Table of contents
Previous Year Questions 2024
Q1: Read the given extracts and answer the questions:
I went back to the bazaar and sat down in the shelter of the clock tower. The clock showed midnight. I felt for the notes. They were damp from the rain.
Anil’s Money. In the morning he would probably have given me two or three rupees to go to the cinema, but now I had it all.
I couldn’t cook his meals, run to the bazaar, or learn to write whole sentences any more.
I had forgotten about them in the excitement of the theft. 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. (CBSE 2024)
(i) Which of the following is NOT a reason why Hari Singh thinks he would not be able to write whole sentences ?
(a) Anil would not be there to teach him.
(b) He had robbed Anil and left.
(c) He would not go back to Anil to learn.
(d) He had no money to take admission in school.
Hide Answer
Ans: (d) He had no money to take admission in school.
(ii) Why is it fair to say that Hari Singh’s tone, when he says “I couldn’t cook his meals, run to the bazaar or learn to write whole sentences any more,” is filled with remorse and regret? Answer in about 40 words. Hide Answer
Ans: Hari realizes that the theft that he has done has led to severe loss in his routine. He feels that the gain is insignificant in comparison to the loss that the has suffered and so, he is regretful.
(ii) What do you infer about Hari Singh from this statement?
“Whole sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees.” Hide Answer
Ans: Hari Singh realizes that getting education will enable him to earn more money and he finds the petty thefts that he does to be insignificant. He is ambitious and wants to earn his money the right may.
(iv) State True or False with reference to the given extract.
The reason Hari Singh was filled with a feeling of guilt was because Anil trusted him. Hide Answer
Ans: True
Q2: Hari Singh says – “He knew it but neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything.”
Anil successfully addressed the situation by not addressing it at all. Elaborate based on your reading of The Thief’s Story. (CBSE 2024) Hide Answer
Ans: When Anil handed the wet currency to Hari Singh, it showed that he was aware that Hari had attempted theft. Anil chose not to confront Hari and he said a lot without speaking a single word. By doing this Anil showed trust in Hari and this made Hari responsible. Hari felt the need to prove his worthiness to such a trusting man. Hari did not want to leave Anil because Anil’s company promised a better future in terms of gaining education and a friend. Anil also believed that there could be the possibility that Hari Singh would change his mood and passion.
Q3: Imagine that Hari Singh from ‘The Thief’s Story’ by Ruskin Bond, writes a diary entry, exploring the theme of human values and relations that are essential in life and can transform a person in the context of his own experience. Write this diary entry as Hari Singh. (CBSE 2024) Hide Answer
Ans: Dear Diary,
Today has been a day of reckoning for me. I’ve always lived by taking what I needed, often without considering the consequences. But today, I faced a dilemma that made me question everything. Anil, the man I tried to steal from, showed me kindness and trust instead of anger or betrayal. His simple gestures of teaching me to cook and write left a deep impact on me.
I realized that human values like trust, kindness, and forgiveness are not weaknesses, but strengths that can transform a person. Anil’s faith in me, despite my deceit, made me reflect on my own actions and the emptiness of my previous life. I returned the money I stole, not out of fear, but out of a newfound respect.
Today taught me that relationships built on honesty and mutual respect are the true wealth in life. I want to learn from Anil, to become a better person, and perhaps, to find redemption.
Yours sincerely,
Hari Singh
Previous Year Questions 2023
Q4: What was the thief’s reaction when he took Anil’s money? (2023) Hide Answer
Ans: As the thief got the money he quickly crawled out of the room. When he was on the road, he began to run. He had the notes at his waist, held them by the string of his pyjamas. Later on he slowed down to walk and counted the notes. He thought that with those 600 rupees he could lead a luxurious life like an oil-rich Arab at least for a week.
Q5: Why did the thief smile without any effect towards the end of the story? (2023) Hide Answer
Ans: The thief smiled at Anil towards the end of the story in his most appealing way. But unlike as on previous occasions, this smile was natural and from the innermost comer of his heart. Being spontaneous, the smile was “without any effect”.
Q6: What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed? (2023) Hide Answer
Ans: In his short career as a thief, he has studied reactions of so many people when they are robbed off their belongings. He has Observed that the greedy people showed fear; the rich showed anger and the poor people showed acceptance.
Q7: How did Hari Singh justify to himself his stealing Anil’s money? (2023) Hide Answer
Ans: Hari Singh justified stealing from Anil by saying that if he did not steal, Anil would waste the money on his friends. Moreover, Hari believed that since Anil had not been paying him any salary, it was another reason for him to rob Anil.
Q8: Trust and compassion can reform a person. Justify this statement in the light of the lesson ‘The Thief’s Story’. (2023) Hide Answer
Ans: Trust and compassion can indeed reform a person, as demonstrated in the story ‘The Thief’s Story’. Anil, the young man who hired Hari Singh as a domestic help, was the epitome of generosity and trust. He gave Hari Singh a key to his room, allowing him the freedom to come and go as he pleased. One day, Hari Singh stole six-hundred rupees while Anil was sleeping and went to the railway station to catch a train and escape after the robbery. However, his conscience pricked him for robbing a man like Anil, who had trusted him and always treated him with kindness. He realized that Anil would be saddened not by the loss of money, but by the loss of trust and faith he had in Hari Singh. Hari did not want to lose the chance of getting an education and leading a respectable life, so he made the decision to return. In this way, the trust, love, and compassion shown by Anil ultimately reformed a thief.
Q9: Why does Anil not hand over Hari Singh to the police? (CBSE 2023) Hide Answer
Ans: Anil didn’t hand over Hari to the police because if Anil had done it, Hari would have never reformed. He would have gone back to his old ways of cheating and stealing from people, which Anil didn’t want. Thus, by doing so, he gave Hari another chance to reform.
Previous Year Questions 2022Q10: Fiction writers prefer creating grey characters rather than black and white. Analyse this in detail, with reference to both the characters of The Thief’s Story. (2022-23) Hide Answer
Ans: Both the characters in ‘The Thief’s Story’ are neither completely black or white. They have their own qualities out of which some need improvement. We may consider both the personas as grey.
The narrator of the story was a thief of 15 years. He had worked for different employees. He used to change his place after cheating his owner. Now he made Anil, who was an easy going person and writer by profession, his friend. He keeps faith in Hari Singh giving him shelter in his own house, although he does not have any clear information about him. On the other hand, Hari Singh was artful and smart for his age. He didn’t have shame in lying and stealing. One day he stole Anil’s money and went out of the room but came back. His conscience stopped him from doing so. Even he made no effort to confess that he had given in to the temptation of stealing the notes. His heart had been changed due to love, affection and faith Anil had shown. In this way, we may conclude that grey characters are unpredictable and present a moral challenge to the readers.
Previous Year Questions 2021Q11: After cooking a bad meal and told to go away, Hari stayed on as he :
(a) needed a job.
(b) needed shelter.
(c) wanted to steal something.
(d) found Anil to be very simple. (Term I, 2021-22) Hide Answer
Ans: (c)
Hari Singh stayed on because he was planning to steal from Anil, hoping to gain something from staying with him.
Q12: On what condition did Anil employ Hari Singh? How did Hari Singh fail in his job? (2021 C) Hide Answer
Ans: Anil employed Hari Singh on the condition that if he could cook, he would be fed and given a place to stay. However, Hari Singh failed in his job by not only lying about his ability to cook but also by stealing money from Anil.
Q13: It was quite pleasant working for Anil as:
(a) he was quite rich
(b) he never complained
(c) he was a very simple person
(d) he could be easily fooled (CBSE Term-1 2021) Hide Answer
Ans: (d)
Hari found it pleasant to work for Anil because he believed Anil’s trusting nature made him easy to deceive.
Previous Year Questions 2020Q14: Hari Singh is both a thief and a human being. Comment. (2020 C) Hide Answer
Ans: Hari Singh is a thief who would do anything to ensure his survival. He lied about his name and his abilities to Anil in order to have a place to stay and earn money. At the same time, he is also a human being, as shown by his decision to return the stolen money. His reluctance to betray Anil demonstrates his human side perfectly.
Q15: Why does Anil not hand Hari Singh over to the police? (2020) Hide Answer
Ans: Anil does not hand Hari Singh over to the police because he sees a change in him. He realizes that Hari has realized his mistake and wants to mend his ways, as evidenced by his decision to put the stolen money back. Anil has a humble nature and wants to give Hari a chance. Therefore, he forgives him for stealing and decides to encourage the spirit of goodness in him.
Q16: In which queer way did Anil make a living? (2020) Hide Answer
Ans: Anil made a living in a peculiar way. He would borrow money one week and lend it the next. He would worry about his next paycheck, but as soon as it arrived, he would spend it all. He also wrote for magazines, which was another unconventional way of making money to support his lifestyle.
Q17: What made Hari Singh come back to Anil? (Answer the following questions in 40-50 words) (CBSE 2020) Hide Answer
Ans: Hari Singh returned to Anil because he realised that he had robbed the most trustworthy person that he had ever met. Anil’s kindness, love, and help that he provided him made him repent of his mistake and brought him back to him.
Previous Year Questions 2018Q18: In which queer way did Anil make a living? (The Thief’s Story) (CBSE 2018) Hide Answer
Ans: Anil made money in fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend the next. He would worry about his next paycheck, but spend it all as soon as it arrived. It seemed like a peculiar way of making a living.
Previous Year Questions 2016
Q19: Did Hari like working for Anil? Give reasons in support of your answer. (Answer the following questions in 40-50 words) (CBSE 2016) Hide Answer
Ans: Yes, Hari Singh liked working for Anil as he did not have to do a lot of work. He used to make tea in the morning and go out to the local market to buy the daily essentials. In the process of buying daily essentials, Hari would also steal about a rupee for himself.