In this post we are going to discuss detail view on the chapter The Thief’s Story. So let us begin.
Summary
This passage is describing a young, experienced thief named Hari Singh who has recently met a man named Anil. Hari is trying to gain Anil’s trust and is offered a place to stay and food in exchange for cooking and other odd jobs. Anil is a freelance writer who is not very financially stable. Hari works for Anil for a month and becomes grateful for the opportunity to learn how to read and write. However, Hari struggles with the moral dilemma of stealing from Anil, who is a trusting and kind person, and ultimately decides to take the money that Anil has saved under his mattress. Hari then leaves to catch a train to Lucknow.
Summary of The Thief Story in 300 Words
Hari Singh is a young, experienced thief who meets Anil at a wrestling match. He tries to gain Anil’s trust by offering to work for him for free, but Anil only agrees to feed him if Hari can cook. Hari lies and says he can cook and Anil takes him in, offering him a place to sleep and teaching him how to read and write. Hari works for Anil for a month, doing odd jobs and making small profits by cheating on the shopping. Anil is a freelance writer and is not very financially stable, but he is a trusting and kind person. Hari struggles with the moral dilemma of stealing from Anil, but ultimately decides to take the money that Anil has saved under his mattress and leave to catch a train to Lucknow. Hari reflects on how it is easy to rob a greedy person, but difficult to rob a careless person and how it takes the pleasure out of the work. The passage is a portrayal of a young thief’s internal conflict of morals, and the impact of kind and generous actions on someone who is used to a life of crime.
Passage with 5 multiple-choice questions with answers
Hari Singh was a young, experienced thief when he met Anil at a wrestling match. Anil was a tall, lean man around 25 years old and looked easy-going and kind. Hari saw an opportunity to gain Anil’s trust and offered to work for him for free. Anil, however, only agreed to feed Hari if he could cook. Hari lied and said he could cook, and Anil took him in, offering him a place to sleep and teaching him how to read and write. Hari worked for Anil for a month, doing odd jobs and making small profits by cheating on the shopping. Anil was a freelance writer and was not very financially stable, but he was a trusting and kind person. Hari struggled with the moral dilemma of stealing from Anil, but ultimately decided to take the money that Anil had saved under his mattress and leave to catch a train to Lucknow.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Question; What is Hari’s profession ?
a) Cook
b) Writer
c) Thief
d) Wrestler
Answer: c) Thief
2. Question; How does Hari gain Anil’s trust?
a) by offering to work for him for free
b) by cooking for him
c) by showing him he can write
d) by doing odd jobs
Answer: a) by offering to work for him for free
3. Question; How does Anil make a living?
a) by working as a cook
b) by writing for magazines
c) by lending and borrowing money
d) by wrestling
Answer: b) by writing for magazines
4.Question; Why does Hari struggle with the moral dilemma of stealing from Anil?
a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
b) Anil is a thief too
c) Hari is out of practice
d) Hari does not want to waste Anil’s money
Answer: a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
5. Question; What does Hari plan to do with the money he steals from Anil?
a) Give it back
b) Spend it on his friends
c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
d) Invest it
Answer: c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
Prose Passage-02 (The Thief’s Story)
Hari Singh was a young, ambitious thief who was always looking for ways to make money. When he met Anil at a wrestling match, he saw an opportunity to gain his trust and offered to work for him for free. Anil, who was a freelance writer and not very financially stable, agreed to feed Hari if he could cook. Hari lied and said he could cook, and Anil took him in, offering him a place to sleep and teaching him how to read and write. Hari worked for Anil for a month, doing odd jobs and making small profits by cheating on the shopping. But despite his criminal background, Hari grew to respect Anil’s trust and generosity towards him.
However, when Anil came home one night with a bundle of notes, Hari was faced with a difficult decision. He knew that Anil would just waste the money on his friends, but he also couldn’t shake off the guilt of stealing from someone who had been so kind to him. In the end, Hari decided to take the money and leave for Lucknow, knowing that it would give him a chance to start anew.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1.Question; What is Hari’s main motivation in the passage?
a) making money
b) gaining Anil’s trust
c) learning to read and write
d) finding a new place to live
Answer: a) making money
2.Question; How does Hari gain Anil’s trust?
a) by offering to work for him for free
b) by cooking for him
c) by showing him he can write
d) by doing odd jobs
Answer: a) by offering to work for him for free
3.Question; How does Anil make a living?
a) by working as a cook
b) by writing for magazines
c) by lending and borrowing money
d) by wrestling
Answer: b) by writing for magazines
4.Question; Why does Hari struggle with the decision to steal from Anil?
a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
b) Anil is a thief too
c) Hari is out of practice
d) Hari does not want to waste Anil’s money
Answer: a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
5.Question; What does Hari plan to do with the money he stole from Anil?
a) Give it back
b) Spend it on his friends
c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
d) Invest it
Answer: c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
Passage-03 (The Thief’s Story)
Hari Singh was a young, experienced thief who was always looking for new opportunities to make money. One day, while watching a wrestling match, he met Anil, a young man around 25 years old who looked easy-going and kind. Hari saw an opportunity to gain Anil’s trust and offered to work for him for free. Anil, who was a freelance writer and not very financially stable, agreed to feed Hari if he could cook. Hari lied and said he could cook and Anil took him in, offering him a place to sleep and teaching him how to read and write. Hari worked for Anil for a month, doing odd jobs and making small profits by cheating on the shopping. But despite his criminal background, Hari grew to respect Anil’s trust and generosity towards him.
However, when Anil came home one night with a bundle of notes, Hari was faced with a difficult decision. He knew that Anil would just waste the money on his friends, but he also couldn’t shake off the guilt of stealing from someone who had been so kind to him. In the end, Hari decided to take the money and leave for Lucknow, knowing that it would give him a chance to start anew.
Multiple Choice Questions
1.Question; What is Hari’s main motivation in the passage?
a) Making money
b) Spend it on his friends
b) Gaining Anil’s trust
d) Finding a new place to live
Answer: a) Making money
2.Question;How does Hari gain Anil’s trust?
a) by offering to work for him for free
b) by cooking for him
c) by showing him he can write
d) by doing odd jobs
Answer: a) by offering to work for him for free
3.Question; How does Anil make a living?
a) by working as a cook
b) by writing for magazines
c) by lending and borrowing money
d) by wrestling
Answer: b) by writing for magazines
4.Question; Why does Hari struggle with the decision to steal from Anil?
a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
b) Anil is a thief too
c) Hari is out of practice
d) Hari does not want to waste Anil’s money
Answer: a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
5.Question; What does Hari plan to do with the money he stole from Anil?
a) Give it back
b) Spend it on his friends
c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
d) Invest it
Answer: c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
Questions From the Textbook
1Question. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer. ‘I’ refers to Hari Singh, the protagonist of the story and a young, experienced thief.
2 Question. What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
Answer. Hari is “a fairly successful hand” at stealing.
3 Question. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Answer. In return for his work, Hari gets a place to sleep and food from Anil. Anil also teaches him how to read and write.
4 Question. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Answer. The thief thinks Anil will not notice or care about the theft because he is too trusting and careless with money.
5 Question. What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Answer. The thief says that it is easy to rob a greedy person because they can afford to be robbed, but it is difficult to rob a careless person because they do not notice or care that they have been robbed, which takes the pleasure out of the work.
6 Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?
Answer; It is not explicitly mentioned in the passage whether or not Anil realizes that he has been robbed.
Questions from Textbook
1.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, 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 Singh initially sees the opportunity to learn how to read and write as a means to achieve more in his line of work as a thief. He believes that once he can write like an educated man, there will be no limit to what he can achieve. However, as he continues to work for Anil and receives education, his thoughts begin to change. He starts to see the potential for a different kind of life, one where he can be a respected and clever man, instead of just a thief. Despite his initial intentions, Hari returns to Anil because he has grown to respect and appreciate Anil’s trust and generosity towards him.
2.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 Hari over to the police because he is a kind and trusting person, who does not want to get him into trouble. He sees the potential in Hari and wants to help him turn his life around. Most people would not have been as forgiving, and would have handed Hari over to the police. Anil is different from most employers in that he is not only interested in making money, but also in helping others
3 Question. 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 can be found in real life. There are individuals who are willing to give others a chance, despite their past mistakes, and there are also individuals who have turned to a life of crime, but are open to change.
4.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. Yes, the story a significant details that Anil is a struggling writer. It explains his financial situation and his willingness to take in someone like Hari, who has no means to pay him.
5.Question. 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, It can depend on the person’s personal experiences. circumstances such as poverty, lack of educational opportunities, lack of positive role models in life and traumatic experiences can contribute to turning a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief.
6.Question. 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?
Answers. The story is set in India, as indicated by the names of the persons and places mentioned, such as Hari Singh, Anil, Jumna Sweet Shop, and Lucknow. The languages spoken in these places are likely Hindi or the regional language of the area. It is not specified in the story whether the characters spoke to each other in English or not, but it is possible that they used a mix of languages depending on their level of education and comfort with the language.
Multiple Choice Questions
1.Question. What is Hari’s main motivation in the passage?
a) making money
b) gaining Anil’s trust
c) learning to read and write
d) finding a new place to live
Answers; a) making money
2.Question. How does Hari gain Anil’s trust?
a) by offering to work for him for free
b) by cooking for him
c) by showing him he can write
d) by doing odd jobs
Answers; a) by offering to work for him for free
3.Question. How does Anil make a living?
a) by working as a cook
b) by writing for magazines
c) by lending and borrowing money
d) by wrestling
Answers; b) by writing for magazines
4.Question. Why does Hari struggle with the decision to steal from Anil?
a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
b) Anil is a thief too
c) Hari is out of practice
d) Hari does not want to waste Anil’s money
Answers; a) Anil is a kind and trusting person
5.Question. What does Hari plan to do with the money he stole from Anil?
a) Give it back
b) Spend it on his friends
c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
d) Invest in it
Answers; c) Use it to catch a train to Lucknow
6.Question. What does Hari tells about his new name?
a) He takes a new name every month
b) He takes a new name every week
c) He takes a new name every year
d) He never changes his name
Answers; a) He takes a new name every month
7.Question. What does Hari do when Anil is asleep?
a) he makes tea
b) he takes money
c) he leaves
d) he sleeps
Answers; b) he takes money
8.Qustion. How does Hari feel toward Anil?
a) he hates him
b) he respects him
c) he dislikes him
d) he hates him and also respects him
Answers; d) he respects him but also dislikes him
9.Question. What does Anil do when he find Hari’s meal is terrible?
a) he throws it away
b) he gives it to Hari
c) he gives it to a stray dog
d) he teaches Hari how to cook
Answers; c) he gives it to a stray dog
10.Qestion. How does Hari feel about Anil’s money?
a) He sees it as a means to achieve more in his line of work as a thief
b) He believes Anil will waste it on friends
c) He feels guilty about stealing from someone who has been so kind to him
d) He wants to use it to start a new life in Lucknow
Answers; c) a) He sees it as a means to achieve more in his line of work as a thief
Important Words of The Thief’s Story, Class 10th
- Thief: a person who steals
- Flattery: excessive or insincere praise
- Confidence: trust or belief in oneself
- Grunting: making a low, guttural sound
- Lifting: raising or moving something to a higher position
- Throw: propel something with force
- Queer: strange or unusual
- Cheque: a written order to a bank to pay money
- Bundle: a group of things tied together or wrapped in a covering
- Mattress: a large pad filled with soft material, used to support the body when sleeping
- Beams: a long piece of wood or metal used in building
- Moonlight: light from the moon
- Balcony: a platform projecting from the wall of a building
- Express: a train that makes very few stops
- Rupee: the basic unit of money in India
- Supplies: things that are needed
- Profits: the money that is left after all the costs have been paid
- Cheating: acting dishonestly
- Fits and starts: irregular or unpredictable
- Borrow: to take and use something that belongs to someone else with the intention of returning it
- Lend: to give something to someone for a short time, with the expectation that it will be returned
- Cheque: a written order to a bank to pay money
- Publisher:a company or organization that produces and distributes books, magazines, or other written materials
24. Tuck: to put something in a particular place, usually by folding it
- Slipping: move smoothly and quietly
- Blanket: a large piece of thick cloth used for warmth while sleeping
- Crawl: to move along on hands and knees
- Road: a long hard surface built for vehicles to travel on
- Express: a train that makes very few stops
- Lucknow: a city in northern India, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh.