English Language & Literature — CBSE Class 10 board question

Yes, Horace Danby's own foolishness was largely responsible for his arrest. He was an intelligent, meticulous planner — yet he made critical errors in judgement.

1. Blind trust without verification: Horace never questioned whether the young woman was actually the lady of the house. He simply assumed she was, because she spoke confidently and Sherry (the dog) recognised her.

2. Removed his gloves: Eager to please her and hoping she would let him go, Horace took off his gloves to give her his cigarette lighter. This left his fingerprints all over the room — the key evidence against him.

3. Allowed emotions to override reason: His desperate fear of prison made him easy to manipulate. The woman cleverly used his vulnerability to get the safe opened.

4. A criminal trusting another criminal: Ironically, a thief trusted a stranger completely, violating the very caution that had kept him free for years.

His arrest was not unjust — his greed, gullibility, and carelessness brought it upon himself.

Source: A Question of Trust, Chapter 4

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Examiners expect you to:

• Take a clear stance (yes/no) at the start.
• Give 3–4 specific reasons from the story with brief evidence.
• Use story details (gloves, dog, fingerprints) — not vague statements.
• Avoid retelling the plot; focus on analysis of Horace's mistakes.
• Keep it within ~130 words — crisp points score better than padding.