The Thief Class 8 English Literature Magic Place

The Thief Class 8 English Literature Magic Place Question and Answers

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Q1. How did the thief come to work for Arun?

The thief first met Arun at a wrestling match. He decided that Arun would be a suitable person to work for and thus

approached him with his most appealing smile. Flattering him with words, the thief told him that he was ready to work

without any pay as long as he was fed. Having agreed to cook for the two of them, the thief managed to secure a job under Arun .

2. In what way did the thief benefit in Aruns company?

The thief benefitted a lot from Aruns company. He learnt to write his own name as well as Aruns. Arun also promised to

teach him to write whole sentences and to add money on paper. Apart from this, the thief also managed to nick six

paise from Arun every once in a while, by lying to him about the cost of rice. This ensured that he had little bit of money

for himself which was important since he did not get a regular salary.

3. Describe the way in which the thief stole money from Arun and escaped from his house.

 Arun had put his money under his mattress before going to bed. Once Arun fell asleep, the thief slipped into the room,

slid his hands under the mattress and pulled out the wad of notes carefully without making a sound. When Arun sighed in his sleep and turned to one side the thief got frightened, but

he managed to crawl quickly and quietly out of the room  without being caught. He then ran to the station where he

thought he could catch the 10.30 pm Amritsar express train and escape.

4. Why did the thief finally not board the train at the station?

The thief reached the station just in time to catch the Amritsar express. However, a strange sense of hesitation crept over him and prevented him from boarding the train.

5. Why did the thief decide to go back to Arun?

The thief decided to go back to Arun for the following reasons, he liked Arun and felt a sense of affection for him. Moreover he also felt a sense of sympathy towards Arun, but most of all it was his desire to write whole sentences that drew him back to Arun.

6. How did the thief realize that Arun knew about his attempt to steal the money?

The thief realized that Arun kew about the stolen money because the notes that Arun handed to him as his first wage

was still wet from the previous night's rain. It was obvious that Arun was aware that he had taken the money but he was nice enough to not question him on the matter.

Reference to Context:- 

1. " Its time I did some real work," I told myself." I'm getting out of practice...."

a. What kind of practice is the thief referring to?

The thief is referring to his habit of stealing from people.

b. Why did the thief feel he was gradually getting out of practice ?

The thief felt that he was gradually getting out of practice because a long time had passed since he had last stolen.

Instead of stealing from others, he had been spending all his time cooking for Arun and learning to read and write.

c. Why had he so far not been paid by Arun?

The thief had not been paid by Arun because Arun was a poor man who made money only in fits and starts. On some

days he would manage to secure a huge sum while on other days he earned nothing at all. When he did earn something

he spent it all very quickly. Because of this unstable nature of his income he had warned the thief that he would not be

able to pay him.

2. I had idea where to spend the night....

a. Where was the thief at this point in the story?

Ans: The thief was standing on the railway platform at this point of time in the story.

b. What had the thief just done?

Ans: The thief had stolen money from Arun and had run to the station hoping to board the 10.30 pm Amritsar express

and escape. But suddenly he felt guilty and hesitated and finally did not get on to the train.

c. What did the thief do after this ?

Ans: After this the thief wandered through the dark streets of the bazar and tried to sleep on a bench. It started raining

and he got wet. He began to think about the consequences of his actions and decided to return to Arun's house.

3. " You look like a wrestler yourself. " I said.

a. Where did the thief and Arun have this exchange?

Ans : The thief and Arun had this exchange at a wrestling match.

b. Why do you think the thief drew Arun into a conversation?

Ans: The thief drew Arun into a conversation because he wanted to gain his confidence and ask him for a job.

c. What name did the thief give when asked ? How do we know that this was not his real name?

Ans: When Arun asked the thief his name he said that his

name was Deepak. 

We know that this was not his real name because he admitted that he was lying and had taken on are the names in the past like Ranbir, Sudip, Trilok and Surinder.

d. What request did the thief make to Arun?

Ans: The thief requested Arun to allow him to work for him.

e. How did Arun reply?

Ans : Arun asked Deepak what had given him the impression that he wanted someone to work for him.

Think and Answer :-

1. Why did Arun abstain from bringing up the incident of theft from the thief?

Arun was a kind and forgiving man. He knew that the thief was feeling regretful for having stolen the money from him

and betraying his trust. He also knew that the thief had learnt his lesson, so Arun decided not to mention the incident or

punish him.

2. What do you think is the author's view of the thief?

The writer seems to have a sympathetic attitude towards the thief. He gives us an insight into the thiefs mind and makes us realize that he isn't as bad as he seems to be .His conscience and his decision to return to Arun with the money

redeems him.