The Thief’s Story Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 2
- Approached- came near
- Flattery-in sincere
- Modestly- in a humble way
- Appealing- attractive
- Terrible- fearful
- Cheating-taking away dishonestly
- Opportunity-chance
- Crawled-walked on knee
- Hesitated- full of doubts
- Deserted- lonesome
- Unlined-absence of worry or anxiety
- Undetected- without noticing
Read and Find Out (Pages 8 )
Question 1.
Who does " I " refer to in this story ?
Answer:
“I” in this story refers to the narrator.
Question 2.
What is he “a fairly successful hand” at ?
Answer:
He is ‘a fairly successful hand’ at stealing things (because he is a thief).
Question 3.
What does he get from Anil in return for his work ?
Answer:
He gets from Anil in return for his work, a place and food. It is for sleeping and food to eat.
Read and Find Out (Pages 10)
Question 1.
How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft ?
Answer:
The thief thinks that Anil would be sad when he would discover the theft.
Question 2.
What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed ?
Answer:
He says that a greedy man shows fear. A rich man shows anger. A poor man shows acceptance. There are different reactions of people when they are robbed.
Question 3.
Does Anil realise that he has been robbed ?
Answer:
I think Anil does realise that he has been robbed. Persons like Anil have a large heart. They do not attach importance to money. Anil reviews the situation. Then he decides to overlook Hari Singh’s, theft.
Think About It (Page 13)
Question 1.
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’s reactions to the possibility of receiving an education -undergo a change. In the beginning he thinks one thing. It is that if he wrote like an educated man he could achieve success (or money). His later thoughts prove this change. Later he feels that if he wrote whole sentences, he would get more than a few hundred rupees. Money doesn’t hold much attraction for him now.
He wants from education to become a big man, a clever and respected man. May be Anil is his idol in that. This makes him return to Anil. It is because only Anil could teach him as he wants.
Question 2.
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:
I feel that Anil is a large-hearted person. First, he does realise that he has been robbed. But he reviews the whole situation. He thinks that if he gives the thief to the police, he may become a criminal. He decides to reform the thief differently. It is showing grace, kindness and sympathy.
Most people could not do so like Anil. They could have handed over such persons to the police after first beating them themselves. Anil is different because he decides to reform the thief through kindness and sympathy.
