The Thief's Story – important questions for Boards 2027

CBSE Class 10 English

1. SA · 2 marks

   Who is Hari Singh, and why does he take a new name every month?

   Answer

   Hari Singh is a fifteen-year-old, experienced and fairly successful thief. He takes a new name every month to stay ahead of the police and his former employers.

2. LA · 5 marks

   Explain how Anil’s trust gave Hari the opportunity to steal, and how Hari justified his decision to himself. What happened after Hari stole the money and tried to escape by train?

   Answer

   Anil’s trust gave Hari easy access to his money, but it also made the theft difficult for him. 1. Anil gave Hari a key and allowed him to come and go freely. Hari found the notes under Anil’s mattress and knew Anil trusted him completely. 2. Hari told himself that Anil would waste the money on friends and did not even pay him. He stole the 600 rupees and ran towards the station. 3. Hari reached the platform but hesitated before boarding the Lucknow Express, and the train left without him. Alone in the rain, he remembered that education could bring him more than a few hundred rupees. 4. Hari returned and slipped the damp notes beneath the mattress. The next morning, Anil gave him a fifty-rupee note and said he would pay him regularly. Anil understood what had happened but chose to continue teaching Hari.

3. MCQ · 6 marks

   Choose the correct option for each part. (1 mark each) (a) What is Anil’s occupation in the story? (A) Teacher (B) Writer (C) Shopkeeper (D) Police officer (b) How does Anil’s income arrive? (A) As a fixed weekly wage (B) Irregularly (C) As rent (D) Through Hari’s earnings (c) What does Anil sometimes do when he needs money? (A) Borrows (B) Sells his home (C) Stops working (D) Asks Hari to steal (d) What does Anil do when a cheque arrives? (A) Saves it all (B) Goes out to celebrate (C) Gives it to Hari (D) Leaves town (e) Which detail in the story best shows Anil’s trust in Hari? (A) He gives Hari a key (B) He asks Hari to leave (C) He refuses to teach him (D) He hides his work (f) Which statement best describes Anil’s attitude towards Hari’s small shopping profit? (A) He appears to know but does not object (B) He reports Hari (C) He dismisses Hari (D) He demands repayment

   Answer

   (a) (B) Writer — Anil writes for magazines and sells a book to a publisher. (b) (B) Irregularly — Anil makes money by fits and starts. (c) (A) Borrows — Anil borrows one week and lends the next. (d) (B) Goes out to celebrate — Anil celebrates as soon as his cheque arrives. (e) (A) He gives Hari a key — Hari can come and go as he pleases. (f) (A) He appears to know but does not object — Anil seems aware of Hari’s small profit from shopping but does not mind.

4. SA · 2 marks

   How does Hari try to make friends with Anil and gain his confidence?

   Answer

   Hari flatters Anil by saying that he looks like a wrestler and claims that he wrestles too. He follows Anil casually, smiles appealingly and asks to work for him.

5. LA · 5 marks

   Compare Hari’s early thoughts about learning to write like an educated man with his later thoughts about whole sentences. How does his attitude towards education change?

   Answer

   1. Purpose — Early: Hari thinks writing like an educated man will open up limitless possibilities; later: he sees that whole sentences could bring him more than a few hundred rupees. 2. Measure of success — Early: he values education for what it might help him achieve; later: he contrasts the small, easy gains of theft with becoming a clever and respected man. 3. Attitude — Early: Hari is grateful when Anil teaches him to write his name and hopes to gain from education; later: he recognises its deeper worth and chooses learning over escaping with the stolen money. His attitude develops from seeing education mainly as an opportunity for personal advancement to valuing it as a path beyond theft, towards respect and a better future.

6. VLA · 6 marks

   Choose one significant detail from “The Thief’s Story” and explain how it helps you understand the characters or the events. You may consider that Anil is a struggling writer, that he and Hari speak in English, or the story’s setting.

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7. SA · 2 marks

   What does Anil offer Hari after discovering that he cannot cook?

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8. LA · 5 marks

   Explain what makes Hari reconsider his plan to leave with Anil’s money. In your response, consider the trust between them and the value Hari places on learning and becoming respected.

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9. MCQ · 6 marks

   Choose the correct option for each part. (1 mark each) (a) How old is Hari Singh described as being? (A) Fifteen (B) Eighteen (C) Twenty (D) Twenty-five (b) What does Hari do to stay ahead of the police and former employers? (A) Changes his name regularly (B) Moves to another country (C) Joins the police (D) Stops working (c) What does Anil offer to teach Hari? (A) Cooking only (B) Reading, writing and arithmetic (C) Wrestling (D) Acting (d) What does Hari hope literacy will bring him? (A) Opportunities beyond theft (B) A new employer immediately (C) A home in Stratford (D) A place in the police (e) What does Hari say he has experience in? (A) Wrestling (B) Writing (C) Cooking (D) Teaching (f) Which description best fits Hari at the beginning of the story? (A) An experienced young thief (B) A successful writer (C) A police constable (D) A wealthy employer

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10. SA · 2 marks

    Why does Hari believe that learning to read and write could change his future?

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