honest. He loved expensive books. So, he stole once a year. He was not aggressive by nature but only submissive as seen in the case of the lady thief in red.

Question. What went wrong when Horace Danby robbed at Shotover Grange? 
Answer: While Horace Danby was inside the house, the lady in red came and announced that she was the owner of the house. Her appearance was such that he was fooled. She asked him to open the safe for her. Horace left his finger prints all over there. Hence, he was arrested.

Question. What was Horace Danby's hobby? How did he manage to fulfil it? 
Answer: Horace Danby was not an ordinary thief. He loved rare and expensive books. So, he robbed a safe every year and through an agent secretly bought the books he loved. Each year, he planned carefully just what he would do.

Question. Describe the lady in red.
Answer: She was a young and smart thief. She was very graceful, resourceful and impressive. She spoke to Horace in an authoritative voice as if she was the mistress of the house. She was very intelligent. She was able to outsmart Danby easily. She not only robbed at Shotover Grange but also Danby Horace.
 

Long Answer Type Questions  

Question. Horace Danby was a respectable man but he could not be called loyal. What do you think could be the reasons for leading a respectable man like him on the path of thievery? Did he feel lack of sense of freedom? Was it not in his nature to accept the differences among people regarding their social status? Discuss the values he should have possessed.
Answer: Horace Danby’s habits were not typical of a thief. He was fond of books was a respectable man but his passion for books lead him to thievery. He used to steal only once. In a year so, he was never stealing more than his needs. He stole only to buy rare books; he loved rare and expensive books.Moreover, Danby used to rob only rich people. It was his nature. To accept the differences among people regarding their social status. He was aware that people with high socio-background can help him to fulfill his desire. He found such people easy to rob.

Question. What was the passion of Horace Danby and how did he satisfy it ?
Answer: Horace Danby was a good and respectable citizen. He normally remained hale and hearty except for the attacks of hay fever which he usually had in summers. But there was another aspect of his personality. He was not completely honest. If he had a passion for something, it was rare and expensive books. He loved them. To satisfy his passion, he used to rob a safe every year. Each year, he planned the robbery carefully and then would steal enough to last for twelve months. His passion led him to buy the books secretly through an agent and thus satisfy himself. He kept a track of upcoming books and planned robbery accordingly once in a year. For the sake of books, he took the risk of robbing jewels from people’s safe and sold it to buy the books he loved through an agent.

Question. Give the reasons which made Horace Danby commit a theft at Shotover Grange. Why was he arrested although he failed to rob at Shotover Grange?
Answer: Horace chose Shotover Grange after a thorough study of the house for two weeks. He was looking at its rooms, its electric wiring, its paths and its garden. It was safe because the family was in London and the two servants, who remained in the Grange had gone to the movie. There were about fifteen thousand pounds worth of jewels in the Grange safe. If he sold them one by one, he epxected to get atleast five thousand, enough to make him comfortable for another year. There were three very interesting books coming up for sale in the autumn. Now he would get the money he wanted to buy them.
When Horace was about to approach the safe, a lady in red came and announced that she was the owner of the house. Her apperance was such that Horace was fooled. He became eager to please her. She asked him to open a safe for her. With his gloveless hands, he opened the safe. So, his fingerprints were found on the safe and he was arrested after two days. 
 

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
A small dog was lying in the kitchen. It stirred, made a noise, and moved its tail in a friendly way. ‘All right, Sherry,” Horace said as he passed. All you had to do to keep dogs quiet was to call them by their right names, and show them love.

Question. State TRUE or FALSE. Which of the following (a)-(c) can be applied to the statement - A small dog was lying in the kitchen.
(a) A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
(b) An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true
(c) A statement - a definite or clear expression of something in speech or writing.
Answer: (c) A statement - a definite or clear expression of something in speech or writing.

Question. Which word in the passage means the same as ‘cordial’?
(a) Friendly
(b) Hurting
(c) Ignorant
(d) Distant
Answer: (a) Friendly

Question. Whom did Horace Danby see in the kitchen? How did they greet each there? What tact did Horace apply there? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer: Horace Danby saw the family dog, Sherry, in the kitchen. The dog greeted Horace by stirring, making a noise and wagging its tail in a friendly way. Horace greeted the dog by tactfully calming it down, calling it by its name and showing love to it.

Question. The kitchen referred to is located in _____.
Answer: Shotover Grange.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
But Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work He buried his face in his handkerchief Then he heard a voice say from the doorway, “What is it? A cold or hay fever?”
Before he could think, Horace said, “Hay fever,” and found himself sneezing again.
The voice went on, “You can cure it with a special treatment, you know, if you find out just what plant gives you the disease. I think you’d better see a doctor, if you’re serious about your work. I heard you from the top of the house just now.”

Question. State any one inference about Danby from the given context. But Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work.
Answer: The flowers made Horace Danby’s nose itch because of hay fever.

Question. State TRUE or FALSE. None of the options from (a) to (d) can be applied to the given question or context. Who asked Horace, “What is it? A cold or hay fever”?
(a) Probably, it was the mistress of the Grange.
(b) Maybe, it was another thief.
(c) It could have been the housekeeper of the Grange.
(d) In all probability, it was a neighbour keeping an eye on the Grange.
Answer: False (option (b) can be applied to the given question or context)

Question. What advice did the lady give Horace regarding his hay fever? Was she really interested in his health? Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
Answer: The lady advised Horace that he could find a cure for hay fever by trying to find which plant he was allergic to. She was not interested in his allergy or its cure; she was rather making fun of him.

Question. Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘buried’ as given in the extract? He buried his face in his handkerchief
Answer: concealed or covered.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
So, he robbed a safe every year. Each year he planned carefully just what he would do, stole enough to last for twelve months and secretly bought the books he loved through an agent.

Question. What did ‘he’ plan carefully every year?
Answer: ‘He’ carefully planned his robbery every year.

Question. State true or false. None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement - He was an expert locksmith.
(a) A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
(b) An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true
(c) A hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
(d) A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
Answer: False

Question. What was ‘he’ passionate about and how did ‘he’ satisfy his passion?
Answer: ‘he’ (Horace Danby) was passionate about collecting rare and expensive books. To satisfy his passion, Danby needed money and arranged it by robbing one safe every year and then secretly buying the books through an agent.

Question. Which word would correctly substitute ‘thoughtfully’, in the given sentence from the extract? Vidushi arranged all the books thoughtfully so that she could find them easily at a later time.
Answer: carefully