A Question of Trust

Q1 Answer in 20-30 words

i The woman posing as house owner’s wife had laid out a careful plan to

dupe Horace Danby. Cite any two instances from the text that suggest

the same.

ii In the chapter “A Question of Trust”, Horace Danby’s final arrest was a

blessing in disguise. Comment briefly.

iii “Society must be protected from men like you.”

Comment on the irony of the given quote.

iv “A Question of Trust” is a story about the robbery of the robber.

Expound.

Q.2 Answer in 40-50 words

i “How foolish people are when they own valuable things” Does this

statement hold true for Horace Danby himself?

Support your answer with instances from “A Question of Trust”.

ii “The most successful people work smart, not hard” Justify the quote

with reference to “A Question of Trust”.

iii Based on the story, would it be fair to say that deception is a crucial

aspect of robbery.

Do you agree? Why/why not?

iv Thieves and swindlers have no sense of moral righteousness.

Comment with references to instances from “A Question of Trust”.

Q.3 Answer in 100-120 words

i Imagine that the young lady thief writes a letter to Horace Danby while

he is in prison. Write the letter imaging yourself to be that young lady

with respect to the story.

ii As the woman who dupes Danby, pen a diary entry for the night before

the robbery.

Pen down your thoughts, fears, and hopes from the robbery based on

the events of the story "The Question of Trust”.

Wednesday, 12 July '78 9 PM

Its D-day, finally! Today, I know how it feels to be nervous and excited at the same

time……. (continue)……….

(B) But he never got the chance to begin his plan. By noon a policeman

had arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. His

fingerprints, for he had opened the safe without gloves, were all over

the room, and no one believed him when he said that the wife of the

owner of the house had asked him to open the safe for her. The wife

herself, a gray-haired, sharp-tongued woman of sixty, said that the

story was nonsense. Horace is now the assistant librarian in the

prison. 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’.

i The plan devised by Horace was to

a) tell about the safe to owner of the house.

b) blackmail the wife of the owner later.

c) look for another safe for stealing books.

d) tell police the truth before the lady could deceive him.

ii Based on the extract, choose what you think are the main feelings

Horace probably has, for the young lady who tricked him, when he

thinks about her?

a) anger and blame

b) admiration and respect

c) respect and gratitude

d) anger and vengeance

Given below are four situations in Mr. Verma’s house. Choose the

situation that depicts Mr. Verma being sharp-tongued with his family

members.

a) Mr. Verma’s wife shares a life problem with him and he advices her

honestly.

b) Mr. Verma’s daughter scores poor marks in his exams and Mr.

Verma remains silent.

c) Mr. Verma’s son cooks food for the first time and he is criticized by

his father immediately.

d) Mr. Verma’s sister buys a new car to surprise him and he is

overjoyed with the news.

Vi Honour among thieves is an example of a/n

a) idiom

b) slogan

c) proverb

d) lyric