A Question of Trust By Victor Canning
EXTRACT 1
Read the following extract from A Question of Trust and solve the questions:
How foolish people are when they own valuable things, Horace thought. A magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of this room. The writer had even mentioned that the painting hid a safe!
But Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work. He buried his face in his handkerchief.
Then he heard a voice say from the doorway, “What is it? A cold or hay fever?”
Before he could think, Horace said, “Hay fever,” and found himself sneezing again.
The voice went on, “You can cure it with a special treatment, you know, if you find out just what plant gives you the disease. I think you’d better see a doctor, if you’re serious about your work. I heard you from the top of the house just now.”
SET-I
(i) Contradict the view that Horace relies on his skill and experience to locate the safe in the house.
Answer: Horace does not rely only on his skill and experience. He uses information from a magazine article that describes the house, gives a plan of all the rooms, and mentions the painting hiding the safe.
(ii) Which of the following statements best explains why Horace is momentarily unsettled when he hears the voice from the doorway?
(a) The interruption breaks his concentration and exposes his vulnerability.
(b) Flowers in the room triggered an attack of hay fever on Horace.
Answer: (a) The interruption breaks his concentration and exposes his vulnerability.
Explanation: Horace is busy trying to open the safe when he suddenly hears a voice. He is caught off guard and immediately gives an excuse about having hay fever. This shows that the unexpected interruption makes him nervous.
(iii) What can be inferred about Horace’s attitude towards people who own valuable things from his opening remark?
Answer: Horace thinks that people who own valuable things are foolish because they reveal too much information about their possessions.
(iv) Read the following words and expressions from the extract.
- buried his face in his handkerchief
- a magazine article had described this house
- heard a voice from the doorway
- giving a plan of all the rooms
- the flowers were hindering him
Select the option that correctly categorises (1)–(5) into ‘Careless Disclosure’ and ‘Sudden Interruption’.
(a) Careless Disclosure – 2, 5; Sudden Interruption – 1, 3, 4
(b) Careless Disclosure – 4, 5; Sudden Interruption – 1, 2, 3
(c) Careless Disclosure – 2, 4, 5; Sudden Interruption – 1, 3
(d) Careless Disclosure – 2, 4; Sudden Interruption – 1, 3, 5
Answer: (d) Careless Disclosure – 2, 4; Sudden Interruption – 1, 3, 5.
Explanation:
- 2. The magazine article describes the house and reveals information about it.
- 4. The plan of all the rooms provides details that could help a thief.
- 5. The flowers hinder Horace’s work and create an unexpected difficulty.
- 1. Horace buries his face in his handkerchief because the flowers are troubling him.
- 3. The voice from the doorway suddenly interrupts Horace.
(v) Choose the option that lists from the extract a sentence that can be considered an example of ‘sarcasm’.
(a) How foolish people are when they own valuable things.
(b) Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work.
(c) You can cure it with a special treatment.
(d) I think you’d better see a doctor, if you’re serious about your work.
Answer: (a) How foolish people are when they own valuable things.
Explanation: Horace makes a sarcastic remark about people who own valuable things. He considers them foolish because they disclose information that makes their possessions easier to steal.
SET-II
(i) What does Horace’s immediate reply “Hay fever” suggest about his state of mind at that moment?
- Instinctive verbal response
- Quick attempt to sound normal
- Carefully planned excuse prepared in advance
- Annoyance caused by an unexpected interruption
- Deliberate confession of his real problem
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3 (c) Only 4 (d) 3 and 5
Answer: (a) 1 and 2
Explanation: Horace replies “Hay fever” before he can think carefully. His answer is instinctive. He also tries to sound normal so that the person at the doorway does not suspect him.
(ii) How does the polite and conversational tone of the voice from the doorway contribute to the atmosphere of the scene?
Answer: The polite and conversational tone makes the scene appear calm and ordinary. However, it also creates suspense because Horace is secretly trying to open the safe. The voice makes him nervous because someone has discovered his presence.
(iii) Select the option that correctly completes the following statement.
The speaker’s advice about seeing a doctor mainly serves to ______.
(a) maintain a casual conversation while subtly asserting control over the situation
(b) show her genuine concern and empathy for Horace’s health and well-being
Answer: (a) Maintain a casual conversation while subtly asserting control over the situation.
Explanation: The speaker talks casually about hay fever and advises Horace to see a doctor. Her words also show that she knows someone is inside the house. This makes Horace uncomfortable and gives her control over the conversation.
(iv) What emotion is Horace most likely experiencing when he realises that someone has heard him from the top of the house?
Answer: Horace is most likely feeling nervous, anxious and afraid of being caught.
(v) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The magazine’s detailed description of the safe made it ______ (resistant/vulnerable) to robbery.
Answer: Vulnerable
(vi) How does the voice’s calm and informative tone contrast with Horace’s situation?
Answer: The voice sounds calm, polite and informative, but Horace is nervous because he is trying to open the safe. The speaker talks naturally, while Horace worries that his theft may be discovered.
Extract 2
Read the extract and answer the following questions:
But he never got the chance to begin his plan. By noon a policeman had arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange.
His fingerprints, for he had opened the safe without gloves, were all over the room, and no one believed him when he said that the wife of the owner of the house had asked him to open the safe for her. The wife herself, a gray-haired, sharp-tongued woman of sixty, said that the story was nonsense.
Horace is now the assistant librarian in the prison. He often thinks of the charming, clever young lady who was in the same profession as he was, and who tricked him. He gets very angry when anyone talks about “honour among thieves”.
SET-I
(i) Contradict the view that Horace succeeds in carrying out his carefully planned theft.
Answer: Horace fails to carry out his carefully planned theft. A policeman arrests him by noon for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. His fingerprints are found all over the room because he opened the safe without gloves.
(ii) Which of the following statements best explains why Horace is unable to defend himself after his arrest?
(a) There is clear physical evidence against him, and his explanation is not supported by the house owner’s wife.
(b) The clever young lady had not observed the rule of ‘honour among thieves’ and had reported him to the police.
Answer: (a) There is clear physical evidence against him, and his explanation is not supported by the house owner’s wife.
Explanation: Horace’s fingerprints are found throughout the room. He claims that the owner’s wife asked him to open the safe, but she denies his story. Therefore, he cannot defend himself successfully.
(iii) What can be inferred about the woman who tricked Horace from her denial and description in the extract?
Answer: The woman is clever, confident and deceptive. She tricks Horace and then denies knowing anything about his story. Her sharp-tongued nature also suggests that she speaks firmly and directly.
(iv) Read the following words and expressions from the extract.
- said that the story was nonsense
- fingerprints … all over the room
- who tricked him
- opened the safe without gloves
- arrested him for the jewel robbery
Select the option that correctly categorises (1)–(5) into ‘Proof of Crime’ and ‘False Claim’.
| No. | Proof of Crime | False Claim |
| (a) | 2, 4 | 1, 3, 5 |
| (b) | 4, 5 | 1, 2, 3 |
| (c) | 2, 4, 5 | 1, 3 |
| (d) | 1, 3 | 2, 4, 5 |
Answer: (c) Proof of Crime – 2, 4, 5; False Claim – 1, 3.
Explanation:
- 2. Horace’s fingerprints are found all over the room.
- 4. He opened the safe without gloves, leaving fingerprints behind.
- 5. He is arrested for the jewel robbery.
- 1. The woman’s statement that Horace’s story is nonsense is a denial of his explanation.
- 3. The phrase “who tricked him” refers to the woman’s deception.
SET-II
(i) What does the fact that Horace is now an assistant librarian in prison suggest about the consequences of his actions?
- Sudden reform
- Social punishment
- Morality
- Professional downfall
- Loss of freedom
(a) 1, 2 and 4 (b) 3 and 5 (c) Only 3 (d) 2, 4 and 5
Answer: (d) 2, 4 and 5.
Explanation:
- 2. Social punishment: Horace faces the consequences of his crime and loses his respectable position.
- 4. Professional downfall: His life as a thief ends, and he now works as an assistant librarian in prison.
- 5. Loss of freedom: Horace has been imprisoned after his arrest.
(ii) How does the description of the woman as a “gray-haired, sharp-tongued woman of sixty” add to the irony of the situation?
Answer: The description adds irony because Horace, an experienced thief, is tricked by a woman who appears to be an ordinary elderly lady. She proves to be cleverer than him.
(iii) Select the option that correctly completes the following statement.
Horace’s anger when people speak of “honour among thieves” mainly suggests that he ______.
(a) no longer believes that criminals follow any moral code
(b) regrets choosing theft as a profession
Answer: (a) No longer believes that criminals follow any moral code.
(iv) What emotion is Horace most likely experiencing when he recalls the woman who tricked him?
Answer: Horace most likely feels anger, bitterness and regret when he remembers the woman.