Class 10 rbse footprint without feet Lesson 4 – A Question of Trust|Target Classes Nohar

 

Class 10 rbse footprint without feet Lesson 4 – A Question of Trust|Target Classes Nohar

✍️ Author – Victor Canning

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🟦 Summary (In Simple English)

This story is about Horace Danby, a 50-year-old man who appears honest but secretly steals once a year. He loves books and robs only rich people’s houses to buy rare books.
One day, he plans to rob a rich lady’s house. Everything goes smoothly until a young woman, pretending to be the owner’s wife, catches him. She tricks him into opening the safe and takes away all the jewels.
Later, the real robbery is reported, and Horace is caught because his fingerprints are found at the scene. The woman, who was actually a real thief, escapes.
The story shows that even clever people get trapped when they choose the wrong path.

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🟩 Very Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)

1. Who is the author of “A Question of Trust”?
   👉 Victor Canning.

2. Who was Horace Danby?
   👉 He was a 50-year-old locksmith and part-time thief.

3. What did Horace Danby love the most?
   👉 He loved books and collected rare and expensive ones.

4. How often did Horace Danby steal?
   👉 Once every year.

5. For what purpose did Horace steal?
   👉 To buy rare and expensive books.

6. What was Horace’s profession?
   👉 He made locks and safes.

7. Whose house did Horace plan to rob?
   👉 A rich woman’s house at Shotover Grange.

8. Who tricked Horace in the story?
   👉 A young woman who pretended to be the owner’s wife.

9. How was Horace caught?
   👉 His fingerprints were found on the safe.

10. What was the irony of the story?
    👉 Horace, a lock expert, opened the safe for someone else and was caught for a crime he didn’t benefit from.

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🟨 Short Answer Type Questions (2–3 Marks)

1. Why was Horace Danby considered a good and respectable man?
   👉 Because he made locks, lived a quiet life, and was honest in his profession. People trusted him, not knowing about his secret crimes.

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2. What type of books did Horace like to collect?
   👉 He liked to collect rare and expensive books, which he bought from the money he got from stealing.

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3. Why did Horace plan to rob Shotover Grange?
   👉 Because he had studied the house and found it a suitable place to steal jewels worth ₹15,000.

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4. Who was the lady that Horace met in the house?
   👉 She was actually a thief pretending to be the owner’s wife.

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5. How did the lady trick Horace Danby?
   👉 She pretended to be the mistress of the house, told Horace that she forgot the safe’s combination, and asked him to open it. Horace trusted her and opened it, allowing her to steal the jewels.

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6. Why did Horace Danby get arrested though he didn’t steal anything?
   👉 His fingerprints were on the safe, which proved he was there. The real thief (the lady) escaped easily.

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7. What lesson did Horace learn in the end?
   👉 He learned that crime never pays and that even clever thieves can be fooled.

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8. What was Horace’s greatest mistake?
   👉 Trusting the lady thief blindly and leaving his fingerprints behind.

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🟧 Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)

1. Describe the character of Horace Danby.
   👉 Horace Danby was a 50-year-old man, unmarried, and lived alone with his housekeeper. He was honest in his work but stole once a year to buy books. He was intelligent and planned carefully but lacked wisdom. His greed led him to trust a stranger, which caused his downfall.

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2. Describe the young woman in the story.
   👉 She was smart, confident, and clever. She acted as the owner’s wife, used her charm to fool Horace, and made him open the safe. She was the real thief and escaped successfully, leaving Horace to be caught.

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3. What is the theme of “A Question of Trust”?
   👉 The theme is that dishonesty never brings success. If you break trust, you will be punished. Even intelligent people fall when they choose the wrong path.

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4. Explain the title “A Question of Trust”.
   👉 The title is suitable because the story revolves around trust and betrayal. Horace breaks people’s trust by stealing, but he himself is betrayed by someone he trusted — the lady thief.

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5. What is the irony in the story?
   👉 The irony is that Horace, who made locks and safes for security, ended up opening one for a thief and was later jailed for a theft he didn’t even commit.

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🟪 Extract Based Questions

Q1. “Horace Danby had a good reputation.”
➡️ (a) What was his profession?
👉 He made locks and safes.
➡️ (b) Did he deserve his good reputation?
👉 No, because he secretly robbed once a year.

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Q2. “She was young and pretty, and Horace felt sorry for her.”
➡️ (a) Who was she?
👉 The lady thief pretending to be the owner’s wife.
➡️ (b) Why did Horace feel sorry?
👉 Because she said she forgot the safe’s combination.

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Q3. “He had opened the safe without gloves.”
➡️ (a) Who is ‘he’?
👉 Horace Danby.
➡️ (b) What was the result?
👉 His fingerprints were found, and he was arrested.

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Q4. “Crime does not pay.”
➡️ (a) Who learned this lesson?
👉 Horace Danby.
➡️ (b) How did he learn it?
👉 He was punished even though he was cheated by another thief.

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🟦 Moral of the Story

“Dishonesty never pays. If you deceive others, one day you’ll be deceived too.”

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🟢 SEO Description (for Blog Post)

A Question of Trust Class 10 English | Footprints Without Feet Chapter 4 Summary, Question Answers, and Notes
Read complete RBSE Class 10 notes of A Question of Trust by Victor Canning. Get short and long question answers, character sketches of Horace Danby and the lady thief, extract questions, and moral of the story. Learn how crime and dishonesty always lead to downfall. Perfect study notes for Target Classes Nohar students preparing for RBSE Board 2025 Exams.