Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
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, cloud 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?
Solution
Initially, when Anil offered to educate him, he thought of it as a bright prospect for himself. He knew that once he could write such as an educated man, there would be no limit to what he could achieve in his field. For him, the motivation behind getting educated was robbing people. However, later, when he had stolen Anil’s money and then missed his train in which he would have escaped, he realized that he had completely forgotten about the whole sentences that Anil had promised to teach him to write. He thought about getting educated in a different light. He thought that it was a simple matter to steal and be caught, but to be a really big, clever and respected man was something else. He was inspired by the trusting and simple nature of Anil. This motivation to earn someone’s trust and be respectable made him return to Anil.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?
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?
Read the following passage and do the activities:
A1. Choose the correct alternatives from the given options and rewrite the sentences :
(appealing, casually, flattery, well-oiled) (2)
(1) I followed ….........
(2) Anil talked about the ….........wrestlers.
(3) I gave him my most ….........smile.
(4) A little …......... helps in making friends.
I was still a thief when 1 met Anil. And though only 15, 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 thought I might be able to get into the young man’s confidence.
“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself,” I said. A little flattery helps in making friends.
“So do you,” he replied, which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin.
“Well, I said modestly, “I do wrestle a bit.”
“What's your name ?”
“Hari Singh,” I lied. I took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former employers.
After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. I didn't have much to say. Anil walked away. I followed casually.
“Hello again,” he said.
I gave him my most appealing smile. “I want to work for you”. I said.
“But I can't pay you.”
I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man. I asked, “Can you feed me ?”
“Can you cook ?”
“I can cook,” I lied again.
“If you can cook, then may be I can feed you.”
He took me to his room over the Jumna Sweet Shop and told me I could sleep on the balcony. But the meal I cooked that night must have been terrible because Anil gave it to a stray dog and told me to be off. But I just hung around, smiling in my most appealing way, and he couldn’t help laughing.
A2. Complete the following web-chart: (2)
A3. Find the similar meaning words from the passage for the following : (2)
(1) endearing
(2) miscalculated
(3) humbly
(4) awful
A4.
(1) “I want to work for you,” I said. (1)
(Change it into indirect speech)
(2) I can’t pay you. (1)
(Rewrite making it affirmative)
A5. “We should learn from our own mistakes.” Explain. (2)
Complete the web diagram.
Read the story carefully and complete the table:
| Total no. of characters | Names | Ages | Physical appearance |
Earned money by |
Qualities |
Complete the given sentence.
Hari was grateful ____________
Complete the given sentence.
The moral of the story is ________.
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
Why didn’t Anil hand over Hari to the police? What effect would it have had on Hari?
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
What tact had Anil used to change Hari’s dishonest ways?
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
‘And the smile came by itself without any effort.’ Say why. When do people give fake smiles?
Write a character sketch of ‘Hari Singh’ with the help of the following points, using the paragraph format.
- Hari Singh's background
- His dishonesty
- His aspirations
- His courage to change himself
Read the following passage and do the activities.
|
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 thought I might be able to get into the young man's confidence. "You look a bit of a wrestler yourself," I said. A little flattery helps in making friends. "So do you," he replied, which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin. "Well," I said modestly, "I do wrestle a bit." "What's your name ?" "Harl Singh," I lied. I took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former employers. After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. I didn't have much to say. Anil walked away. I followed casually. "Hello again," he said. I gave him my most appealing smile. "I want to work for you." I said. "But I can't pay you." I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man. I asked, "Can you feed me ?" "Can you cook?" "I can cook," I lied again. "If you can cook, then may be I can feed you." |
A1. Complete the given boxes with who said to whom: (2)
| Statement | Who | To whom | |
| (i) | You look a bit of a wrestler yourself. | ||
| (ii) | If you can cook, then may be I can feed you. |
A2. Complete the cluster diagram mentioning the characteristics of the main character of the passage: (2)
A3. Choose the correct meanings of the following words from the given options: (2)
- Flattery -
- insincere praise
- appreciation
- creating false impression
- unfaithful behaviour
- Appealing -
- good conduct
- attractive
- charming
- beautiful
A4. Do as directed: (2)
- I took a new name every month.
[Frame 'Wh' question to get the underlined part as an answer.] - I was an experienced hand.
[Underline the determiners from the given sentence.]
A5. Why do you think Hari Singh gave his most appealing smile? (2)
Why did Hari Singh smile in his most appealing way towards the end of the story?
A character arc is the transformation or development of a character throughout a story and refers to the changes a character undergoes as a result of their experiences, challenges, and interactions with other characters.
In the light of the above information, trace the character arc of the thief in Ruskin Bond’s The Thief’s Story, in about 120 words.
Answer the following in about 100-120 words:
Trust and compassion can reform a person. Justify this statement in the light of the lesson 'The Thief's Story'.
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.
