UP Board Class 10 English Chapter 4 – A Question of Trust (Supplementary Reader)
UP Board Class 10 English Chapter 4 – A Question of Trust (Supplementary Reader)
UP Board Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 4 – A Question of Trust (Supplementary Reader)
‘A Question of Trust’ by Victor Canning is a story about Horace Danby, an honest citizen. Horace robbed a safe every year to finance his hobby of reading rare and expensive books and secretly bought the books through an agent. However, fifteen years ago, he was sent to prison for a robbery for the first time.
That year, Horace had targetted Shotover Grange which had jewels worth fifteen thousand pounds. He had thoroughly studied the layout of the house from a magazine article and knew that the family was in London. He chose an afternoon for his theft when the servants would be away at the movies.
Using a key he saw the housekeeper hang outside, Horace entered the house. He also managed to calm the house dog Sherry. Horace knew that the safe was located in the living room behind a painting. Despite being slightly disturbed by his allergy to the flowers in the room, he disabled the poorly constructed burglar alarm and proceeded to open the safe using his tools.
However, his plans were interrupted when a woman appeared in the doorway. She claimed to be the wife of the houseowner and was surprisingly calm and even amused to find a burglar in her home. She told Horace that he should see a doctor for his allergy if he’s serious about his work. She also warned him that if he tried to run, she would call the police.
Horace asked the woman to let him go, promising he won’t steal again. The woman agreed on one condition. She told him that she promised her husband to take the jewels to the bank. But she forgot and kept the jewel in her safe. She wanted to wear them at a party but had forgetten the code. Within an hour, Horace successfully opened the safe and left the house.
Horace didn’t steal for two days, keeping his promise to the woman. But on the third day, he started planning another theft. But he’s caught for the jewel theft at Shotover Grange as his fingerprints were found everywhere. Nobody believed his story that the lady of the house asked him to open the safe. The real owner, a sixty-year-old woman, said that his story was nonsense. As a result, Horace ended up working as an assistant in the prison library.
विक्टर कैनिंग द्वारा लिखित कहानी ‘ A Question of Trust एक ईमानदार नागरिक हॉरेस डेनबी के बारे में है। हॉरेस दुर्लभ और महँगी पुस्तकों को पढ़ने के अपने शौक को पूरा करने के लिए प्रतिवर्ष एक तिजौरी की डकैती करता था और एक एजेण्ट के माध्यम से गुप्त रूप से पुस्तकें खरीदता था। हालाँकि, पन्द्रह वर्ष पूर्व पहली बार डकैती करने पर उसे जेल जाना पड़ा था।
उस वर्ष, हॉरेस ने शॉटोवर ग्रेन्ज को लक्ष्य बनाया था, जहाँ पन्द्रह हजार पाउण्ड कीमत के जेवरात थे। उसने एक पत्रिका के लेख में से मकान के नक्शे का ध्यानपूर्वक अध्ययन किया था और वह जानता था कि परिवार लन्दन में था । उसने डकैती के लिए एक दोपहर के समय का चुनाव किया, जब नौकर सिनेमा देखने बाहर गए थे।
नौकर द्वारा बाहर टँगी हुई चाबी के माध्यम से हॉरेस ने घर में प्रवेश किया। वह मकान के पालतू कुत्ते शैरी को भी शान्त करने में सफल हो गया। हॉरेस जानता था कि तिजौरी बैठक कक्ष में तस्वीर के पीछे थी। कमरे में फूलों के कारण होने वाली एलर्जी से थोड़ा-सा परेशान होने के बावजूद उसने चोरों से बचने के लिए बने हुए घटिया अलार्म को बन्द किया और अपने औजारों से तिजौरी को खोलने की कोशिश में लग गया।
हालाँकि उसकी योजना में तब बाधा आई, जब दरवाजे पर एक महिला प्रकट हुई। उसने घर के मालिक की पत्नी होने का दावा किया और वह आश्चर्यजनक रूप से शान्त थी और एक चोर को घर में देखकर प्रसन्न भी थी। उसने हॉरस को बताया है कि यदि वह अपने कार्य को लेकर गम्भीर है, तो उसे अपनी एलर्जी के लिए चिकित्सक के पास जाना चाहिए। उसने चेतावनी भी दी है कि यदि उसने भागने की कोशिश की, तो वह पुलिस को फोन कर देगी।
हॉरेस ने आगे कभी चोरी नहीं करने का वायदा करते हुए, महिला से उसे छोड़ देने के लिए कहा। महिला एक शर्त पर सहमत हुई। उसने उसे बताया कि उसने अपने पति से जेवरात बैंक लें जाने का वायदा किया था, लेकिन वह भूल गई और जेवरों को अपनी तिजौरी में रख दिया। वह उन्हें एक समारोह में पहनना चाहती थी, लेकिन कोड भूल गई है। एक घण्टे के अन्दर हॉरेस ने सफलतापूर्वक तिजौरी खोल दी और घर से निकल गया।
हॉरेस ने महिला को किया गया वायदा निभाते हुए दो दिन तक चोरी नहीं की, लेकिन तीसरे दिन वह दूसरी चोरी की योजना बनाना प्रारम्भ कर देता है, किन्तु वह शॉटोवर ग्रेन्ज में जेवरात चोरी के लिए पकड़ा गया, क्योंकि उसकी अँगुलियों के निशान हर जगह मिले थे। किसी ने भी उसकी कहानी पर विश्वास नहीं किया है कि घर की मालकिन ने उससे तिजौरी खोलने के लिए कहा था। घर की वास्तविक मालकिन एक साठ वर्षीय वृद्ध महिला ने कहा कि उसकी कहानी बकवास है। फलस्वरूप, हॉरेस का अन्त जेल के पुस्तकालय में एक सहायक के रूप में कार्य करते हुए होता है।
Part A Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Q1. Horace Danby was about fifty years old and ……..
(a) unmarried
(b) married
(c) wealthy
(d) writer
Ans. (a) unmarried
Q2. He was usually very well and happy except for attacks of ……. in summer.
(a) colera
(b) epilepsy
(c) diarrhea
(d) hay-fever
Ans. (d) Hay-fever
Q3. The family of Shotover Grange house was in ……..
(a) America
(b) India
(c) London
(d) Japan
Ans. (c) London
Q4. There were about …….. pounds’ worth of jewels in the Grange safe.
(a) twenty thousands
(b) sixty thousands
(c) fifty thousands
(d) fifteen thousands
Ans. (d) fifteen thousands
Q5. The name of the dog was …….
(a) Sherry
(b) Tommy
(c) Browny
(d) Danny
Ans. (a) Sherry
Q6. There was a great bowl of …… on the table.
(a) fruits
(b) flowers
(c) sweets
(d) coins
Ans. (b) flowers
Q7. The woman in red was standing in the ……
(a) doorway
(b) bedroom
(c) kitchen
(d) dining room
Ans. (a) doorway
Q8. She walked to the fireplace and straightened her …….
(a) dress
(b) make up
(c) ornaments
(d) hair
Ans. (c) ornaments
Q9. The woman in red said that the ………. must be protected from men like Horace Danby.
(a) society
(b) nation
(c) city
(d) safes
Ans. (a) society
Q10. The woman in red picked up a ……… box from the table.
(a) silver
(b) gold
(c) iron
(d) paper
Ans. (a) silver
Q11. What was the evidence against Horace that got him arrested?
(a) The keys
(b) His gloves
(c) His fingerprints
(d) All of these
Ans. (c) His fingerprints
Q12. How many burglars are there in the story ‘A Question of Trust’?
(a) Two
(b) Five
(c) Three
(d) Four
Ans. (a) Two
Q13. What kind of citizen was Horace Danby thought to be?
(a) Dishonest
(b) Kind hearted
(c) Poor
(d) Honest
Ans. (d) Honest
Q 14. By whom was Horace Danby tricked?
(a) A young boy
(b) A handsome boy
(c) A clever young lady
(d) An old man
Ans. (c) A clever young lady
Part B Descriptive Type Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Give a brief description of Horace Danby.
हॉरेस डैनबी का संक्षिप्त वर्णन कीजिए।
Ans. Horace Danby was a good and respectable man. He was a 50-year-old unmarried man who lived with a caretaker. He was a successful locksmith with two helpers. He was a healthy man who sometimes suffered from attacks of hay fever. Horace Danby, however, was also a thief who robbed to satisfy his love of collecting rare and expensive books.
Q2. What was the passion of Horace Danby and how did he satisfy it?
हॉरेस डैनबी का शौक क्या था और वह उसे कैसे पूरा करता था ?
Ans. Horace Danby’s hobby and passion was to collect rare and expensive books. To fulfill it and to satisfy this passion, he used to rob å safe every year. Each year he planned carefully just what to do, stole enough to last for twelve months, and then bought the books secretly through an agent.
Q 3. How did Horace enter in the house?
हॉरेस घर में कैसे घुसा ?
Ans. As the servants went out to watch movies, Horace saw them and came out from behind the garden’s walls. He had seen that the housekeeper hang the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside. He put on a pair of gloves, took the key and opened the door of the house and entered in the house.
Q4. What did Horace Danby wonder about for a moment? What did he think and decide?
हॉरेस एक क्षण के लिए चकित क्यों हुआ? उसने क्या सोचा और क्या निश्चय किया?
Ans. On seeing the poor painting in front of the safe, Horace Danby wondered for a moment whether to collect pictures instead of books. But then, he thought that books were better in a small house like his as paintings took up too much space in the room.
Q5. How did flowers hinder Horace in his work?
फूल हॉरेस के कार्य में बाधा कैसे डाल रहे थे ?
Ans. Flowers hindered Horace in his work because he suffered from the attack of hay fever, a disorder affecting the nose and throat, caused by an allergy to pollen or dust. Due to this problem, whenever he came close to flowers, he began to sneeze and could be caught.
Q6. Why did Horace think that the people of Shotover Grange were foolish?
हॉरेस ने ऐसा क्यों सोचा कि शॉटोवर ग्रेन्ज के लोग मूर्ख थे?
Ans. Horace thought that the people of Shotover Grange were foolish because they own valuable things in their house and the complete description of the house, its rooms and pictures of the room were available in a magazine article. It could be very convenient for anyone to rob the house through that article.
Horace thought that those who possessed valuable things. should be more careful but the people of Shotover Grange were careless about their safety. So, he called them foolish.
Q7. Why does he steal every year? [NCERT]
वह प्रत्येक वर्ष चोरी क्यों करता था?
Ans. He steals every year so that he could buy the rare and expensive books that he loved to collect. Each year, he plans carefully so as to steal enough money for twelve months.
Q8. Who is the real culprit in the story? [NCERT]
कहानी में वास्तविक गुनहगार ( दोषी) कौन है?
Ans. The real culprit in the story is the woman in the red dress who pretended to be a member of the family living at Shotover Grange. She tricked Horace Danby into believing her and cleverly took away all the jewels that were kept in the safe.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. “Horace was clever but the lady in red was cleverer.” Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer.
“हॉरेस चालाक था, लेकिन लाल पोशाक वाली महिला उससे अधिक चालाक थी।” क्या आप इस कथन से सहमत हैं? अपने उत्तर को सिद्ध कीजिए।
Ans. Yes, it is true that Horace was clever but the lady in red was cleverer than him. The lady in red was a more professional thief than Horace Danby. Horace Danby is a meticulous planner who had carefully planned the robbery. He had all the information he needed to carry out his plans. He not only had read a detailed description of the house but also knew that the servants were going for a movie.
Even while robbing, he wore gloves and was careful not to leave any fingerprints. However, all his planning falls short with the presence of the lady in red.
The lady in red also knew everything about the house. However, her presence of mind gave her an upper hand in the robbery. The charm and confidence with which she carries herself in front of Horace make him believe that she is the owner of the house. She exploited Horace’s fear of being discovered very skillfully and ensured that Horace’s fingerprints were left on the site. She even robbed the safe without Horace discovering her real identity.
She not only tricked Horace Danby but also left him to be blamed for the robbery.
Q2. Do you think that there are certain situations in which you can be excused for acting dishonestly? Elaborate with reference to ‘A Question of Trust’.
क्या आपको लगता कि कुछ विशेष परिस्थितियाँ होती हैं, जिनमें बेईमानी करना माफ किया जा सकता है ? ‘ A Question of Trust के सन्दर्भ में वर्णन कीजिए।
Ans. Yes, there are certain situations which one can be excused for acting dishonestly. If something wrong is done unintentionally, it may be excused or pardoned.
In the story ‘A Question of Trust’, Horace Danby intentionally robs the rich. He robs to satisfy his love for collecting rare and expensive books which might be considered to be done with good intention. However, it is not justified.
Horace Danby was considered to be a good and a respected person. He had a good reputation in society even though he was a thief. His intentions may not be harmful for anyone but he cannot be pardoned at all. A crime always remains a crime and the guilty must always be punished. I think that there are certain situations on which one can be excused for acting dishonestly. Such situations must help others as well as oneself and in any case must not be harmful for anyone.
Q3. How is Horace Danby cheated by the lady in the story ‘A Question of Trust’?
हॉरेस डैनबी को कहानी ‘A Question of Trust’ में महिला द्वारा कैसे धोखा दिया गया ?
Or 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? [NCERT]
किन चालाक तरकीबों से महिला ने हॉरेस डैनबी को यह धोखा दिया कि वह घर की मालकिन है? हॉरेस को सन्देह क्यों नहीं हुआ कि कुछ गलत है?
Ans. In the story ‘A Question of Trust’, the lady in the house pretends to be the owner of Shotover Grange, the house Horace plans to steal from. The lady’s confident walk, her familiarity with the dog Sherry, her act of touching up her make-up and the ease with which she picks a cigarette from the right place are enough to deceive Horace into thinking that she was the lady of the house.
Horace does not suspect anything as he was too frightened to think properly. In this manner, here she tricks Horace into opening the safe for her. In return, she promises not to inform the police. However, she escapes with all the jewels, leaving Horace’s fingerprints behind.
Q4. “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? [NCERT]
“हॉरेस डैनबी अच्छा और सम्मानजनक व्यक्ति था, लेकिन पूर्ण रूप से ईमानदार नहीं था।” आपको यह वर्णन हॉरेस के लिए उपयुक्त क्यों लगता है ? वह एक विशिष्ट चोर की श्रेणी में क्यों नहीं आता ?
Ans. ‘Horace Danby was good and respectable but not completely honest’ is an apt description for Horace. He was a respectable lockmaker who had a good reputation in the society. But Horace was also an unusual thief. He had a hobby of collecting rare and expensive books which he fulfilled by robbing a safe every year. Thus, he was not a completely honest man.
Horace cannot be categorised as a typical thief because he was not a regular offender. He robbed once a year and only took what was required.
However, this doesn’t change the fact that he robs people. A crime is a crime, and one shouldn’t go unpunished for such conducts. Even though, his intentions are not directed towards harming others, it still cannot be pardoned.