Learning Objectives

 Students will be learning how a kind-hearted person like Anil can

change the heart of a thief like Hari Singh and bring him on the
right path.
 Students will understand through the story of Anil and Hari that
money is not the only thing that a person wants in life as learning
values and morals from someone are much greater.

Characters in Brief
He was a twenty-five year-old struggling writer. He
was a kind-hearted and forgetful person.

When he saw Hari Singh and heard his story

He knew that Hari Singh often robbed him of
of misery, he at once decided to keep Hari as
some money but he didn't speak about it to Hari
his domestic servant and taught him to cook
Singh. He forgave Hari Singh for that.
and write his name.

Anil

He was so trusting that he gave the keys

of his room to Hari Singh whom he just
casually knew.

Chapter in Detail
The Hari Singh Meets Anil
• The narrator was a fifteen year old boy who had become an
experienced and fairly successful thief.
• He was looking for his next victim when he met Anil, a tall and
thin twenty five year old man at a wrestling match.
• He gave himself a false name - Hari Singh, and tried to get into
Anil’s good books.
• Hari Singh found Anil to be an easy going type of person who
would be easy to rob.
Anil Employs Hari Singh
• Hari Singh wanted to work for Anil but Anil could not pay him.
• They reached a compromise where Anil would feed Hari and in
return Hari would cook for him.

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• Hari Singh was a terrible cook but Anil decided to keep him and
taught him how to cook, read and write.

Character's Mood
 Happy; satisfied
Example 1. Briefly state what Hari Singh gets from Anil in return for
his work. (Remember)
Evaluation Points
Marks
(As per CBSE Marking Scheme)
Present the non-materialistic benefit that Hari got from Anil
instead of money.
2
ü Content: what did Anil offer to Hari in place of money. (1m)
ü Expression: Use words like though, as, etc. (1m)
Ans. Anil takes him home and gives him a place to sleep. He teaches
him to cook, write full sentences and numbers in return for
his work. Though he is not given any salary, Hari Singh finds it
pleasant working for Anil as he was getting educated by him.
Hari Singh Finds Temptation
• Barely a month had passed when one day Anil came home with a
small bundle of notes.
• He tucked the money under the mattress before going to sleep.
• Hari Singh decided to steal the money as he had not been able to
steal much from Anil till then.
• He took the money from under Anil’s mattress, stepped out of the
house and began to run.
• There were 600 rupees in notes of 50 - it was enough for Hari Singh
to live luxuriously for a week or two.
Escaping With the Money
• Hari Singh wanted to take the 10:30 p.m. train to Lucknow.
• He saw the train move out of the platform slowly and ran after it.
• But suddenly, he stopped running and let the train leave without
him.
• He stood on the deserted platform and wondered where to go.

The Thief's Story 3

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• He did not have any friends, and the closest person he knew was
Anil.
• He felt all alone and went to the maidan to sit down.
The Cost of Stealing
• It was a chilly night and it started raining too.
• Hari Singh got drenched in the rain and he left the maidan to sit
under the shelter of the clock tower.
• He suddenly remembered that he would no longer be able to
learn to read and write with Anil.
(4) It occurred to him that he could earn money and status if he
became an educated person.
(5) He decided to go back to Anil and finish learning to read and
write.

Character's Mood
 Thoughtfulness; guilty; dissapointed

Back at the House

• Hari Singh kept the money back under Anil's mattress and went to
sleep.
• When he woke up the next morning, Anil gave him a 50 rupee note
and added that he would be paid regularly from now on.
• Hari Singh could see that the note was wet from the previous
night's rain.
• He understood that Anil knew what had happened but still
pretended not to know.
• Hari Singh gained a new respect for Anil and smiled appealingly
at him.

Character's Mood
 Grateful; trustful
l
l

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 Dictionary
Word Meaning Synonyms Antonyms
Flattery excessive praise to s i m p e r i n g , criticism, rebuke
fulfill hidden intentions fawning
Modesty being humble humility, shyness boastful, proud
Fits and irregular t e m p o ra r y , permanent,
starts irregular continuous
l
l
l

The Thief's Story 5

 OBJECTIVE Type Questions
[ 1 marks ]
1. Anil’s carelessness made stealing from him ........................ for
Hari Singh.
(a) uninteresting (b) difficult
(c) systematic (d) predictable
[CBSE Term-1 SQP 2021]
Ans. (a) uninteresting.
[CBSE Marking Scheme Term-1 SQP 2021]
Explanation: Hari Singh was thief by profession. He enjoyed
robbing cunning people but Anil was very naïve. This gullibility of
Anil made Hari not wanting to steal from him. Anil made stealing
enjoyable for Hari. Hence, (a) is the right answer.

EXTRACT Based Questions

[ 5 marks ]
2. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow:
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 maybe 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.

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 (A) Even though Hari Singh followed Anil casually, it was a/an
………………… .
(a) careless action
(b) staged move
(c) unusual decision
(d) bold step
(B) From the following options, identify Hari Singh’s intention
behind the appealing smile.
(a) Deceit (b) Harm
(c) Hatred (d) Jealousy
(C) Select Anil’s characteristics as revealed in the extract.
(1) unassuming (2) kind
(3) determined (4) naïve
(5) humourous
(D) Select the most appropriate option based on (1) and (2).
(1) Anil gave his meal to a stray dog.
(2) Hari Singh did not know how to cook.
Options:
(a) (2) is true and (1) is false.
(b) (2) is the result for (1).
(c) (2) is the cause for (1).
(d) (2) is false and (1) is true.
(E) The phrase hung around suggests that Hari Singh
continued to …………. [Mod. CBSE Term-1 SQP 2021]
Ans. (A) (b) staged move [CBSE Marking Scheme Term-1 SQP 2021]
Explanation: Hari Singh was a thief by profession. His only

motive was to deceive Anil. So, he planned his moves carefully.
It was staged. Hence, (b) is the right answer.
(B) (a) Deceit [CBSE Marking Scheme Term-1 SQP 2021]
Explanation: Clearly, in the extract, Hari Singh says “I want to
work for you” soon after giving Anil a smile. This shows his art
of deceiving people. He didn’t really want any work but wanted
to rob Anil. Hence, (a) is the right answer.

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 (C) (1), (2) and (4) [CBSE Marking Scheme Term-1 SQP 2021]
Explanation: Anil was (1) unassuming as he didn’t pay much
attention towards Hari following him. He was (2) kind as he
had no money to pay to Hari but he asked him to cook so that
he can give Hari a job. He was also (4) naïve as he couldn’t
judge Hari’s real intentions behind his deceptive smile. Hence,
(c) is the right answer.
(D) (c) (2) is the cause for (1).
[CBSE Marking Scheme Term-1 SQP 2021]
Explanation: Clearly, Hari Singh couldn't cook and he made
the food so bad that Anil had to give it to stray dog. Hence, (c)
is the right answer.
(E) linger. [CBSE Marking Scheme Term-1 SQP 2021]
Explanation: The phrase “hung around” means to wait or linger
for something. Hari was waiting for Anil to say something to
him for the bad food.

SHORT ANSWER Type Questions (SA)

[ 3 marks ]
3. What does Hari Singh get in return from Anil for his work?
[Delhi Gov. QB 2022]
Ans. Hari Singh tries to win Anil's confidence by befriending him. He
asks Anil if he could work for him. Anil tells him if he can cook, he
can probably feed him. However, Anil soon finds out that Hari
Singh has told a lie. Still, he decides to keep him in his house. He
teaches him to write his name. He promises Hari Singh that he will
also teach him how to read and write and to add numbers. In this
way , Hari Singh continues to work for Anil.

LONG ANSWER Type Questions (LA)

[ 6 marks ]
4. Fiction writers prefer creating grey characters rather than
black and white. Analyse this in detail, with reference to both
the characters of The Thief ’s Story. [CBSE SQP 2022]

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Ans. Introductory
Both characters in the story—neither completely black (negative)
or white (ideal)—have redeeming qualities as well as those that
need improvement—story reveals both their personas as grey.
Hari Singh
• Thief—artful - too smart for his age - fooled his victims and
police --Wasn’t ashamed in lying and stealing –made no efforts
to confess that he had given in to the temptation of stealing
the notes However,
• Changed due to love, affection and Anil’s trust
The character of Hari Singh—not a flat character who is either
black or white.
Anil
• While we can admire Anil for his qualities --helpful and simple
--easily trusting --forgave the thief --never uttered a word
despite knowledge of the theft However,
• Not perfect--casual about money --ignored Hari Singh’s
pilfering The character of Hari Singh—not a flat character who
is either black or white.
Conclusion— Grey characters present a challenge to the readers,
allow a sense of unpredictability and present a moral challenge.
Hari Singh and Anil are created as grey characters.
[CBSE Marking Scheme SQP 2022]
Explanation: The character of Hari Singh invokes pity in the
reader because of his condition as a solitary thief. But, at the same
time, Hari does not inspire our trust or goodwill because of his
selfish and opportunistic nature. He is a grey character who does
not show a moral understanding. He is highly observant of Anil
and shows a liking towards him. But he does not hesitate to steal
from Anil when he gets the opportunity. In this way, the author
has created a character who is realistic and a human being with
many imperfections which play in tandem with his good qualities.

The Thief's Story 9

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 .

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