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The Thief’s Story Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 2

In this article, we are explaining The Thief’s Story Extra Questions and Answers PDF Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet CBSE, Extra Questions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet was designed by subject expert teachers.

The Thief’s Story Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 2

CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 2 Summary
A Hari Singh is the narrator of this story. He is an artful thief. One day, he met a young man of twenty- five named Anil at a wrestling match. He gave him an artificial smile. He desired to have an acquaintance with him in order to make him his next victim. Anil avoided him. Hari Singh followed Anil after the match was over. He asked Anil for work. He was ready to work for Anil if he could feed him. Anil agreed to engage Hari Singh if he could cook food for both. The thief lied that he was a good cook as Anil had to throw the bad meal, prepared by Hari Singh to dogs, on the first day.
Anil took upon himself to teach him how to cook and read and how to write. The thief made the morning tea and bought the daily supplies. Anil was aware of the fact that Hari Singh made a profit from the purchases.
Anil was not a rich man. He borrowed money sometimes but repaid the loan whenever he earned money through his writings for magazines. The thief thought it a strange way of making money.
One day, Anil sold a book to a publisher and brought home a bundle of notes. He put the money under his mattress. The thief had not stolen anything since a month of his working there. He had no desire to rob a careless person who trusted him blindly. However, he could not resist the temptation of getting the bundles of notes. The thief got up quietly when Anil had gone to sleep. He took the money and slipped out of the room. He had six hundred rupees in his possession. He reached the railway station just as the Lucknow Express was picking up speed. He could have boarded it but something held him back. The train was soon out of his sight. Hari Singh was left alone on the platform. He was in a dilemma where to go. He had no acquaintance there. He did not like to go to a hotel lest he should be suspected.
The thief thought that Anil would be sad not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust he had reposed in him. It was a cold night. It was drizzling when he went to the maidan and sat down on a bench. His clothes got drenched. He went back to the bazaar. There he took shelter under the clock tower. It was midnight. He thought and realized that he had let go a chance of being a respectable man. Anil was taking pains to teach him reading and writing. He decided to go back to Anil and reached his home. Anil was still asleep. He slipped the money at its usual place. He slept till late hours.
Anil had made tea before Hari Singh woke up. Anil offered him a fifty rupee note. He also promised him to pay him regularly. The note was still wet. Anil understood everything but he did not expose the thief’s doing. Instead, Anil said that they would start writing sentences that day. Hari Singh felt guilty and smiled shame facedly.

Extract Based Questions (4 marks each)

Question 1.
I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and fairly successful hand. Anil was watching a wrestling match when I approached him. He was about 25-a tall, lean fellow-and he looked easy-going, kind and simple enough for my purpose. I hadn’t had much luck of late and though I might be able to get into the young man’s confidence.
(a) Who does “I” refer to in the above extract ?
(b) What is he a ‘fairly successful hand at’ ?
(c) Which words in the above extract means the same as ‘very thin or slim’.
(d) What was Anil watching ? (1×4=4)
Answer:
(a) “I” is Hari Singh, the thief.
(b) He is ‘fairly successful hand’ at stealing things from the houses, without being caught. –
(c) ‘lean’.
(d) A wrestling match.

Question 2.
When I reached the station I did not stop at the ticket office (I had never bought a ticket in my life) but dashed straight to the platform. The Lucknow Express was just moving out. The train had still to pick up speed and I should have been able to jump into one of the carriages, but I hesitated—for some reason I can’t explain—and I lost the chance to get away.
(a) Why did the narrator reach the station ?
(b) What made him hesitated ?
(c) Which word in the above extract means the same as ‘went speedily’ ?
(d) Which train was moving out ? (1×4=4)
Answer:
(a) The narrator, Hari Singh, after steeling Anil’s money ran away to go to another place by train. So, he reached the station.
(b) His inner-voice made him restless. So, he hesitated to cheat a large-hearted and simple man, like Anil.
(c) ‘dashed’.
(d) The Lucknow Express.

Question 3.
There was a fifty rupee note between his fingers. My heart sank. I thought I had been discovered.
“I made some money yesterday,” he explained. “Now you’ll be paid regularly.”
My spirits rose. But when I took the note, I saw it was still wet from the night’s rain.
“Today we’ll start writing sentences,” he said.
He knew. But neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything.
(a) Why did the narrator’s heart sink ?
(b) Did Anil say anything to Hari Singh on knowing about his guilt ?
(c) What does the phrase ‘neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything’ explain ?
(d) Which word means the same as ’drown1 ? (1×4=4)
Answer:
(a) The narrator’s heart sank to think that Anil might have known that he had stolen his money. So he would be sad at the loss of trust.
(b) Anil didn’t say anything to Hari Singh on knowing about his act of stealing, rather he gave him a fifty rupee note with a promise to give him some money regularly.
(c) It means that even after knowing that Hari Singh had stolen money, Anil neither even said a word of rebuke nor showed by his gestures that he know about his guilt. His kindness transformed Hari Singh.
(d) Sank.

Question 4.
Later, he patted me on the head and said never mind, he’d teach me to cook. He also taught me to wriote my name and said he would soon teach me to write whole sentences and to add number. I was grateful.
(a) Identify ‘he’ and ‘I’ in the above extract.
(b) What did Anil decide ?
(c) What does the word ‘grateful’ mean ?
(d) Why was Hari Singh grateful to Anil ? (1×4=4)
Answer:
(a) ‘He’ refers to Anil and ‘I’ refers to Hari Singh.
(b) He decided to teach Hari how to cook, read and write.
(c) thankful.
(d) Hari Singh grateful to Anil because he taught him to read, write and cook.

Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
What conditions did Anil put forward before appointing Hari Singh as a servant ? [Board Term I, 2012; Set EL2 – 064]
Answer:
Before appointing Hari Singh as a servant, Anil told him that he would not give Hari regular salary. He had to cook food for both and Anil could only feed him.

Question 2.
How did Hari Singh make money though he was not paid by Anil ? [Board Term I, 2012; Set EL2 – 017]
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.

Question 3.
Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately while he could catch it easily ? Why ? [Board Term I, 2012; Set EL2 – 020]
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 4.
How did Anil come to know that Hari Singh had run away with his money ? [Board Term I, 2012; Set EL2 – 055]
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.

Question 5.
Why does Anil not hand the thief over to police ? [Board Term I, 2012; Set EL2 – 037]
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 police.

Question 6.
Why was Hari Singh grateful to Anil ? [Board Term I, 2012; Set EL2 – 029]
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 7.
Sometimes deception is a way of life. Highlight this statement by illustrating facts from the lesson ‘The thief’s story’.
Answer:
For some people deceiving is very common. The thief too changed his name every month. He made up excuses to be employed by Anil.

Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 8 marks each)

Question 1.
Why did the thief make friend with Anil ? Why did he steal Anil’s money ? Why did he come back and put Anil’s money back ?
Answer:
The thief made friend with Anil because he wanted to have an acquaintance with him to make him his next victim. Moreover, he needed a place to live. He started to work for Anil who was a credulous person. Anil started teaching him how to read and write. One day Anil brought a bundle of notes. The thief stole the money though he was out of practice and had not robbed anyone for so many days. After stealing the money, he planned to go to Lucknow. But on the station, his inner conscience pricked him and did not allow him to go. His heart changed as he wanted to be an educated man. So, he returned back and placed the money back to its place.

Question 2.
What thought crossed Hari Singh’s mind when he was waiting on the railway platform ?
Answer:
Hari Singh stole six hundred rupees while Anil was sleeping. He went to the railway station after stealing the money, but did not board the train. His conscience pricked him for robbing a man like Anil who had trusted him. He knew that Anil would feel bad when he would come to know about his stolen money but that would not be for the money but for the loss of trust and faith which he had in Hari Singh. He roamed around aimlessly and remembered the good times he had spent with Anil. He felt lonely and sad at the thought of leaving Anil. So, he immediately decided to go back to Anil.

Question 3.
“I couldn’t cook his meals, run to the bazaar or learn to write whole sentences anymore.”
OR
Hari Singh could not at once come out of the idea of working for Anil. Do you think he accepted the joy of earning money by following the path of honesty ? Explain the values highlghted through Hari’s character in about 80-100 words.
Answer:
Hari was very happy and excited when he learned to write his name. He was very excited when Anil promised to teach him to write whole sentences. He knew that being an educated man would add to his abilities. But when he left Anil’s house he realised that stealing was completely different to getting educated And so his desire to recieve education made him to return to Anil.

Question 4.
Write a brief character-sketch of Hari Singh in the light of his honesty. Express your opinion also.
Answer:
Hari Singh, a boy of 15, was an experienced and successful thief. He was successful because of his cleverness and intelligence. He planned everything meticulously before choosing his victims. He went to places where he would meet an unsuspecting victim. He would then win his confidence to get a job. After sometime he used to run away after stealing money from there. Then he used to change his name to befool the police and his former employers. He was a liar. He got a job as a cook, though he could not cook well. He was a greedy boy. He was cruel enough to rob a simple and trusting man like Anil. He was able to steal six hundred rupees from his house. But, there is transformation in the end of the story, when he decides to come back to Anil and keep his trust alive. This shows that there is goodness concealed in even the worst of men.

Question 5.
Sometimes deception is a way of life. Explain this statement by citing facts from the lesson ‘The thief story.’
Answer:
For some people, deception is a way to lead life easily, i.e., by changing name, by making excuses by making new way of making money. Anil was the most trusting person Hari Singh had ever met. But he took undue advantage of his trust. He was a thief and couldn’t be expected to be honest with Anil. He came toAnil with a false identity. Anil had a blind faith in human nature. He employed him just out of sympathy and compassion for him. He trusted him and ignored his misdeed. He handed over all the financial transactions without any verification. In a way,he gave him a chance to improve he stole money and then came back, Anil knew even that fact also but said nothing. It made Hari Singh to decide to leave the style of deception as a way of life.

Value Based Question

Question 1.
“I was still a thief when I met Anil” says Hari Singh. “Today will start writing sentences,” said Anil.Narrate Hari Singh’s journey of experience the two extreme statements.
Answer:
Anil could not afford a servant, but he took in Hari Singh out of compassion. Hari did not know how to cook but Anil did not let him feel dejected. He also taught him to read and write and did not seem to mind Hari’s holding back a rupee or two when he went out to buy supplies. He trusted Hari and did not hide the money. Hari stole the money but felt pangs of guilt. He could have boarded a train, but did not. He decided to be with Anil and become a clever and respected man.

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