A QUESTION OF TRUST
LA (Long Answer type – 5–6 marks)
Give a character sketch of Horace Danby.
→ Horace Danby was about fifty years old, unmarried, and lived with a housekeeper. Outwardly, he appeared honest, running a successful lock-making business. However, he was not completely honest because he robbed a safe once a year to buy rare books. He was careful, clever, and planned robberies meticulously, but also suffered from hay fever. Despite his intelligence, he was naïve and got tricked by a clever lady thief. His weakness for books and his trusting nature led to his downfall, and he ended up in prison as an assistant librarian.How did the lady in red deceive Horace Danby?
→ The lady in red entered the house while Horace was attempting the robbery. She pretended to be the owner’s wife and cleverly manipulated him by threatening to call the police. She claimed she had forgotten the safe’s number and asked Horace to open it. Believing her, Horace opened the safe without gloves and handed over the jewels. Later, the real mistress of the house exposed the truth, proving that the lady was another thief who had tricked Horace.Which saying does the story illustrate: “Set a thief to catch a thief” or “Honour among thieves”? Discuss.
→ The story illustrates the saying that there is no honour among thieves. Horace himself was a thief who believed he could rob safely, but he was outsmarted by another thief—the lady in red. She not only betrayed his trust but also ensured his arrest. If there were honour among thieves, she would have spared him. Instead, she deceived him, proving that greed and selfishness rule among criminals.What lesson do we learn from “A Question of Trust”?
→ The story teaches that dishonesty never pays. Horace, though clever, ended up in prison because of his weakness for books and lack of judgment. It also shows that criminals cannot trust one another, as the lady in red proved by betraying Horace. The story warns that no matter how carefully one plans, crime always leads to punishment.
✦ Complete MCQs from A Question of Trust ✦
1. Character and Background
Q1. What was Horace Danby’s business?
a) Jewellery shop
b) Lock-making ✅
c) Book publishing
d) Painting
Q2. Where did Horace live?
a) Alone in a flat
b) With a wife
c) With a housekeeper ✅
d) With his servants
Q3. How many helpers did Horace have in his business?
a) One
b) Two ✅
c) Three
d) Four
Q4. Why did the housekeeper worry about Horace?
a) He was poor
b) He was sickly ✅
c) He was careless
d) He was unmarried
Q5. How long ago did Horace serve his first prison sentence?
a) 5 years ago
b) 10 years ago
c) 15 years ago ✅
d) 20 years ago
2. Love for Books and Robbery Plan
Q6. What kind of books did Horace love?
a) Storybooks
b) Rare, expensive books ✅
c) Detective novels
d) Religious books
Q7. How did Horace buy his books?
a) From bookshops
b) From friends
c) Through an agent ✅
d) From libraries
Q8. Which house did Horace target for robbery?
a) Silver Grange
b) Shotover Grange ✅
c) Dover Grange
d) River Grange
Q9. How long did Horace study the house before the robbery?
a) One week
b) Two weeks ✅
c) Three weeks
d) A month
Q10. Where had the family of Shotover Grange gone?
a) To the market
b) To London ✅
c) To a wedding
d) To a picnic
Q11. Where had the servants gone on the day of robbery?
a) To the market
b) To a friend’s house
c) To the movies ✅
d) To the station
3. Entering the House
Q12. Where did the housekeeper keep the key to the kitchen?
a) In a cupboard
b) In her pocket
c) On a hook outside ✅
d) Under the mat
Q13. What did Horace do before entering the house?
a) Removed his shoes
b) Put on gloves ✅
c) Called the servants
d) Fed the dog
Q14. What was the dog’s reaction on seeing Horace?
a) Barked loudly
b) Attacked him
c) Wagged its tail ✅
d) Ran away
Q15. How did Horace quieten the dog?
a) Gave it food
b) Beat it
c) Called it by name ✅
d) Locked it in a room
4. Inside the Drawing Room
Q16. What was kept on the table in the drawing room?
a) A vase
b) A bowl of flowers ✅
c) A clock
d) A candle stand
Q17. What problem did the flowers cause?
a) They fell down
b) They made him sneeze ✅
c) They smelled bad
d) They distracted him
Q18. What did Horace think of the burglar alarm?
a) Strongly built
b) Poorly built ✅
c) Impossible to cut
d) Absent
Q19. How much time did Horace have before the servants returned?
a) Two hours
b) Three hours
c) Four hours ✅
d) Five hours
Q20. Who entered while Horace was sneezing?
a) The servant
b) The lady in red ✅
c) The police
d) The real mistress
5. The Lady in Red
Q21. How did the lady speak to Horace at first?
a) Loudly
b) Kindly but firmly ✅
c) Rudely
d) Fearfully
Q22. What did the lady say would happen if Horace ran away?
a) Nothing
b) She would telephone the police ✅
c) She would scream
d) She would faint
Q23. What did Horace first threaten to do?
a) Hurt her
b) Cut the telephone wires ✅
c) Tie her up
d) Escape by window
Q24. Did the lady get frightened?
a) Yes
b) No ✅
Q25. What did the lady finally ask Horace to do?
a) Kill the dog
b) Open the safe ✅
c) Leave immediately
d) Telephone her husband
Q26. What reason did the lady give for opening the safe?
a) She lost the key
b) She forgot the number ✅
c) It was jammed
d) She was afraid
Q27. Why did Horace trust the lady?
a) She seemed amused and kind ✅
b) She cried
c) She was rich
d) She promised him money
Q28. What did Horace do for the lady?
a) Stole money for her
b) Opened the safe ✅
c) Broke furniture
d) Called the police
6. The Arrest
Q29. How long did Horace remain free after the robbery?
a) One day
b) Two days ✅
c) One week
d) One month
Q30. Who arrested Horace?
a) The lady in red
b) A policeman ✅
c) A detective
d) A servant
Q31. What evidence did the police find against Horace?
a) His clothes
b) His fingerprints ✅
c) His tools
d) His bag
Q32. Why were Horace’s fingerprints on the safe?
a) He forgot gloves
b) He removed gloves to light a cigarette ✅
c) He touched the flowers
d) He shook hands
Q33. Who denied Horace’s story in court?
a) The policeman
b) The servants
c) The real mistress of the house ✅
d) The dog
Q34. How did the real mistress look?
a) Young and pretty
b) Old and sharp-tongued ✅
c) Tall and slim
d) Rich and kind
7. Ending
Q35. What was Horace’s new job in prison?
a) Cook
b) Assistant librarian ✅
c) Clerk
d) Watchman
Q36. How does Horace feel when people talk about “honour among thieves”?
a) Happy
b) Proud
c) Angry ✅
d) Indifferent
Q37. What was the clever lady in red actually?
a) The owner’s wife
b) Another thief ✅
c) A servant
d) A neighbour
Q38. What moral does the story teach?
a) Crime pays
b) Dishonesty never pays ✅
c) Always trust strangers
d) Books are better than jewels
Q39. Which saying does the story illustrate?
a) Set a thief to catch a thief
b) No honour among thieves ✅
c) Early bird catches the worm
d) Fortune favours the brave
Q40. What was Horace’s weakness that led to his downfall?
a) His love for food
b) His love for jewels
c) His love for books ✅
d) His love for money
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