A Question of Trust – CBSE NCERT Study Resources

The lady in red pretends to be the house owner and tricks Horace into opening the safe for her, stealing the jewels herself.

• Horace trusted her because she acted confidently and knew details about the house.
• Our textbook shows how appearances can deceive, as seen in other stories like The Thief’s Story.

This teaches us that overconfidence and trusting strangers blindly can lead to downfall.

Horace steals to buy rare books, showing his obsession with literature.

• His love for books blinds him to the immorality of theft.
• Like the protagonist in The Letter, emotions cloud judgment.

No, passion doesn’t justify crime. Our textbook emphasizes ethics over desires.

Horace, a skilled safe-cracker, gets trapped by his own expertise when the lady exploits it.

• Irony lies in him being cheated while attempting to cheat.
• Similar to The Midnight Visitor, overconfidence backfires.

Like scams online, trusting the wrong person leads to loss.

His sneezing due to flowers reveals his presence, leading to his arrest.

• The detail adds realism, as in Bholi where flaws humanize characters.
• It shows how minor oversights cause major failures.

Small weaknesses, like forgetting passwords, can have big consequences.

Horace steals for passion, while the lady manipulates others for greed.

• The lady is more dangerous as she exploits trust, like the fake guru in The Sermon at Benares.
• Horace at least has a relatable motive.

Deceit harms trust, which is harder to rebuild than stolen goods.

Horace Danby planned thefts carefully but underestimated the lady who tricked him.

• He assumed the lady was the house owner, showing overconfidence.
• His trust in his own judgment blinded him to the trap.

Our textbook shows how overconfidence, like in the thief’s case, can lead to mistakes. Another example is the hare losing the race due to overconfidence.

The lady pretended to be the owner and exploited Horace’s fear.

• She used authority by acting confident.
• She played on his guilt by pretending to need help.

We studied how manipulation works, like in stories where characters deceive others. Another example is the fox tricking the crow in the fable.

Horace loved rare books, which the lady used to trap him.

• His passion clouded his judgment.
• He ignored red flags due to his obsession.

Our textbook shows how weaknesses, like greed in The Thief’s Story, lead to downfall. Another example is a student distracted by games.

Horace trusted the lady, but she betrayed him.

• The title contrasts trust with deception.
• It shows how blind trust can be dangerous.

We studied irony in stories like The Necklace, where appearances deceive. Another example is Brutus betraying Caesar.

Horace Danby, a skilled thief, planned the robbery carefully but underestimated the housekeeper's intelligence.

• He assumed the lady was the owner, showing overconfidence.
• His trust in his plan blinded him to possible traps.

Our textbook shows that overconfidence, like in Danby's case, often leads to failure. Another example is the hare losing to the tortoise due to arrogance.

The housekeeper pretended to be the owner and tricked Horace into opening the safe.

• She used quick thinking and deception effectively.
• Her calm demeanor made her appear trustworthy.

We studied that intelligence and presence of mind, like the housekeeper's, lead to success. Similarly, in The Midnight Visitor, Ausable outsmarts his enemy.

Horace trusted the housekeeper's appearance as the owner, which led to his arrest.

• The housekeeper's disguise fooled Horace.
• He judged based on looks, not facts.

Our textbook teaches that appearances can mislead, as seen here and in The Necklace, where Mathilde’s desire for luxury backfires.

Horace was a confident thief before but faced humiliation after being tricked.

• Earlier, he relied on careful planning.
• Later, he realized his overconfidence was his weakness.

We studied that failure teaches humility, as with Danby. Another example is the proud cricket in The Ant and the Cricket.

Horace Danby is portrayed as a respectable and skilled individual in the extract. His profession as a locksmith suggests he is trustworthy and law-abiding, as locksmiths are often associated with security and honesty. However, the story reveals a stark contrast when he plans a robbery, showcasing his internal conflict and moral ambiguity.

• Character Traits: Horace is described as "good" and "honest", indicating his societal reputation.
• Contrast: Despite his profession, he turns to theft due to his love for rare books, highlighting how even seemingly upright individuals can falter under temptation.

This irony emphasizes the theme of trust and how appearances can be deceptive.

The incident where Horace is tricked by the young lady underscores the story's central idea of "trust" and its fragility. Horace, who prides himself on being clever and meticulous, falls prey to someone exploiting his trust, mirroring how he himself betrayed societal trust.

• Deception: The lady uses Horace's overconfidence against him, proving that trust can be easily manipulated.
• Moral Lesson: The story teaches that dishonesty often leads to one's downfall, as Horace's crime results in his arrest.

This reinforces the message that ethical behavior is paramount, and misplaced trust can have consequences.

Horace Danby is portrayed as a respectable and skilled individual, evident from his profession as a lock-maker and his successful business with two helpers. The irony lies in the fact that despite being honest and law-abiding, he indulges in theft once a year to satisfy his passion for rare books. This contradiction is highlighted when the text states he was a 'good, honest citizen', yet he meticulously plans robberies.

The irony deepens when he is outsmarted by a woman posing as the house owner, revealing his overconfidence in his own intelligence. His trustworthiness and professional integrity make his criminal actions unexpected, adding layers to the story's theme of deception.

The woman in red exploits Horace's trust by presenting herself as the lady of the house, using her convincing demeanor and authoritative tone to deceive him. For instance, she questions Horace's presence and even scolds him for smoking, making her act believable. This incident underscores the theme that appearances can be misleading.

Horace, despite being a skilled thief, falls for her act because she mimics societal authority. The text mentions she 'spoke so confidently' that Horace didn’t doubt her. This highlights how people often judge based on superficial traits rather than reality, leading to unexpected consequences.

Horace Danby is portrayed as a respectable and skilled individual in the given extract. The phrase 'good, honest citizen' highlights his moral integrity, while his profession as a locksmith suggests his expertise and reliability. His success in business, indicated by having 'two helpers', further establishes his credibility and hardworking nature.

These traits contribute to the central theme of appearances versus reality in the story. Despite his honest exterior, Horace's hidden flaw—his temptation to steal—creates irony. The extract sets up the contrast between his public image and private actions, which drives the plot and reinforces the theme of trust and deception.

Horace Danby's overconfidence is evident in his meticulous planning and belief that he could outsmart anyone. He assumed the woman in red was the houseowner, failing to question her identity due to his arrogance. His complacency blinded him to the possibility of being deceived.

• He relied solely on his lock-picking skills, ignoring potential risks.
• He underestimated the woman, assuming she was harmless.

This incident highlights how overconfidence can make individuals vulnerable. Horace's downfall was not due to lack of skill but his failure to anticipate deception, reinforcing the lesson that hubris often leads to mistakes.

The author establishes Horace Danby as a respectable and law-abiding individual before his encounter with the woman in red. The extract highlights his honesty and hardworking nature through phrases like 'good, honest citizen' and his profession as a locksmith. His age (about fifty years old) and marital status (unmarried) suggest a simple, routine-driven life. The mention of having two helpers indicates his professional success and reliability. These traits create a stark contrast with his later actions, emphasizing the theme of trust and deception in the story.

The encounter with the woman in red serves as a turning point for Horace Danby, exposing him to the very deception he intended to practice. Initially, Horace believed he was smarter than others, as seen in his meticulous planning. However, the woman outwits him by pretending to be the house owner, exploiting his trust. This moment shatters his confidence, as he realizes 'she had laughed at him'. The irony lies in Horace being trapped by his own game, teaching him that trust is fragile and deception can backfire. The author uses this twist to highlight the moral that dishonesty ultimately leads to downfall.

Horace Danby's downfall in A Question of Trust was primarily due to his overconfidence. Despite being a skilled thief with a well-planned strategy, he made a critical error by trusting the lady in red, assuming she was the house owner. His complacency blinded him to potential risks.

For instance:

• He ignored the possibility of deception, believing his own intelligence made him invincible.
• He didn’t verify the lady’s identity, relying solely on appearances.

This teaches us that overconfidence can undermine even the most careful plans. A humble approach and thorough verification could have saved him.

In A Question of Trust, trust is a double-edged sword. For Horace Danby, it was his weakness—he trusted the lady in red blindly, leading to his arrest. On the other hand, the lady weaponized trust by pretending to be the house owner, exploiting Horace’s assumptions.

Key examples:

• Horace’s trust in the lady’s authority made him reveal his crime and fingerprints.
• The lady used trust as a trap, manipulating Horace’s overconfidence.

The story shows that misplaced trust can be dangerous, while strategic use of trust can outsmart even clever individuals.