CBSE Class 10 English A Question of Trust Important Questions Set 02

Extract Based Questions

Extract 1

(a). How did Horace manage to get past the dog?
Answer: Horace confronted the little dog lying in the kitchen of the house, stirring and making a noise. Sherry wagged its tail and Horace spoke calmly, calling out its name as he knew that dogs respond to their name and some love, favourably.

(b). What made it easy for Horace to enter the house?
Answer: Horace saw that the housekeeper had hung the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside before leaving. He got into action by putting on his gloves and entered in using that key.

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. What does Horace Danby like to collect?
Answer: Horace Danby is a voracious reader. He loves to collect rare and expensive books.

Question 2. Why does he steal every year?
Answer: He steals every year to be able to buy the rare and expensive books he loves.

Question 3. Who is speaking to Horace Danby?
Answer: The smart young woman in a red dress is speaking to Horace Danby.

Question 4. Who is the real culprit in the story?
Answer: The woman in red is the real culprit in the story as she succeeds in befooling Horace Danby.

Question 5. How were flowers hindering Horace in his work?
Answer: Horace suffered from hay fever and was allergic to some flowers. On smelling the flowers, he started sneezing and was caught red-handed by another thief.

Question 6. Why was it not difficult for Horace to open the safe?
Answer: It was not difficult for Horace to open the safe because he was an expert and experienced locksmith. He had collected all the information about the safe before entering the house.

Question 7. Why did Horace Danby feel sure of his success in that year’s robbery?
Answer: Horace Danby felt sure of his success in that year’s robbery too, because he had planned his work carefully. He studied every detail of the house. He had chosen an appropriate place and time for the robbery.

Question 8. How did Horace manage the small dog when he attempted to rob the house at Shotover Grange?
Answer: Horace Danby was an expert thief who planned his mission without any fault. When he tried to rob the house at Shotover Grange, he encountered a dog. But Horace Danby calmed the dog by calling him by his name, Sherry.

Question 9. What story did the lady tell Horace to get the jewels?
Answer: The lady told Horace an interesting story. She said that her jewels were lying in the safe and she needed them at once for a party. She also said that she had forgotten the numbers to open the safe.

Question 10. How can you say that Horace Danby was good and respectable but not completely honest? (Delhi 2019)
Answer: Horace Danby was not a typical thief. Every year he robbed a safe to get enough money to last for twelve months, to buy books which he loved. He is described as a good and respectable person but not completely honest because he could not curb his habit of robbing a safe every year.

Question 11. Did the young lady expect Horace to be caught after the theft?
Answer: Yes, the young lady knew that Horace would be caught, as he did not put on his gloves. Naturally his fingerprints would lead the police to him. Horace’s arrest would not let anyone think that she was the thief. So she was to benefit from his arrest.

Question 12. In the chapter “A Question of Trust”, Horace Danby’s final arrest was a blessing in disguise. Comment.
Answer: When Horace Danby was arrested for the robbery that he didn’t actually commit, he was made to serve as an assistant librarian in the prison library. It was a ‘blessing in disguise’ as Horace was a book lover.

Question 13. Comment on the meaning behind the quote, “I have always liked the wrong kind of people.”
Answer: When the young lady realised that Horace was really scared to go to prison, she said that she has a liking for the wrong kinds of people. This suggests that she has a preference for individuals who are unconventional or may not be seen as morally upright. It hints at her association with people like Horace Danby, someone engaged in illegal activities.

Question 14. “Society must be protected from men like you.” Comment on the irony of the given quote.
Answer: The quote "Society must be protected from men like you" is ironic because the woman saying it is herself a thief. The woman, despite being involved in similar activities as Horace, criticises him and implies that society needs protection from him. The irony lies in the fact that she fails to recognise her own hypocrisy as she presents herself as morally superior.

Question 15. Why does Horace say, “I would make sure that you could do nothing for some time. A few hours would be enough.”?
Answer: Horace says this as a response to the woman's suggestion that she would call the police if he attempted to run away. He intends to frighten her so that he can escape from the house without interference or the risk of her alerting the police.

Question 16. Describe the character of the young lady in "A Question of Trust" and her role in the story.
Answer: The lady in red was very confident and alluring. She managed to deceive Horace Danby very easily by claiming herself to be the lady of the house. She pretended to be the wife of the owner. She acted in a very confident and authoritative tone, which made Horace believe that she was the owner. Very intelligently, she made Horace open the safe with the gloves, which proved him to be the actual thief.

Question 17. Read the extracts given below and critically examine and compare the characters on the basis of their skills in their line of work.
(A) 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.
(B) He often thinks of the charming, clever young lady who was in the same profession as he was, and who tricked him. He gets very angry when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’.
Answer: Horace Danby was an occasional thief. He used to rob a safe once a year to satisfy his unusual hobby of buying expensive books. Though he was good at robbery, he still left major evidence by not wearing gloves while breaking the safe at Shotover Grange. Being a thief himself, he was easily duped by another thief. This shows his lack of presence of mind and trust in strangers.
On the other hand, the lady in red was a professional thief. She calculated each and every detail of the house. She was so clever and good at her work that she duped Horace quite easily and managed to make him break the safe without wearing gloves, making him a convict. This shows her great presence of mind and efficiency at deceiving other people.

Question 18. Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?
Answer: Intentions can never justify actions. If intentions were to justify actions, the entire world would be thrown into a chaotic state. I would never do things like Horace and justify them according to my needs. There might be situations in which we act less than honestly, but the purpose of these actions must be to do good to others.

Question 19. Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished or that he deserved what he got?
Answer: Although it was unfair that Horace got caught for jewels that he didn’t actually steal, he eventually got what he deserved. He was a thief, typical or not. He stole what was not his; he stole others hard-earned money for his own gains and, hence, deserved what he got.

Question 20. Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?
Answer: The lady was unusually calm when seeing Horace. This seemed strange enough. When she did not call the police, and instead asked Horace to take out all the jewels from the safe, even if it meant breaking it open, it seemed suspicious. Moreover, it also seemed unlikely that she would forget the numbers to open the safe.

Question 21. Why was Horace Danby sure that his robbery at Shotover Grange would be successful? (CBSE 2014)
Answer: Horace studied the house, its rooms, gardens, electric wires, and all the other details about it quite carefully before the robbery. So, he was sure about the success of his robbery, as he had laid out a perfect plan according to his knowledge.

Question 22. How did the flowers hinder Horace’s work? (CBSE 2013)
Answer: Horace suffered from an allergy called ‘hay fever’. So, whenever he came into contact with pollen or dust, he used to sneeze uncontrollably. The flowers kept in the room were making Horace’s nose tickle, and he was scared of getting caught.

Question 23. What was the passion of Horace Danby, and how did he satisfy it? (CBSE 2011)
Answer: Horace Danby had a passion for rare and expensive books. To satisfy it, he robbed safes every year, using the stolen money to secretly buy the books he loved through an agent.

Question 24. Who did Horace Danby see in the kitchen? How did they greet each other? What tactic did Horace apply there? (CBSE 2013)
Answer: In the kitchen, Horace Danby saw a small dog named Sherry. He greeted Sherry in a friendly way, calling the dog by its name. Horace used tact by being kind to Sherry, knowing that it would keep the dog quiet and not raise any alarms.

Question 25. Why did Horace feel happy to see the servants go? What was his plan? (Delhi Gov. QB 2022)
Answer: Horace saw the two servants of Shotover Grange go for a movie, making it easy for him to break into the house to commit the burglary. He intended to break the safe. He knew that they would not be back before a couple of hours, thereby giving him enough time to get his work done.

Question 26. Horace Danby is a thief who was cheated by another thief. Justify (CBSE 2024)
Answer: Horace Danby planned to rob a house but encountered a young lady in the house. Claiming the safe to contain her jewels, she tricked him into opening it. She fooled Danby into thinking she was another thief. Finally, he was caught by the police and at last, he realised that he was just fooled by another thief who claimed to be the owner's wife.

Question 27. How did the encounter with the young lady play a transformative element in Horace's life?
Answer: The young lady tricked Horace into opening the safe without gloves and left with the jewels. Horace was arrested for a theft he did not commit and was sent to prison. The encounter changed his life and his faith in ‘honour among thieves’; he now works in the prison library, bitter at being duped.

Question 28. The story is a powerful example of the moral that actions have consequences. Explain.
Answer: Horace Danby robbed a safe every year and believed he would never be caught. But his crimes caught up with him. He was cheated by another thief and was sent to prison for a robbery he did not commit. The story shows that wrong actions sooner or later bring their consequences.

Question 29. The various elements of the author's writing style work together to create a sense of suspense and adventure, well-suited to crime or detective fiction. Comment, with reference to any one element.
Answer: The writer builds suspense through Horace’s careful planning, his entry into the empty house, his friendly handling of the dog and the sudden voice from the doorway. The calm, mysterious lady keeps readers guessing, and the twist at the end, when Horace is arrested, completes the effect of a crime story.

Question 30. What was Horace Danby suffering from? How did it affect him? (AI 2019)
Answer: Horace Danby was suffering from hay fever. Horace Danby’s ailment made him sneeze relentlessly any time he was in the presence of flowers or the smell of flowers entered his nostrils. It was because of his sneezing that he caught the attention of the lady, who asked him to break open the safe for her, and eventually got him arrested.

Question 31. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfil it? (CBSE 2018)
Answer: Horace Danby was fond of collecting rare and expensive books.
In order to fulfil his hobby, Horace would rob a safe every year. He would plan carefully just what to do, steal enough to last a year and secretly purchase the rare, expensive books from an agent.

Question 32. Why was it not difficult for Horace to open the safe? (Delhi 2012)
Answer: It was not difficult for Horace to open the safe because he was an expert lock maker. Horace had lived and worked with locks all his life. He knew the ins and outs of picking locks.

Question 33. What does Horace Danby like to collect? Why does he steal every year?
Answer: Horace Danby likes to collect rare and expensive books. He stole every year so that he could indulge in rare and expensive books. Each year he robbed enough money to last him for a whole year. Each year he would plan a robbery meticulously and execute it. Then he would enjoy his hobby of collecting books for twelve months. The sole aim of his robberies was buying rare and expensive books.

Question 34. ‘Horace Danby was good and respectable — but not completely honest.’ Elucidate.
Answer: This description really suits Horace Danby well. Horace enjoys a good reputation as a good citizen. His habits were not typical of a thief. He stole only once a year and he never stole more than his needs. He covered his stealing under his profession of making locks. But a crime is a crime no matter how big or small or how seldom it happens. However, Horace cannot be categorised as a typical thief because he is not a regular offender like other thieves.

Question 35. How did Horace Danby plan his robberies?
Answer: Horace Danby planned his robberies meticulously. He planned very carefully each year. But ultimately he faltered. He planned well in advance for the Shotover Grange robbery by studying the house, its wiring, etc. He knew about the timings of the family members and servants. He even knew the dog by its name. He was completely prepared to execute his plan. But he failed to see through the lady’s sweet, clever and crafty talk. He feared being caught red-handed and hence fell prey to her plan, failed miserably and ended up in jail.

Question 36. What did Horace Danby wonder about for a moment? What did he think and decide?
Answer: After entering the drawing room where the safe was, Horace Danby looked at the poor painting behind which the safe happened to be and thought for a moment about collecting pictures instead of books. But instantly he thought that paintings would take up more space, so books were better for his small house.

Question 37. How did Horace Danby get entry into Shotover Grange?
Answer: Before executing his plan of robbery, Horace would gather all the details about the place and study it carefully. Horace studied Shotover Grange for two weeks. He knew where the housekeeper kept the key. He knew the paths, the burglar alarm, the rooms, the electric wiring, etc. On the day of the robbery, he saw the servants going for a movie. He came in from behind the garden wall. He had all his tools with him. He took the key hanging outside and opened the kitchen door. This is how he got entry into Shotover Grange.

Question 38. What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect that something is wrong?
Answer: When the lady enters the room, Sherry the dog starts to greet and rub against her. The way she talks to the dog suggests familiarity and in turn ownership. The way she adjusts the ornaments on the fireplace in the room and also the familiar way in which she opens the silver box to take out a cigarette implies that she is the lady of the house. Horace is too busy trying to save himself from being sent to the police. It is because he is too scared while stealing that he misses the clues to the deception by the lady. He doesn’t suspect anything wrong.

Question 39. “Horace Danby was good and respectable — but not completely honest”. Why do you think this description is apt for Horace? Why can’t he be categorised as a typical thief?
Answer: Horace Danby was good and respectable because for most part of the year he lived a regular life of an unmarried fifty year old man with a successful business. He was not completely honest because he planned and executed a robbery once a year, breaking into someone’s home and looting. He cannot be categorised as a typical thief because he did not steal unlimited. He stole only enough to sustain him throughout the year and to allow himself to indulge in his interest of buying rare and expensive books. He only stole from the people who had a lot of money.

Question 40. Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?
Answer: Horace Danby was a meticulous planner. He had planned this break-in too in great detail. He knew exactly when the two servants would leave the house. He also knew where the keys to the house were and where the safe was. However, he did not think of encountering the lady of the house. This unexpected turn of events must have flustered him enough to not recognise the obvious signs of deception and hence went wrong and was caught.

Question 41. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfill it?
Answer: Horace Danby was fond of collecting rare and expensive books. He managed to fulfill it by breaking open a safe each year.

Question 42. Why did Horace prefer books to collecting paintings?
Answer: Although paintings would have been a bigger investment, yet they occupied too much room. Books were usually small and easier to conceal and store. Horace had a small house and so he thought that books were a better proposition.