Chapter – 2

The Thief’s Story

In this post, we have given the Important Questions of chapter 2 “The Thief’s Story”. It is the 2nd chapter of the Class 10th English.

Board	CBSE Board, UP Board, JAC Board, HBSE Board, UBSE Board, PSEB Board, RBSE Board
Textbook	NCERT
Class	Class 10
Subject	English Footprints without Feet
Chapter no.	Chapter 2
Chapter Name	The Thief’s Story
Category	Class 10 English Important Questions
Medium	English

Chapter 2 The Thief’s Story

Question 1. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Answer: I refers to Hari Singh, the narrator of the story who is a 15 year old experienced thief.

Question 2. What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?

Answer: He is a fairly successful hand at stealing. He is an experienced thief. He is so clean and swift in his work that he robs people without being caught.

Question 3. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?

Answer: In return of Hari Singh’s work, Anil gives him food and a place to live in.

Question 4. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?

Answer: According to Hari, Anil would be sad not because of the loss of money but because of the loss of trust he had in Hari.

Question 5. What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?

Answer: Hari’s experience at theft had made him aware of differences in reactions of peofJle when they’re robbed. According to him, a greedy man shows fear; the rich, anger and a poor man, acceptance.

Question 6. Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?

Answer: Yes, Anil realised that he had been robbed, as he gave a fifty rupee note to Hari which was still damp due to the night’s rain.

Answer the following questions

Question 1. What did Hari Singh say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?

Answer. Hari Singh said that when robbed, the greedy man showed fear; the rich showed anger; the poor showed acceptance while a careless man would not even notice. But a man like Anil would be sad when discovered that he was stolen; not because of his loss of money but because of loss of trust.

Question 2. In which queer way did Anil make a living?

Answer.  Anil made a queer way by borrowing money but repaid the loan whenever he earned money through his writings for magazines. He lived life according to the flow of money. When he got money, he enjoyed out with his friends. When he was having less money, he used to reduce his expenses.

Question 3. Hari Singh was both a thief and a human being. Explain.

Answer. No doubt Hari is a thief as well as a good human being. Situations compel a person to become either beast or remain as a human being. Even goodness and nobility of a person changes anyone’s heart and mind.

Question 4. What conditions did Anil put forward before appointing Hari Singh as a servant?

Answer. Before appointing Hari Singh as a servant, Anil told him that he would not give Hari a regular salary. He had to cook food for both and Anil could only feed him, to this Hari agreed willingly.

Question 5. How did Hari Singh make money though he was not paid by Anil?

Answer. Hari Singh did all the market chores for Anil. He saved money from the things he purchased as Anil never asked him to give the accounts. But Anil was very much aware of this.

Question 6. Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately while he could catch it easily? Why?

Answer. Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately because his inner conscience held him back. He thought that Anil would feel sad not for loss of money but for the loss of trust he had reposed in him. Moreover, he did not want to lose the chance of learning. His inner self was transformed.

Question 7. How did Anil come to know that Hari Singh had run away with his money?

Answer. Perhaps Anil might have woken up at night and discovered that Hari was not present in the house. Moreover, he found the wet notes under his mattress. Out of that, he gave a fifty rupee note to Hari and reacted normally.

Question 8. Why does Anil not hand the thief over to police?

Answer.  Anil was a large-hearted person. He forgave Hari Singh as he wanted to reform him. He knew that Hari Singh was sorry for his act. So, he did not think it right to hand him over to the police. Anil gave another chance to Hari to improve his habits.

Or

Anil knew everything but he did not hand over the thief to the police because he knew that Hari Singh had returned to him to become a better human being. He wanted to give him another chance to improve. Moreover he thought Hari’s return was the proof of his improvement.

Question 9. Why did Hari Singh (the thief) want to become an educated man? Who helped him in it?

Answer. Hari Singh wanted to become an educated man because an educated man can earn and get everything in his life. Anil wanted to help him with this work. He started giving him lessons in English.

Question 10. Why was Hari Singh grateful to Anil?

Answer. Hari Singh was grateful to Anil because Anil taught him to read and write whole sentences and to add numbers. Soon, he would become an educated man and would be able to achieve anything in life.

Question 11. Anil’s large-heartedness transforms Hari singh completely. Comment.

Answer. Anil being a writer did not believe in conventional views. Hence he always had a soft corner for Hari. This is despite the fact that Anil was aware of Hari’s money stealing habits. The author never harbored in his heart the feeling of revenge or anger towards Hari as he believed in reforming the wrong-doer. Han is also touched by Anil’s forgive and forget attitude. Among Anil’s many benevolent actions towards Han the major was one when Anil decided not to hand him to the police. Han got completely transformed by Anil’s kind nature, compassion, and above all his large-heartedness.

Question 12. Describe Anil’s qualities as a man and as an employer.

Answer. The narrator met Anil when he was watching a wrestling match. During this match, the narrator started talking to him to make him his friend. Anil was a very kind-hearted fellow. Although he didn’t need to have a servant because he was not in a position to pay him, yet he became ready to have him in his room on his request. He told him that he would have to cook. But the narrator did not know how to cook food. He taught him the art of cooking. He also started to teach him how to read and write. Many times Anil himself made tea and cooked food and served it to Hari Singh. He knew that Hari Singh saved rupees from the daily purchasing, but he didn’t say anything. Thus Hari Singh found Anil very kind-hearted and generous as an employer.

Think About It

Question 1. What are Hari Singh’s reactions at the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change overtime? {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, could 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 was very happy and grateful when he learned to write his name. He was very excited when Anil promised to teach him to write whole sentences as well. He knew that being an educated man will add to his abilities and he could achieve anything. But when he left Anil’s house, he realised that stealing was simply a crime to indulge himself but being educated was an entirely different thing. He knew the respect, reputation and possibilities that would come to him once he was educated. And so his urge to receive education compelled him to return to Anil.

Question 2. Why does Anil not 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:

• Unlike others, Anil does not handover Hari to the police on theft charges. He knew about the theft but he did not thrash him nor even mentioned it in front of Hari. He was glad that Hari had realised his mistake and the importance of education in life.
• Anil wanted Hari to become a literate man and lead a respectful life.
• He is different from other such employers because he is very understanding. Hari’s return gave him the hope of a change in him.

Talk About It

Question 1. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?

Answer: People like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction. Though exceptions might be there, these people are rarely found. Anil was a kind and considerate person who was concerned, about Hari’s education and future. And Hari was a thief whose heart changes after realising the importance of education for his future. People like these are imaginary in today’s world.

Question 2. Do you think it is a significant detail i story that Anil is a struggling writer? this explain his behaviour in any way.

Answer: Yes, it is a significant detail that Anil is a struggling writer. His lifestyle was simple and used to spend according to his pocket at all time His struggle sometimes gave him a lot of income while at other times he used to worry about the next payment. Hari’s observation about the discontinuation in his work justifies his behave regarding money.

Question 3. Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? Can you think and imagine the circumstances that can turn a fifteen year old boy into a thief?

Answer: No, I haven’t met anyone like Hari Singh but the existence of such people is certain. A fifteen year old boy can be forced by circumstances to become a thief. It may be the need to feed the stomach, to satisfy illegal addiction, to maintain health, to fulfil luxurious demands etc

Question 4. Where is the story set? (You can get clues from the names of the persons and places mentioned in it). Which language or languages are spoken in these places? Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English?

Answer: The story is set somewhere in Uttar Pradesh near Lucknow. We can say so because the story mentions that there is a railway station for Express train to Lucknow. The presence of sweet shops and bazaars also indicate it to be a decent-sized town. No, the characters i n the story do not speak to each other in English but probably in Hindi.

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