Choose the
correct alternative from the given options and complete the sentences.

 

1. What
is the name of the narrator of the short story, ‘The Thief’ by Ruskin Bond?

a.
Deepak

b. Arun

c.
Ruskin

d. not
mentioned

2. The
narrator of the short story, ‘The Thief’ was a…….

a.
Writer

b.
wrestler

c.
vagrant

d.
thief

3. What
lie did the protagonist tell Arun to enter into the latter’s service?

a. that
he would teach him to write

b. that
he was looking for someone to serve

c. that
he could cook food

d. that
he was a wrestler

4. In
what way did the narrator exploit Arun?

a. He
took his time buying the day’s supplies.

b. He
pocketed the change from the day’s shopping.

c. He
sold rice at fifty-six paisa a pound.

d. He
went out shopping with Arun’s money.

5. Why
does the protagonist say that Arun was a very trusting person?

a. Arun
spent his money lavishly when he had any

b.
because Arun struck up a friendship with a thief

c.
because Arun did not bother to lock up his money

d.
because Arun taught him to read and write

6. Why
did the narrator find it difficult to rob Arun ?

a.
because he knew how careful Arun was

b.
because he felt sympathy for Arun

c.
because he was afraid of Arun’s nature

d.
because he couldn’t find an ideal opportunity

7. What
had the protagonist “forgotten in the excitement of a hundred
rupees”?

a. that
friends can be one’s undoing

b. that
the train to Amritsar left at 10.30

c. that
he would soon have learnt to write full sentences.

d. that
he had forgotten to bring Arun’s blanket along

8. Why
did the protagonist’s heart sink when Arun held out a five-rupee note in the morning?

a. he
realized he had forgotten to do the day’s shopping

b.
because he assumed Arun was about to accuse him

c.
because he was hoping to get more than five rupees

d.
because he didn’t want a damp note

9. ‘My
spirit rose as rapidly as it had fallen’. Why?

a.
because he thought Arun had no knowledge of the attempted theft

b.
because he thought he had gotten away with the theft

c.
because he was given five rupees

d.
because he realized that Arun knew everything

10. How
did Arun realize that the narrator had tried to rob him?

a. The
narrator confessed what he had done.

b. The
money was not where Arun had left it.

c. The
narrator’s face gave him away.

d. The
money was wet from the night’s rain.

11.
What is the implication of the line ‘the smile came by itself, without my
knowing it’?

a. that
the narrator could smile without being aware of it

b. the
narrator knew how to smile in an appealing way

c. that
the narrator was not smiling to deceive Arun

d. that
the narrator was happy to stay on with Arun

12.
What was Arun’s profession?

a. He
was a writer.

b. He
was a wrestler.

c. He
was a shopkeeper

d. It
is not mentioned

13.
Which of the following adjectives do not apply to Arun?

a.
Calculating

b.
Jovial

c.
Generous

d.
Trusting

14. Why
was the protagonist more nervous when returning the money?

 a. if
Arun woke up, he would realize Deepak was a thief

b.
because it is difficult to return stolen goods undetected

c.
because his guilt had increased after he thought about what he had done

d. all
of the above

15.
What is the time frame of the story, ‘The Thief’?

a. one
week

b.
three weeks

c. two
weeks

d. one
month

16. How
much money did the narrator take from under the mattress?

a. 5
rupees

b.
around 500 rupees

c.
around 100 rupees

d.
around 1,000 rupees

17. Why
did the narrator miss the train to Amritsar?

a.
because he didn’t run fast enough

b.
because he stopped to count the notes

c.
because his conscience made him hesitate

d.
because he didn’t buy a ticket

18. How
old was Arun?

a.
about twenty

b.
fifteen

c.
about thirty

d. not
mentioned

19. Why
did Arun say that the narrator looked like a wrestler?

a. The
narrator was muscular

b. Arun
was a habitual liar.

c. The
narrator was thin and bony

d. Arun
was joking

20. Why
would ‘Arun’s face show terrible sadness’?

a.
because his hard-earned money was stolen

b.
because he didn’t deserve to be robbed

c.
because he would feel let down

d.
because his only friend had left

21.
Deepak is a——– in ‘The Thief’s Story’.

a.
Clown

b.
Thief

c.
Doctor

d.
Broker

22.
Arun met Deepak at a————-match.

a.
Boxing

b.
Hockey

c.
Cricket

d.
Wrestling

23.
Deepak was———— years old.

a.
Twenty

b.
Eighteen

c.
Fifteen

d.
Twenty one

24.
Arun was———- years old.

a.
Fifteen

b.
Eighteen

c.
Sixteen

d.
Twenty

25.
Deepak was the———– name of the thief.

a.
first

b.
Third

c.
Fourth

d.
Fifth

26.
Arun appointed Deepak as a———- at his place.

a.
servant

b. cook

c.
designer

d.
driver

27.
Arun taught———to Deepak along with the art of cooking.

a.
Dancing

b.
reading and writing

c.
singing

d.
accounting

28.
Arun tucked a bundle of notes———–.

a.
under his pillow

b.
under his bed

c.
under his mattress

d.
under his head

29.
Deepak had planned to take———— after stealing the money.

a.
Chennai Express

 b.
Bombay Mail

c.
Gujarat Express

d.
Amritsar Express

30.
Deepak did not board the Amritsar Express—————-.

a. for
unexplainable reason

b.
because he was late

c.
because the train left early

d.
because he did not wish to board the train

31.
Deepak had held the bundle of notes———–while running to the platform.

a. in
his pocket

b. in
his purse

c. at
his waist

d. in
his socks

32.
———brought Deepak back to Arun’s house.

a. as
he fell in a lake

b. as
he fell in a pothole

c. Deepak’s desire to learn reading & writing

d. as
he dropped them in a bucket of water

33.
Arun was——- when Deepak returned and kept the money back under the
mattress.

a.
Awake

b.
Asleep

c.
cooking

d. not
at home

34.
Arun got to know about the theft by Deepak———.

a. in
the night

b.
after a day

c.
after two days

d. on
the next morning

35.
Arun————- Deepak for stealing.

a.
Punished

b.
thought of punishing

c. did
not punish

d. got
angry with

36. The
thief wanted to win over the confidence of Arun because———.

a. he
loved flattering people

b. he
hadn’t had much of luck of late

c. he
loved watching wrestling matches

d. he
was planning to cheat the young man

 37. The
thief took a new name every month because———–.

a. he
liked changing names

b. he
could be ahead of the police in a race

c. he
could fool the authorities

d. he
could be a wrestler

38.
Arun did not throw Deepak out on the first night because———–.

a. Arun
had won him over with his innocent smile

b. Arun
desperately needed him

c. Arun
liked the food cooked by Deepak

d. Arun wanted to change Deepak

39.
Deepak found it difficult to cheat Arun because————-.

a. Arun
was very strict and alert

b. Arun
trusted him completely

c. Arun
never had enough money

d. Arun
was very casual about his loss

40.
Deepak decided to go back to Arun’s house as he realized————-.

a. the
seriousness of the offence

b. what
all he would be losing by not going back

c. that
he could steal more money

d. that
he had no friends

41. Arun knew but neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything as——–.

a. he
wanted Deepak to realize his fault on his own

b. he
had informed the police about it

c. he
wanted to give him another chance

d. he
was charmed by Deepak ‘s smile

Answer
the following questions in about 80 words.

Q.1. Sketch
the character of Deepak.

Ans. The story, “The Thief”  is written
by Ruskin Bond. It is about ‘a boy’s transformation from a thief into an honest
man’. Deepak is a central character in the story. He is a thief. He meets Arun.
He wants to deceive Arun. He asks for a job from Arun. Arun asks Deepak to cook
for him. In fact, Deepak does not know cooking. Yet he gets ready for that.
Arun teaches Deepak reading and writing his name. Once, Arun comes home with a
bundle of five rupee notes. They are hundred rupees in total. Deepak steals the
money and runs away at one night. But he realizes that Arun is very honest. It
will be wrong to deceive him in this way. Therefore, he comes back and keeps
the bundle of notes where it was kept earlier. In this way, Deepak shows his
honesty. The next day, Arun comes to know reality. He gifts five rupees to
Deepak. He tells Deepak that he will be paid regularly now onwards. Thus,
honesty is rewarded at the end.

 

Q.2. Can we
use the expression ‘a thief is always a thief’ to describe the protagonist in
the story, ‘‘The Thief’’ ?

Ans. Deepak is a protagonist in the story, “The Thief”. The
title refers to him. He is a thief. He meets Arun. Arun is a very good fellow.
Deepak cooks and does other household works for him. Arun teaches Deepak
reading and writing. Deepak becomes passionate for learning reading and
writing. He steals money from Arun. But he realizes that he will lose a chance
to learn reading and writing. It will make him a true human being. In short, he
realizes significance of reading and writing i. e. education. Therefore, he
returns the stolen money to Arun. Thus, the story is about Deepak’s
transformation from a thief into an honest man. It teaches us that a thief can
become an honest man if given a chance. Therefore, it will be wrong to say, ‘a
thief is always a thief’ regarding the protagonist in the story.

Special Thanks to Dr. Ajay Patil, Bodwad College…!