CBSE Class 10 English A Question of Trust Important Questions Set 03

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. How did Horace gain entry into the house? Why was the dog not a threat to Horace?
Answer: Horace had studied the house and had meticulously planned his entry. He had seen the housekeeper hang the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside. He used the key to enter the house. Sherry, the dog, did stir when he entered but Horace knew that to keep dogs quiet, all one had to do was to call them by their name and show them love. The dog, therefore, was no threat to Horace.

Question 2. How did Horace know about the safe behind the painting?
Answer: A magazine article had described the house and its stuff in great detail. The writer had also mentioned that the safe was hidden behind the painting. This is how Horace knew the location of the safe.

Question 3. What did Horace Danby expect from the robbery at Shotover Grange? How did he plan to spend it?
Answer: The actual value of the jewellery in the safe at Shotover Grange was about fifteen thousand pounds. However, Horace, expected a gain of about five thousand pounds after selling each piece one by one. He planned to use this money to buy the three very interesting books that were coming up for sale in the autumn.

Question 4. Horace Danby used to think that people who own valuable things are foolish. Do you think he himself was foolish?
Answer: Horace Danby used to make locks for a living and commit a careful robbery once every year. He felt that his targets were foolish people because their valuable possessions tempted him to rob them. He himself became a fool when a lady thief robbed him of the valuable things that he obtained from Shotover Grange.

Question 5. Comment upon the ending of the story ‘A Question of Trust’.
Answer: The ending of the story is superb as it culminates the action in an anticlimax for the reader. In addition, it also brings home an important lesson for Horace that there is no concept of trust among thieves. This is hard-earned wisdom that he would remember for the rest of his life.

Long Answer Questions

Question 1. Horace was a thief who planned his work carefully. He was in a way a successful thief. Should we call him a successful thief and appreciate his work? Why/Why not?
Answer: Horace Danby was considered a good, honest citizen of about 50 years. He planned his work carefully. He was a meticulous planner. He used to observe the house to be burgled. He never acted in haste. He studied the map and other minute details of the house at Shotover Grange. He had the details of the electric wiring, the dog and the servants of the house. He knew when it was the right time to strike. He did his work so well that he had not been caught for fifteen years. No doubt he was a successful thief, but his act of theft cannot be appreciated. Stealing is a vice which cannot be appreciated. To fulfil our needs we should not resort to theft.

Question 2. Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justify the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honest?
Answer: Intentions matter in judging actions. If a wrong act is committed unintentionally, it can be excused. But if the wrong act is done intentionally, it is not excusable. Horace Danby had the intention to rob the house. This is an intentional crime. He helped the lady by opening the safe, but that too for his own motive of being set free. I would not indulge in any wrong act even if it seemed justified. Mere justification of a wrong act does not serve the purpose. There may be situations in which it is excusable to act less than honest, but the case of Horace Danby does not fall in that category.

Question 3. “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? Should we call him a good human being?
Answer: The statement is apt for Danby. He was a respectable person, but he was a thief who, in order to fulfil his desire, used to rob once a year. He had adopted a dishonest way to fulfil his desire. So he cannot be called an honest person.
Horace Danby is not a typical thief because he steals mainly to buy rare and expensive books. He planned his theft in such a manner that he had not been arrested for many years. Being an introvert, he did not talk about his theft to anybody.
No, we can’t call him a good human being. He was a victim of the trick played on him, but he was not completely honest. He entered the house with bad intentions. He was a thief, and a thief cannot be called a good human being.

Question 4. “Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered.” Where did he go wrong and why? Negative values never pay in the long run: Do you agree?
Answer: Though Horace Danby was a brilliant thief, he was caught in the end. He faltered because he readily opened the safe for the so-called owner of the house. Horace Danby was befooled by the lady in red. She pretended to be the owner of the house and made him open the safe without gloves. Horace left his fingerprints. He was caught for a crime that he did not commit.
Negative values never pay in the long run. Every criminal gets his punishment. Sooner or later one is caught and punished. Horace Danby was no doubt a meticulous planner but he was on the wrong path. His intention had never been good. He planned to rob others and was ultimately paid back for it.

Question 5. What were Horace Danby’s plans for his latest robbery? (Delhi 2020)
Answer: Horace Danby was not a typical thief. He planned his act of burglary meticulously. He always studied his target carefully. He planned his robbery of Shotover Grange carefully. He studied the position of the rooms, the electric wiring and other aspects well in advance. He collected details from magazines and other sources. He was aware of the safe, which had jewels worth fifteen thousand pounds. He knew the family was away in London. He also knew that the servants had gone to a movie. He knew where the key of the back door was kept too. When the right time came he struck, but he was outwitted by the lady in red. His plan failed and he was arrested.

Question 6. “Honour among thieves”. Explain this in the context of the story ‘A Question of Trust’.
Answer: In the story ‘A Question of Trust’, the trust being talked about is when Horace trusts the lady and believes her when she says that she is the lady of the house. He is a thief, and even though what thieves do is not honourable, he believes that there is an inherent honour among thieves, which entails not crossing into each other’s territory or befooling each other. However, the lady does that by stealing the jewels from under his nose and getting him caught for the crime. She turns out to be a dishonourable person. This is why, when Horace is going over the events while sitting in jail, he laments at the lack of ‘honour among thieves’.

Question 7. Imagine the woman who duped Horace coming to meet him in prison and apologise for her actions. Develop a conversation between them in about 120 words.
Answer: Horace: What brings you to this prison?
Woman: Horace, we need to talk. I owe you an explanation.
Horace: I must admit, I never expected to see you again. But please, enlighten me. Why did you deceive me?
Woman: I had my reasons, Horace. The jewels I asked you to retrieve were not just valuable; they held sentimental value too.
Horace: Sentimental value? So, you used me to get them.
Woman: I never meant to hurt you, Horace. I saw an opportunity, and I took it.
Horace: You shattered my trust, but I'm curious why you've come here now.
Woman: I wanted to apologise, Horace.
Horace: I appreciate your honesty. I forgive you.

Question 8. 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: The lady managed to deceive Horace Danby into thinking that she was the lady of the house with her subtle ways. She was dressed up pretty well, just like the lady of the house would be dressed. Also, her manner of talking calmly, the way in which she petted the dog, and her going to the fireplace to straighten the ornaments there showed her familiarity with the place. She regulated her tone and voice according to the situation. Sometimes, she talked in a kind voice. She spoke about how society should be protected from men like Horace. Because of all these things, Horace could not suspect that she was not the lady of the house. He was nervous himself, and was scared of getting caught.

Question 9. “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, but not completely honest”. This description is apt for Horace. He was about fifty years old. He robbed only from rich people, and his purpose was to buy rare and expensive books with the money. He stole only once a year. The intention of buying books was good. However, the fact that he stole to achieve this end showed that he was not completely honest. He cannot be classified as a typical thief because he did not steal to eat or drink. He had a house. He made locks, had two people to help him, and was successful in his business. He only stole enough money to buy the books. For a couple of days, he even kept his promise to the lady he met at Shotover Grange by not stealing or planning any robbery.

Question 10. Horace Danby was a meticulous planner, but still, he failed. Where did he go wrong, and why?
Answer: Horace Danby was a meticulous planner, but still he failed. He used to plan his robberies very well. He knew all the details of the Shotover Grange. He knew the time when there would be no one at the house. He even knew the name of the dog in the house. However, he was completely deceived by the lady he met at the house. He did not realize that she herself could have been a thief. Upon seeing her, he got scared and started begging her to let him go. When she asked him to take out the jewels for her, he readily agreed. He did not feel anything odd about her leaving him, and not getting him arrested. He was only too happy and thankful that he could go. In his hurry, he even overlooked the fact that his fingerprints were left all over the safe.

Question 11. As the woman who dupes Danby, write a diary entry after your encounter with Horace. Pen down your thoughts, fears, and hopes about the robbery based on the events of the story "The Question of Trust". You may begin like this: It's D-day, finally! Today, I know how it feels to be nervous and excited at the same time ______. (continue) ______.
Answer: 15 July 20XX, Saturday 11 p.m.
Dear Diary,
It’s D-day, finally! Today, I know how it feels to be nervous and excited at the same time. I had planned to steal the jewels from Shotover Grange, but I did not know how to open the safe. Then, by sheer luck, I found Horace Danby, a professional safe-breaker, already inside!
I pretended to be the lady of the house and scolded him. He was so scared of the police that he opened the safe for me, without gloves! My heart was pounding, and I feared he would see through my act. But he trusted me completely.
Now the jewels are mine and his fingerprints are all over the safe. I hope I am never caught.
X

Question 12. A character arc is the transformation or development of a character throughout a story and refers to the changes a character undergoes as a result of their experiences, challenges, and interactions with other characters. In the light of the above information, trace the character arc of Horace in about 120 words.
Answer: At the beginning of the story, Horace Danby is a respectable, middle-aged locksmith who secretly robs one safe a year to buy rare books. He is confident, careful and proud of his planning.
His encounter with the young lady at Shotover Grange changes everything. Believing her to be the lady of the house, he becomes nervous and pleads with her. He opens the safe for her without gloves, trusting her completely.
In the end, Horace is arrested for the theft of the jewels and sent to prison. He becomes bitter and angry whenever anyone talks of ‘honour among thieves’. His arc moves from overconfidence to humiliation and disillusionment.

Question 13. Write a character sketch of Horace Danby.
Answer: Horace Danby was a good and respectable citizen. He was about fifty years old and he was unmarried. He was a locksmith. He was very successful in his business. Despite all these qualities, he was not completely honest. He had been to jail once. So he hated the thought of jail.
He loved rare and expensive books. In order to fulfil his desire to have such books, he broke open a safe every year to have enough money to buy books. He only stole to fulfil his needs. He was a careful burglar. He planned his robberies very meticulously and executed them well. He wore gloves and never left fingerprints at the scene of the crime. Since he was a locksmith, it was easy for him to break open any safe.
While executing his theft at Shotover Grange, Horace was duped by a young lady. The lady pretended to be the owner’s wife, but she too was a thief. He gave all the jewels to the woman and left his fingerprints all over the safe. Thus, a few days later he was arrested and sent to prison even though he had not committed the robbery for his own gain.

Question 14. Describe Horace Danby’s encounter with the young lady.
Answer: Horace Danby was going to rob the safe at Shotover Grange which he had planned very well. Firstly, he cut the wires of the burglar alarm. But the flowers on the table tickled his nose and he was sneezing repeatedly. Just then a female voice suggested that he get treatment for his ailment if he was serious about his profession. Then a beautiful young lady dressed in red appeared in front of him.
She told him that she was the owner’s wife. She told him that she had come there to take the jewels from the safe. She had to wear them that night at a party. She made the excuse that she had forgotten the number to open the safe. She told Horace that she would let him go if he opened the safe for her. Danby was taken in. He opened the safe without gloves. He gave all the jewels to the young lady. She went away safely with the jewels but Danby was arrested for the jewel robbery and sent to prison.

Question 15. He gets very angry when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’. Explain.
Answer: Horace Danby got very angry when anyone talked about ‘honour among thieves’ while he was in jail. It was because thieves are expected to respect and maintain ethics among themselves. But the lady thief didn’t do so. She got him sent to prison. In fact, it was for her that Danby had opened the safe. Actually, he had thought that she was the lady of the house. He met her when he entered the Shotover Grange house to steal. That lady was a thief like him. She made up a false story before Horace. She impressed him as the lady of the house. Danby believed it. He opened the safe for her. He left his fingerprints in doing so. He was sent to prison due to his fingerprints.

Question 16. What were Horace Danby‘s plans for his latest robbery?
Answer: Horace was sure that the robbery he was planning for that year was going to be as successful as all the others so far. He had been observing and studying the house at Shotover Grange for two weeks. He had observed everything minutely. That afternoon, when he planned to rob the house, he had seen the two servants, who always stayed in the Grange, going to the movies. He came out from behind the garden wall. He had packed his tools carefully in a bag on his back. Horace knew that there were about fifteen thousand pounds worth of jewels in the Grange safe and if he sold them one by one, he was sure to get enough money to last him for another year.

Question 17. ‘He made locks and was successful.’ ‘a little tickle of hay fever in his nose’. How do these two facts play out for Horace in the story? Do they help him or upset his plans?
Answer: The fact that Horace was in the business of making locks was a big advantage for him as it was easy for him to pick or break locks. He needed to break or pick locks to open safes and steal once a year. This helped him in his plans. The little tickle of hay fever in his nose actually worked to his disadvantage because the sneezing alerted the other thief to his presence and Horace then lost the jewels to the imposter. He was also put behind bars for a crime he did not commit. The hay fever upset his plans.