CBSE Class 10 English The Midnight Visitor Important Questions Set 02

Extract Based Questions

Extract 1

(a). Who is the author of the story from which this extract has been taken?
(a) Robert Arthur
(b) Claire Boiko
(c) Victor Canning
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Robert Arthur

(b). What is the narrator trying to suggest about Ausable?
(a) He was fat.
(b) He cannot be a spy.
(c) He spoke French and German.
(d) He had American accent.
Answer: (b) He cannot be a spy.

(c). Ausable was a resident of _____.
(a) Boston
(b) Berlin
(c) Paris
(d) London
Answer: (c) Paris

(d). Whose point of view does the extract present?
(a) Ausable
(b) Max
(c) Waiter
(d) Fowler
Answer: (d) Fowler

(e). What in the narrator’s opinion can be described as a quintessential spy?
(a) Lean, nimble and fluent without any specific accent.
(b) Fat and heavily accented.
(c) Both (b) and (c)
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Lean, nimble and fluent without any specific accent.

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Answer: Ausable is different from other secret agents as he is very fat. He lives in a small room in a gloomy hotel where there is no atmosphere of romance and thrilling adventure.

Question 2. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Answer: Fowler is a young, romantic writer. His first authentic thrill was to see a man with a pistol inside Ausable’s room.

Question 3. How has Max got in?
Answer: Max managed to get into Ausable’s room by using a passkey.

Question 4. How does Ausable say he got in?
Answer: Ausable says that Max had come into the room through the balcony.

Question 5. Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read. What do secret agents in books and films look like in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story.
Answer: Fowler is not impressed by the personality of Ausable as a secret agent. He expected Ausable to be a smart and active secret agent but he turns out to be a fat and sloppy person. Normally, in films and stories secret agents carry a gun or pistol and lead a very interesting and fast lifestyle, whereas Ausable was a humorous and simple person.

Question 6. How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room? Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?
Answer: Ausable had realised that Max had no idea about the balcony. He quickly thought of a plan. He complained that this was the second time someone had entered his room through the balcony belonging to the next apartment, and that he would have a word with the management. When the waiter knocked at the door, Ausable said it was the police. Max jumped towards the balcony and his act proved fatal. The way Ausable complained about the balcony, as if it had created a nuisance earlier also, made Max think it real and he willingly jumped to his death.

Question 7. Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought of his plan for getting rid of Max? Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make up a plan taking advantage of events as they happened?
Answer: Ausable was a very intelligent and smart person. When he came into the room, he was surprised to see Max with a pistol in his hand. His sharp mind immediately made up a plan: he invented the story of the balcony and the police, and when the waiter knocked at the door he used it to convince Max that the police had come. His response was spontaneous, not planned in advance.

Question 8. How is Ausable different from other secret agents? (CBSE 2020)
Answer: Ausable was very fat and sloppy; he lived in a small room in a musty corridor of a gloomy hotel; his mannerisms and appearance did not fit a secret agent.

Question 9. Who was Henry? What role did he play in Ausable’s plans?
Answer: Henry was a waiter at the French hotel where Ausable had a room. He played a vital role in Ausable’s plan, as it was Henry’s knock at the door which frightened Max, who mistook it for the police. This confusion forced Max to jump from the window, assuming there was a balcony, and thus helped Ausable get rid of Max.

Question 10. What was someone expected to bring to Ausable’s room?
Answer: Ausable expected to get a very important report about new missiles, which was to be delivered to him after midnight.

Question 11. How did Max enter the room? Why did he do so?
Answer: Max entered Ausable’s room through the main door, using a passkey. He wanted to take the important report from Ausable. He thought it would be easy to overpower Ausable by giving him a shock.

Question 12. Was there a balcony outside the window? Give instances from the text in support of your answer.
Answer: There was no balcony outside the window. The following lines show that there was no balcony:
‘And then, as he dropped, he screamed once, shrilly.’
‘But what about the man on the balcony?’ Fowler asked. ‘No,’ said Ausable, ‘he won’t return.’
Thus, we know that the man had fallen from the sixth floor.

Question 13. Why did Ausable ask Fowler to cheer up?
Answer: Ausable knew that Fowler wanted to see something mysterious and romantic. Ausable asked him to cheer up as he was going to receive an important report concerning some new missiles, for which many people had risked their lives. Therefore, there could be some drama in his room.

Question 14. State the significance of the line, "Ausable blinked a few times."
Answer: In the story, Ausable experiences a moment of surprise and realization, which is why the line "Ausable blinked a few times" is significant. This happens when Ausable turns on the light in his room, and Fowler and Ausable find a man halfway across the room holding a pistol in his hand.

Question 15. Fowler’s day took a one-eighty degree turn by the end of the evening. Comment.
Answer: In "The Midnight Visitor," Fowler's day took a complete U-turn by the end of the evening. At first, he was disappointed because Ausable didn't match his expectations of a thrilling secret agent. However, everything changed when Max appeared in Ausable's room. Fowler’s day went from a boring evening to a dangerous situation, filled with suspense and excitement.

Question 16. Describe the twist in the plot in 'The Midnight Visitor'. Analyse how Fowler's opinion of Ausable must have undergone a change after the plot twist.
Answer: The twist in the story ‘The Midnight Visitor’ comes when Henry enters the room bearing a tray with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Fowler also gets to know that there is no balcony under the window. He realises that Ausable outwitted Max with his presence of mind.

Question 17. “Stereotypes are often misleading.” Elaborate on the given quote in the context of “The Midnight Visitor”.
Answer: The stereotype of a spy is a fit body facing thrilling situations every moment. However, Ausable broke this stereotype by being very fat and simple thus, proving that stereotypes are often misleading. Though Ausable looked like an ordinary man who wasn’t active, he dealt with the dangerous event with the help of his amazing presence of mind and saved himself and Fowler from his rival spy, Max.

Question 18. Max was unprepared for his mission. Discuss with reference to the chapter “The Midnight Visitor”.
Answer: Max had no clue about the surroundings of the hotel room that he broke into. As an experienced and cunning spy, he should have prepared himself for the mission in a better way. When Ausable told him about the existence of the balcony, he trusted him at once, forgetting that Ausable was his rival.

Question 19. Ausable's quick thinking and wit contribute to his characterization as a cunning secret agent. Justify.
Answer: Ausable's quick thinking and wit show that he is a clever and resourceful secret agent. For example, when Max enters the room with a gun, Ausable calmly engages him in conversation and mentions the balcony incident, making Max believe there is an escape route. This causes Max to jump out of the window impulsively. Ausable's ability to manipulate situations and outsmart others demonstrates his cunning nature as a spy.

Question 20. State one likely reason the writer of ‘The Midnight Visitor’ chose to characterise Ausable as short and fat.
Answer: The writer of The Midnight Visitor chose to characterise Ausable as short and fat because it was not a typical appearance for a spy. Spies are generally shown as tall, handsome and well-built. The writer wanted to highlight Ausable’s wit and show that appearances can be misleading.

Question 21. Determine the reason why Fowler wanted to meet Ausable.
Answer: In The Midnight Visitor by Robert Arthur, Fowler, a young writer, wanted to meet Ausable, a secret agent, to learn how to handle dangerous situations and gain experience. Fowler believed that Ausable was different from other spies, and sought his help for a dangerous mission.

Question 22. Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought out his plan as time went along, taking advantage of events as they happened?
Answer: Ausable thought up his plan for getting rid of Max when he came into the room and found Max there, with a pistol in his hand. Ausable had not made any plans from the beginning. He had a presence of mind. He made plans as time went by taking advantages of the events as they happened.

Question 23. Comment on the writer’s likely choice to create an unconventional spy character like Ausable in 'The Midnight Visitor'. (CBSE 2012)
Answer: The writer’s decision to create an unconventional spy character matches with his intent to deliver a unique and memorable story that breaks stereotypes. This also stresses that individuals involved in espionage can come in various forms. Ausable's unconventional characteristics humanise him, contribute to the story's humour and provide a refreshing take on what a spy is expected to be. The contrast between Ausable's unassuming appearance and his adept handling of the espionage situation adds depth to his character and lends interest.

Question 24. The various elements of Robert Arthur's writing style work together to create a sense of tension, uncertainty, and suspense, well-suited to the mystery and suspense genre of the story, The Midnight Visitor. Comment, with reference to any one element. (CBSE SQP 2023)
Answer: The conversation between Ausable and Max is filled with half-truths and mystification, which creates a sense of ambiguity and heightens the story's sense of mystery. The reader is left wondering about Max's true motives and intentions, which adds to the sense of uncertainty and tension in the story.

Question 25. One should never judge a book by its cover. Explain with reference to Ausable and how he outwits Max with his presence of mind. (CBSE 2024)
Answer: In "The Midnight Visitor," Ausable demonstrates the saying "One should never judge a book by its cover." Despite appearing fat and unassuming, Ausable's quick thinking and clever deception outwit the cunning Max. By creating an illusion of a balcony and arranging a fake police visit, Ausable shows his true intellect, proving that appearances can be deceiving.

Question 26. How does the story challenge the notion that excitement and adventure can only be achieved through action-packed sequences?
Answer: The story has no fights, chases or gunshots. The excitement comes from the tense conversation between Ausable and Max and from Ausable’s quick thinking. He defeats an armed spy only with words, which shows that adventure can come from wit and suspense rather than action.

Question 27. State an inference that can drawn about the emotions and thoughts of Fowler from the given context: Following him down the musty corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room, Fowler felt let down.
Answer: Fowler felt disappointed and disillusioned. He had expected a thrilling adventure with a glamorous spy, but the musty corridor, the gloomy hotel and fat Ausable did not match his romantic ideas.

Question 28. The story is a powerful example of misdirection. Explain.
Answer: Ausable misdirects Max by inventing a balcony below the window and pretending that the police are coming. Max, misled, jumps from the window and is defeated. The reader is also misled, as the knock turns out to be just a waiter bringing wine. The whole plot depends on clever misdirection.

Question 29. Describe Ausable’s make-believe story of the balcony.
Answer: Ausable weaves a credible description of how his room was a part of a bigger apartment and how the next room had direct access to it through the balcony. To make his story more believable he further told how somebody had broken into his room through the balcony earlier. Ausable also told Max that the police were at the door to protect the important papers. Max believed his story and jumped onto the balcony, which was not there, and fell down.

Question 30. What is the significance of the balcony in the story?
Answer: The balcony is central to the essence of the story ‘The Midnight Visitor’. There was no balcony there in reality. Ausable creates a story to deceive Max. Max had the gun pointed at Ausable and he had to create a story to outwit Max while keeping calm. He also tells Max that the police are at his door when there is knocking. The whole incident proves Ausable to be an alert and smart secret agent.

Question 31. What was Fowler’s thinking about Ausable towards the end of the story?
Answer: Fowler was a writer who wanted to cover Ausable for his publication. Initially Fowler was not impressed by Ausable’s personality because the latter was very unconventional for the persona of a secret agent. But Ausable outwitted Max and saved his own and Fowler’s life by sheer wit and smartness. He proved himself to be a calm and alert secret agent. Fowler’s white face and stammering showed that he now saw and acknowledged Ausable as a real secret agent beyond his unconventional looks.

Question 32. Why did Max’s face turn black with anger? What did he want Ausable to do?
Answer: Max’s face turned black with anger because he sensed that his plan of getting the important documents from Ausable was going to fail because of the knocking at the door, as Ausable informed him that he had called the police for the protection of the documents. Max wanted Ausable to send the police back while he waited on the balcony.

Question 33. Who was actually knocking at the door and why?
Answer: The waiter of the hotel where Ausable was staying knocked at the door. Ausable had ordered some drinks for Fowler and himself when he arrived at the hotel. The waiter came with a bottle and two glasses. He was simply doing his duty of serving a customer staying in the hotel.

Question 34. Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his plan for getting rid of Max? Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make up a plan taking advantage of events as they happened?
Answer: In true secret agent style, as soon as he was faced with a situation that could be dangerous, Ausable used his wits and came up with a plan to outwit the enemy by taking advantage of events as they happen. He could not have planned all this in advance as he had no information of Max waiting in his room.

Question 35. Discuss what you would do in the situations described below. Remember that presence of mind comes out of a state of mental preparedness. If you have thought about possible problems or dangers, and about how to act in such situations, you have a better chance of dealing with such situations if they do arise.
(i) A small fire starts in your kitchen.
(ii) A child starts to choke on a piece of food.
(iii) An electrical appliance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.
(iv) A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.
(v) It rains continuously for more than twenty-four hours.
(vi) A member of your family does not return home at the usual or expected time.
(vii) You may suggest other such situations.
Answer: (i) Open all doors and windows, disconnect the gas cylinder and try to take it away from fire source, use sand or water to extinguish fire, call emergency services.
(ii) Pat the child’s back vigorously, call emergency services, try to physically remove the piece of food, give the child some water.
(iii) Switch off all electric appliances, remove fuse from main board, call emergency services.
(iv) Ascertain the injuries, stop the bleeding if any, if there are any broken bones, ensure minimum movement, call ambulance.
(v) Ensure that the water is not getting collected anywhere, keep all doors and windows closed, avoid driving out.
(vi) Try and call him/her on the mobile phone, call the place, where he/she had gone, to know the departure time, follow the possible route he/she may have taken to look for them, call other friends in case of a sudden change of plans, call police.
(vii) Earthquake, attempted robbery, electricity failure etc.

Question 36. Henry was a god sent savior for Ausable. Briefly comment.
Answer: Henry’s knocking at the door helped Ausable to convince Max that it was the police. This made an anxious Max to swing over the window sill to escape, but he fell to his death.

Question 37. Why did Ausable say that Fowler has been bored and disillusioned?
Answer: Ausable says that Fowler has been bored and disillusioned because Ausable is very observant and can interpret the state of mind of a person through his behaviour.

Question 38. Ausable had a keen eye. Justify with any two instances from the text.
Answer: Ausable knew that there was no balcony under his window and he also knew that his room was on sixth and top floor of the hotel. His keen eye thus helped him to get rid of Max.

Question 39. What was Ausable waiting for? Was Max waiting for the same thing too?
Answer: Ausable was waiting for a top secret report on some missiles which was to be delivered to him in about thirty minutes. Max was waiting to snatch it from Ausable.

Question 40. What did Ausable tell Max when there was a knock on the door? Why did he tell him so?
Answer: When there was a knock on the door, Ausable told Max that it was the police whom he had called for protection as he was going to receive a top secret report. He told him this so that Max would leave the room and Ausable and Fowler would be safe or they would get time to escape.

Question 41. How did Ausable get rid of Max?
Answer: Ausable told a plausible story about a balcony under the window. When someone knocked on the door, Ausable told Max that it was the police. To escape from the police Max jumped onto the balcony Ausable had talked of, little realising that there was no such balcony and so Ausable got rid of Max.

Question 42. Do you think Max and Ausable knew each other? If so, why?
Answer: Ausable knew his midnight visitor, Max because he addressed him as Max and told Max that he had thought him to be in Berlin. Max too knew where Ausable lived and when he was expecting the important missile papers. Ausable blinked a few minutes on seeing Max because this unexpected visit was made by his rival.