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Question
What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Solution
When Hari asked Anil if he could work for him, Anil said that he could not pay him. Finally, the agreement was that if he would cook, then Anil would feed him. However, Anil soon found out that he did not know how to cook. Therefore, he taught him how to cook and later, how to write his name. He promised he would teach him how to write whole sentences and how to add numbers. Apart from this, when Hari went out to buy the day’s supplies, he would make a profit of a rupee a day.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
State whether the following statements are true or false.
Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend the
next. He kept worrying about his next cheque, but as soon as it arrived he
would go out and celebrate. It seems he wrote for magazines — a queer way
to make a living!
One evening he came home with a small bundle of notes, saying he had
just sold a book to a publisher. At night, I saw him tuck the money under the
mattress.
I had been working for Anil for almost a month and, apart from cheating on
the shopping, had not done anything in my line of work. I had every opportunity
for doing so. Anil had given me a key to the door, and I could come and go
as I pleased. He was the most trusting person I had ever met.
And that is why it was so difficult to rob him. It’s easy to rob a greedy
man, because he can afford to be robbed; but it’s difficult to rob a careless
man — sometimes he doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed and that takes all
the pleasure out of the work.
Well, it’s time I did some real work, I told myself; I’m out of practice.
And if I don’t take the money, he’ll only waste it on his friends. After all, he
doesn’t even pay me.
Anil was asleep. A beam of moonlight stepped over the balcony and fell on
the bed. I sat up on the floor, considering the situation. If I took the money, I
could catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow. Slipping out of the blanket, I crept
up to the bed. Anil was sleeping peacefully. His face was clear and unlined;
even I had more marks on my face, though mine were mostly scars.
My hand slid under the mattress, searching for the notes. When I found
them, I drew them out without a sound. Anil sighed in his sleep and turned on
his side, towards me. I was startled and quickly crawled out of the room.
(a) Anil writes for magazines for a living -
(b) Anil kept a small bundle of notes in a cupboard -
(c) The narrator used to cheat Anil on the shopping -
(d) After stealing the money the narrator quickly crawled out of the room -
(A2) Complete the following sentences with the help of the given passage.
(1) The narrator was thinking to catch
(2) When Anil was sleeping peacefully, his face was
(3) The narrator slid his hands under the mattress to
(4) The narrator thought that If he didn’t take money, Anil would only waste
(A3) Cross out the odd man.
(i) blanket, magazine, maintain, mattress.
(ii) rob, take, time, search.
(iii) queer, small, greedy, pleasure
(iv) quickly, mostly, money, peacefully.
(A4) Rewrite the following sentences by choosing correct tail tag given in the
brackets.
(does he ?, didn’t he ?, isn’t it?, wasn’t he?, doesn’t he?, is it?)
(i) Anil was sleeping peacefully.
(ii) He doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed.
(iii) Anil kept worrying about his next cheque.
(iv) It’s difficult to rob a careless man.
(A5) What will you do if you are robbed by someone you know very well?
What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
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?
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)
Answer the following question in 30-40 words.
What made Hari Singh come back to Anil?
Complete the web diagram.
Pick out from the story 3 or 4 examples of Code-mixing (Indian words used in English).
Complete the given sentence.
Anil kept Hari as a cook because ____________
Complete the given sentence.
Hari continued making money ____________
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
Why did Anil employ Hari as a cook, although he could not afford to pay him?
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
What did Hari learn from Anil in the beginning?
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)
Read the following passage and do the activities.
A1. Relate the following qualities with the two characters of the story:
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Narrator | Anil | |
| (1) | ||
| (2) |
| He took 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. Later, he patted me on the head and said never mind, he'd teach me to cook. He also taught me to write my name and said he would soon teach me to write whole sentences and add numbers. I was grateful. I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve. It was quite pleasant working for Anil. I made the tea in the morning and then would take my time buying the day's supplies, usually making a profit of about a rupee a day. I think he knew I made a little money this way but he did not seem to mind. Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, and lend the next. He kept worrying about his next cheque, but as soon as it arrived he would go out and celebrate. It seems he wrote for magazines a queer way to make a living! One evening he came home with a small bundle of notes, saying he had just sold a book to a publisher. At night, I saw him tuck the money under the mattress. |
A2. State whether true or false:
- Anil liked what the narrator cooked.
- Anil taught the narrator to write his name.
- Anil was a wealthy person.
- Anil made money by fits and starts.
A3. Match the words to their meanings.
| (1) Pleasant | Strange |
| (2) Fits and starts | Satisfactory |
| (3) Queer | Give |
| (4) Lend | Irregular bursts of activities |
A4. Do as directed:
Frame 'Wh' questions with reference to the phrases underlined below. (Change the first person pronouns to second person)
- He taught me to write my name.
- I think he knew I made a little money this way but he did not seem to mind.
A5. Give a brief description of Anil and the narrator's characters.
Why did Hari Singh smile in his most appealing way towards the end of the story?
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.
