Past board exam questions
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
How does the statement “society must be protected from men like you” prove to be ironical in the story “A Question of Trust” ?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two points with textual evidence; Expression 1)
The statement is ironical because the woman who poses as the lady of the house and condemns Horace Danby is herself a cunning thief. She tricks Horace into opening the safe for her and walks away with the jewels, while he is caught and sent to prison. It highlights her hypocrisy – one criminal condemns another while committing a greater crime.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
What was the passion of Horace Danby and how did he satisfy it ?
(A Question of Trust)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – at least one point on each aspect; Expression 1)
Horace Danby’s passion was collecting rare and expensive books. Though he earned an honest living making locks, it was not enough for his costly hobby. So, every year, he robbed one safe and stole enough to buy the rare books he wanted and to live on for the following year.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Horace Danky’s final arrest was a blessing in disguise. Explain.
(A Question of Trust)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two points; Expression 1)
Horace Danby had always admired rare and expensive books, and he stole only to buy them. After his final arrest, he was made the assistant librarian in the prison, so he got to spend his time among books. Thus prison fulfilled his desire of reading books – the arrest turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Why did the police arrest Horace Danby when he had not kept the jewels stolen from the Grange safe ?
(A Question of Trust)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
Horace Danby had broken into the Grange and opened the safe. The lady in red, pretending to be the owner, tricked him into opening it without wearing his gloves and took the jewels away herself. Since his fingerprints were found all over the place, the evidence left at the crime scene led to his arrest for the theft.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Why does Horace Danby consider himself an honest man despite being a thief ? How does this self-perception affect his decision in the story ?
(A Question of Trust)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – at least one point for each aspect; Expression 1)
Horace lived a respectable life as a locksmith and stole only once a year, from rich people, to buy rare and expensive books; he believed he harmed no one. This self-justification clouded his judgement: confident in his ‘harmless’ habit, he broke into Shotover Grange, trusted the young woman who posed as the lady of the house, opened the safe for her without gloves, and was caught and jailed for a theft he did not commit.
CBSE 2024 board paper · 6 marks
Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in 100-120 words :
How did the lady in red manage to outsmart and out maneuver the other thief, Horace Danby, by robbing the safe without leaving a single fingerprint ? (A Question of Trust)
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(Content 3; Expression 2; Accuracy 1)
Value points: the woman in red pretends to be the lady of the house (her mannerisms, gestures and language were sophisticated); Horace trusted her and opened the safe (she did not inform the police); she took away all the jewels.
Model answer:
Horace Danby, a respectable locksmith, robbed a safe once a year to buy rare books. He broke into Shotover Grange when the family was away. While he was at the safe, a young woman in red appeared at the door. She acted so naturally – sophisticated in her manner, gestures and language – that Horace believed she was the lady of the house. She promised not to call the police if he opened the safe for her, as she …
CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks
Horace Danby was a typical thief. Describe how he planned his work. (A Question of Trust)
(Answer in 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two relevant points; Organisation 1)
Horace Danby, a respectable locksmith, stole once every year to buy rare, expensive books, taking enough to last him twelve months. He planned each robbery carefully: before robbing Shotover Grange he studied the house for two weeks – its paths and gardens, the electric wiring of the alarm and the safe – and chose a time when the family was away in London and the servants were at the cinema.
CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks
“Horace Danby is a thief who was cheated by another thief.” Justify.
(A Question of Trust)
(Answer in 40 – 50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two relevant points; Organisation 1)
Horace Danby and the lady had both planned to rob the same house at Shotover Grange. The lady, a clever thief, pretended to be the wife of the owner and tricked Horace into opening the safe for her by saying she had forgotten the combination. She got away with the jewels, while Horace was arrested by the police because his fingerprints were all over the place.
