NCERT Solutions Class 10 English Chapter 2 The Thiefs Story

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English for Footprints without feet Chapter 2 The Thief's Story

Read and Find Out

Question. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer: In this story, ‘I’ refers to the thief.

Question. What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
Answer: He was “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people.

Question. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Answer: When Hari asked Anil if he could work for him, Anil said that he could not pay him. Finally, the agreement was that if he would cook, then Anil would feed him. However, Anil soon found out that he did not know how to cook. Therefore, he taught him how to cook and later, how to write his name. He promised he would teach him how to write whole sentences and how to add numbers. Apart from this, when Hari went out to buy the day’s supplies, he would make a profit of a rupee a day.

Read and Find Out

Question. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Answer: The thief thought that on discovering the theft, Anil’s face would show a touch of sadness. The sadness would not be for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

Question. What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Answer: In his short career as a thief, he had made a study of men’s faces when they lost their goods. He said that the greedy men showed fear; the rich men showed anger and the poor men showed acceptance.

Question. Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?
Answer: Yes, Anil had realized that he had been robbed. He knew this probably because all the notes were wet and damp from the rain. However, he did not say anything to the thief and behaved normally.

Think about It

Question. What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? (Hint: compare, for example, the thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve” with these later thoughts: ‘Whole sentences, I knew, cloud one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal − and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”) What makes him return to Anil?
Answer: Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education change over time. When he started living with Anil he wanted to be literate so that he could become a more cunning cheat. Later on there is a change in his heart. He wants to earn respect in life. Probably he is influenced by the calm in Anil’s life. Although, both of them depend on irregular sources of income, but Anil seems to be more satisfied. Hari Singh develops a desire to be part of the civilized society.

Question. Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?
Answer: Anil does not hand the thief over to the police because he has put the money back at its place. It shows that he realized his fault. He wants to make amends for his ways. He must have felt guilty with himself. Anil wants to give him one more chance and therefore forgives him.
No, in today’s world most people would not have done so. Although it must be done but such sort of patience and compassion are rarely found now a days in this human world.

Talk about It

Question. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?
Answer: No, I don’t think that people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction. There are such people in real life also. Although such people are rare in today’s society. If one is caught stealing, people will first beat him severely. Then he will be handed over to the police. It should be realized that a human being is bound to commit error. One chance for reforming oneself must be given. This is the only way to bring anyone to right path. Punishing severely is not the only solution. Strictness can make them absolute criminal.

Question. Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?
Answer: Hari Singh’s observation about Anil getting irregular income and Anil’s statement about his sale of a book to a publisher indicates that he is a struggling writer. He lives life according to the flow of money he gets at a given time. When he gets the money he enjoys eating out with his friends. When he is having less money then he even dosen’t accept paying salary to Hari Singh.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. describe Hari Singh briefly as a thief .
Answer: Hari Singh was a professional thief . He was still a thief at 15 years old. He took a new name every month. He took pride in being a thief. He knew how to choose a target and how to gain his trust. He didn’t make friends, because he thought they were more trouble than help.

Question. read the summary of the chapter The chapter highlights how a person can motivate others to change their nature bracket open Anil behaviour helps change Hari Singh Sneha Sir bracket close
Answer: The story highlights the importance of education in one’s life. In order to gain respect in society, one needs to be educated. Hari Singh realised that he could earn much more after being educated and there could be no limit to what he could achieve. He knew that to be a really big man, clever and respected, he had to learn to read and write.
The story emphasised how faith or trust and compassion, could transform a thief into becoming a gentleman as Anil’s trust, loving nature and kindness transformed Hari Singh completely.
We learn from the story that how reformation of a criminal is best achieved through love and understanding rather than punishment. Anil chose to forgive Hari Singh, overlook his theft , instead of handing him over to the police. This wise act was one of the main factors that brought the transformation in Hari Singh.

Question. why was it difficult to rob Anil? What had Hari Singh learnt about human behaviour through his experience as a thief?
Answer: Anil did not care so much about money. Whenever he would earn money, he would go out and celebrate. Anil had given him the keys to the house. He was the most trusting person Hari had ever met, and thus it was very difficult to rob him. It was difficult to rob a careless man, because sometimes he wouldn’t even notice he had been robbed, which took all the pleasure out of the work.
In his career as a thief, Hari had made study of people’s faces when they had lost their goods. The greedy man showed fear, the rich man showed anger and the poor man showed acceptance. However Anil’s face, he knew,would just show a touch of sadness. Not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust.

Question​​​​​​​. what was Hari Singh “a fairly successful hand” at?
Answer: when he was 15, Hari Singh was still a thief. He had been stealing and was a thief since many years. Thus, he was experienced and a professional in thievery and a fairly successful hand at stealing without getting caught.

Question​​​​​​​. Describe the two reasons that made Hari Singh return to Anil?
Answer: After Hari stole the money from under Anil’s mattresses, he had an inner conflict. Would he rather get the money or keep Anil’s trust ? Anil was the most trusting person he had met. He knew that Anil won’t be sad on the loss of money, but on the loss of trust .He did not claim the money. Somewhere, he enjoyed the settled life he had with Anil. If he stole that money, he won’t have that anymore, along with the fact that he won’t be able to learn to read and write anymore. He knew that one day education could bring him even more money than stealing. Thus ,he finally realised his mistake and returned the notes back to Anil.

Question​​​​​​​. Write a character sketch of Hari Singh.
Answer: Hari is a 15 year old experienced thief. He is clever, intelligent, observant. He knows how different people react when they are robbed goal oriented. He realises the importance of education and is keen on getting educated. He has an inner voice. He knows that what he wants is a life of respect.

Question​​​​​​​. why and where does Hari Singh meet Anand? What deal is made in between them?
Answer: Hari Singh was a thief, and he was looking for an easy target. When he saw Anil, he was watching a wrestling match. He was like a tall, lean fellow who looked easy-going and kind. Hari decided to make him his new victim. Hari approached Anil and started talking to him and flattering him. He said that he wanted to work for Anil. Since Anil couldn’t pay Hari Singh they made a deal that Anil would feed Hari if he could cook. Hari would sleep in the balcony and learnt how to read and write with help of Anil.

Question​​​​​​​. Write a character sketch of Anil.
Answer: He is a simple, easy-going man. Carefree, not giving much importance to money, patient and calm. Mature and wise in handling challenging situations. His unspoken words and gestures had an impact on Hari Singh.