This A Question of Trust summary for Class 10 English gives you the full story, themes, characters, and word meanings in one place. A Question of Trust is a witty story by Victor Canning about a thief who is himself robbed, covered in line with the 2026-27 NCERT for quick board revision.
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- Board Weightage: This story feeds the Literature section, worth roughly 10 marks across extract, short-answer, and long-answer questions.
- Most Tested Ideas: Horace's yearly robbery, the young woman's trick, and the ironic ending.
- 2026-27 NCERT: The chapter is unchanged in the current Footprints Without Feet textbook.
These notes are prepared by Collegedunia's English subject experts, matched to the 2026-27 NCERT Footprints Without Feet textbook, and framed around the last five years of CBSE Board questions.
Also Check:
- A Question of Trust Class 10 English NCERT Solutions
- A Question of Trust Class 10 English NCERT Book PDF
A Question of Trust Topic-wise Importance for CBSE Boards
Some parts of the story are asked more than others. This table shows where to spend your revision time.
| Topic | Board Importance |
|---|---|
| Horace Danby and his yearly robbery | High |
| The young woman's trick | High |
| Why Horace is caught | High |
| The irony of the title | Medium |
A Question of Trust Summary in Simple Words
This A Question of Trust summary covers the story in three clear parts.
Horace Danby, the Book-Loving Burglar
Horace Danby is around fifty, respectable, and known as a maker of locks. But every year he quietly robs one safe and uses the money to buy rare and costly books. This year he plans to rob a country house whose family is away. He studies the house carefully and knows where the safe is hidden behind a painting.
The Clever Young Woman
As Horace prepares to open the safe, a young woman enters, saying she is the owner's wife. She scolds him gently and says she too has come for her jewels but has lost the key. She persuades Horace to open the safe for her, warning that she could report him. Nervous and eager to please, Horace opens the safe with his bare hands and hands her the jewels.
The Ironic End
The woman thanks Horace and leaves with the jewels. She was not the owner at all, but a smarter thief who used him to do the risky work. Because Horace had opened the safe without gloves, his fingerprints were found on it. He is arrested for the robbery and sent to prison, while the real thief goes free.
Themes and Message of A Question of Trust
The story carries two ideas that boards test.
- Misplaced trust: Horace trusts a stranger and pays a heavy price.
- Irony of crime: A skilled thief is outwitted by a cleverer one.
A Question of Trust Word Meanings
These tough words from the chapter often appear in extract-based questions.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Burglar | A person who breaks into houses to steal |
| Bothered | Troubled or worried |
| Flustered | Nervous and confused |
| Amateur | One who does something without proper training |
| Cultured | Well educated and refined |
| Intruder | A person who enters a place without right |
Most Repeated Board Questions on A Question of Trust
This A Question of Trust summary ends with the questions you must practise. Each has appeared in CBSE-style papers.
- Why did Horace Danby rob a safe every year?
- How did the young woman fool him?
- Why was Horace caught?
- What is the irony in the story?
Full question answers: A Question of Trust Class 10 English NCERT Solutions
Revised well, this A Question of Trust summary from Collegedunia should let you attempt any board question on the chapter with confidence.
More A Question of Trust English Class 10 Resources
Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Notes: All Chapters
Open the notes for any other Footprints Without Feet chapter from this table.
| Chapter | Resource |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | A Triumph of Surgery Notes |
| Chapter 2 | The Thief's Story Notes |
| Chapter 3 | The Midnight Visitor Notes |
| Chapter 4 | A Question of Trust Notes |
| Chapter 5 | Footprints without Feet Notes |
| Chapter 6 | The Making of a Scientist Notes |
| Chapter 7 | The Necklace Notes |
| Chapter 8 | Bholi Notes |
| Chapter 9 | The Book That Saved the Earth Notes |
A Question of Trust Class 10 English Notes FAQs
Ques. Where can I download A Question of Trust Class 10 English Notes PDF?
Ans. You can download the A Question of Trust Class 10 English Notes PDF directly from this page. Both the Normal and HD versions are free.
Ques. What is the theme of A Question of Trust?
Ans. The story shows the danger of misplaced trust and the irony of a skilled thief being robbed and jailed because he trusted a stranger.
Ques. Who is Horace Danby?
Ans. Horace Danby is a respectable lock-maker who secretly robs one safe every year to buy rare books that he loves.
Ques. Are these notes aligned with the 2026-27 syllabus?
Ans. Yes. This chapter remains Chapter 4 of Footprints Without Feet in the current 2026-27 syllabus, so these notes are fully valid for the board exam.
Ques. Who was the young woman for a 12th std style answer?
Ans. She pretended to be the owner's wife but was really another thief. She tricked Horace into opening the safe and walked away with the jewels.
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