CBSE Class 10 English The Midnight Visitor Important Questions Set 03

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. ‘I’m going to raise the devil with the management this time, and you can bet on it.’ Why does Ausable say so?
Answer: Ausable says so because he finds that Max has intruded into his room. He tells Max that the extended balcony of the next apartment was used a month before to sneak into his room. The hotel management had promised to block it off but Max‘s intrusion indicates that the hotel staff had not done its duty.

Question 2. Is Max menacing or vulnerable? Comment.
Answer: Max is presented as menacing since he sneaks into Ausable’s room and points an automatic pistol at him and Fowler. Still he is vulnerable because he gets waylaid by Ausable and loses his life. If he had been actually menacing, he would have shot Ausable as soon as latter entered the room.

Long Answer Questions

Question 1. Ausable has the ability to think quickly, act calmly and wisely in a situation of danger and surprise. These are some values and skills that save us from danger. How did Ausable use the above skills in the story, ‘The Midnight Visitor’?
Answer: Ausable wins over a very critical situation by his sheer presence of mind without using any physical force. He was a quick-witted secret agent. He did not panic on finding Max inside his room with a pistol in his hand. He befooled him about the balcony, knowing very well that there was no balcony in that room. He fabricated a story about the police coming to protect the report. When there was a knock at the door, he convinced Max that it was the police. Max got scared and jumped onto the non-existent balcony to his death. This is how Ausable proved that presence of mind is more powerful than physical force. Ausable had the qualities of being calm, quiet and wise in a dangerous situation. These are values that one can practise in adversity. Ausable overpowered Max because of these qualities.

Question 2. What is superior, physical strength or intelligence in a difficult situation? Which one of these qualities and skills would you stress upon? Why? Elaborate with reference to the story, ‘The Midnight Visitor’.
Answer: Physical strength and intelligence both have their own importance. They are complementary to each other. Intelligence without physical ability is limited and vice versa. But of the two, intelligence is superior. Use of physical strength may lead to violence and bloodshed but use of intelligence saves one without any bloodshed or violence. In the story ‘The Midnight Visitor’ Ausable wins over a very critical situation by his presence of mind without using physical force. He got rid of another secret agent, Max, with his intelligence. He proved that presence of mind is more powerful than physical force. I would lay more stress on intelligence but would not ignore physical strength at the same time.

Question 3. Give a brief character sketch of Fowler.
Answer: Fowler is a young romantic writer who loves reading mystery stories. He has a fantasy of meeting a secret agent and seeing mysterious figures in the night, the crack of guns, drugs in wine, etc. He is not much interested in meeting dull people. He gets easily bored and disappointed.
Though he is a writer, he is timid at heart. He easily loses his cool and gets nervous. The moment he enters Ausable’s room and his eyes meet Max with an automatic pistol in his hand, he is thrilled. He is startled by the knock at the door and later learns that it was a waiter and not the police. He wants to know about the man on the balcony. He has a thrilling experience watching Ausable tackle a risky situation so calmly.

Question 4. How does Ausable convince Max that there is a balcony in his room? How do his intelligence and presence of mind help him?
Answer: Ausable had realised that Max had no idea about the balcony. He quickly thought of a plan. When the waiter came to the room and knocked at the door, Ausable used his story to convince Max about the balcony. The moment Max realised the danger, he jumped on to the balcony, which turned out to be 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. Ausable was an intelligent secret agent. He could think quickly. He knew that Max was scared and he used his ignorance in his own favour. His intelligence and presence of mind helped him in a dangerous and critical situation.

Question 5. Max was a cunning spy but his carelessness and foolishness proved fatal for him. Do you agree? How do casual carelessness and foolishness spoil our life?
Answer: Max was no doubt a careless and foolish person who could be termed a blot on the image of a secret agent. Max was on an important mission to procure a vital report regarding some new missiles. So it was obvious that the person assigned such a task should be witty and a perfect planner, but Max did not take the trouble to inspect the hotel or Ausable’s room in advance. Max fell into the trap of a false story and jumped onto a non-existent balcony, which eventually cost him his life.
No doubt Max was also clever, but he had a flaw in his personality. He trusted his rival without applying his mind. He fell victim to his carelessness and foolishness. Yes, our carelessness and foolishness may prove fatal.

Question 6. Fowler was disappointed after meeting Ausable because Ausable didn’t meet the expectations of being a secret agent. Imagine yourself as the writer of the story and develop a conversation between Ausable and Fowler, if Fowler had confessed his disappointment to him.
Answer: Ausable: Hello, young man. I am Ausable, the secret agent.
Fowler: Oh! You are the secret agent for whom I was looking...Hello sir. Sorry, I couldn’t recognize you as I had a different image of a spy in my head.
Ausable: Hahaha… Tell me your image of a spy, young man.
Fowler: You see, I have seen that a spy has to be physically fit, active, and hard-muscled. Also, I thought there must be a dark, thrilling adventures happening around a spy.
Ausable: Well, I must say that judgements are not always right. Anyway, don’t be bored, my friend. I have to receive some very important papers, and you’ll be surprised.
Fowler: Sure.

Question 7. "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Comment with reference to Ausable’s character.
Answer: The quote aptly relates to Ausable's character. Just like the devil in the quote, Ausable conceals his true nature as a secret agent. His interaction with Max justifies the quote. By pretending to be a disinterested individual, he convinces Max, and even Fowler, that he is not a formidable opponent. In reality, he had a great presence of mind, was quick - witted and persuasive. He fabricated a story about the balcony and the police to befool Max. The story was so convincing that Max jumped down the window. He did not think for a moment that it might be a false story. In this way, he gets rid of his enemy Max. He showcases the power of deception and how appearances can be misleading, much like the trick the devil is said to have pulled.

Question 8. The chapter reveals that the presence of mind and intelligence are more powerful than a gun. Give reasons.
Answer: Ausable is not a character about whom we read detective stories and books. Fowler is disappointed after meeting Ausable, as he is fat and sloppy and lives in a room that is rather small, and that too on the sixth floor. But appearances are generally deceptive, and Ausable proves that presence of mind and intelligence are more powerful than a gun. His presence of mind and intelligence are his twin assets. When he finds crafty Max in the room with a pistol in his hand, he immediately understands the purpose of his visit. The rival secret agent who has come to take away the important report that concerns some new missiles must be outwitted and defeated in his own game. Without using any guns, Ausable cooks up the stories of the balcony and the police so convincingly that Max believes them and falls into his trap.

Question 9. How can you say that Ausable was a clever secret agent, though he did not look like one? (Delhi Gov. QB 2022)
Answer: Ausable did not fit the conventional image of a secret agent. He spoke French and German with an accent, as he was an American. Ausable had a very sharp and active mind because he invented two stories, one about a non-existent balcony outside his hotel window and another about the police arriving to give security for some secret papers he was to receive.
He was an intelligent man and a clever secret agent. He could invent stories very quickly. Max could have been a serious threat to him but he saved the papers and his position using his wit.

Question 10. A character arc is the transformation or development of a character throughout a story and refers to the changes a character undergoes as a result of their experiences, challenges, and interactions with other characters. In the light of the above information, trace the character arc of Max in the story, 'The Midnight Visitor' in about 120 words.
Answer: Max enters the story as a confident and cunning spy. He has slipped into Ausable’s room, holds a pistol and calmly demands the report on the new missiles. He seems to be in complete control.
As Ausable talks about the balcony and the police, Max begins to lose his calm. When the knocking starts, he bites his lip nervously and his face becomes black with anger. Under pressure, he believes Ausable’s story without checking it.
Finally, Max swings over the sill and drops to the ground, injuring himself. His arc moves from confident control to nervous panic and defeat, showing that cunning without presence of mind fails.

Question 11. Ausable’s employer has been asked to write a recommendation letter for Ausable so that he may be promoted to a higher rank in the secret services. As his manager, draft a letter detailing his personality traits with reference to the instance in the chapter as a prime example of Ausable’s genius. You may begin this way: This is to state that Monsieur Ausable has been a committed employee with us for the past two years. This time, he has ______ (continue) ______ Yours sincerely ABC
Answer: To Whom It May Concern
This is to state that Monsieur Ausable has been a committed employee with us for the past two years. This time, he has shown extraordinary presence of mind. When a rival agent, Max, entered his room with a pistol to steal an important report on new missiles, Ausable did not panic. He calmly invented a story about a balcony below his window and about police arriving to guard the papers. Max believed him, jumped from the window and was defeated, while the report remained safe.
Ausable is intelligent, calm under pressure and highly resourceful. Though his appearance is ordinary, his wit is exceptional. I strongly recommend him for promotion to a higher rank.
Yours sincerely
ABC

Question 12. Ausable has the ability to think quickly, act calmly and wisely in a situation of danger and surprise. Do you agree? Support your answer from the story that you have read. (Delhi 2012)
Answer: Ausable has the ability to think quickly, act calmly and wisely in a situation of danger and surprise. Ausable, a secret agent, finds another secret agent, Max, in his room. Max holds Ausable and his visitor at gunpoint in order to get hold of a report that could jeopardise national security if it went into the wrong hands.
Even in such a dangerous and surprising turn of events, Ausable does not lose his temper. He does not get scared. Instead, he remains confident and calm all the while Max is in his room holding a pistol at him. Ausable is quite intelligent. He quickly cooks up a false story of the balcony under the window. It is so believable that Max does not even look outside to check. Ausable’s wisdom and presence of mind are worthy of applause. When the knock at the door is heard, he tells Max that he was expecting the police whom he had called for extra security. Owing to Ausable’s witty, calm and confident demeanour, and convincing story, he outwits Max easily and gets rid of him without using force.

Question 13. Ausable was a successful secret agent. What qualities can be attributed to him? Give some examples.
Answer: Ausable was a very fat fellow. He appeared to be a slow and sluggish person. His looks were very unconventional but he had a very sharp brain.
His presence of mind, intelligence and cleverness helped him in getting rid of Max easily. When Max heard a knock at the door, Ausable promptly fabricated a story that it was the police whom he had called for the extra protection of the papers. Max wanted him to send them off quickly while he waited on the balcony.
Ausable had ordered a drink and it was the waiter with the drink knocking at the door, but Ausable used the false story to mislead Max. Believing his story, Max jumped through the window to the balcony which was not even there and fell from the sixth floor, probably losing his life. This way Ausable got rid of Max. This proves that he was a clever secret agent.

Question 14. Describe the incident leading to the death of Max.
Answer: Ausable was a smart and alert secret agent. He was living in a musty French hotel. His room was on the sixth and top floor of the hotel. One evening a young writer named Fowler came to meet him to get a story of a secret agent for his publication. When they entered the room and switched on the light, they found a man standing in the centre of the room. He had a small automatic pistol in his hand. His name was Max. He had come there to get hold of the important documents from Ausable. Seeing Max, Ausable did not panic but remained cool and calm.
But he seemed to be angry with the management of the hotel because, he said, somebody else had entered his room through the balcony earlier that month.
When there was a sudden knock on the door, Ausable said that it was the police. He said that he himself had called them to get extra protection for the important documents that he had. The knocking grew intense and, in order to save himself, Max jumped through the window to the balcony. But in reality, there was no balcony. So, Max fell to the ground from the sixth floor and probably died.

Question 15. A calm mind can help you tackle the most difficult situations. Elucidate.
Answer: Certainly, a calm mind can help us to tackle the most difficult situations. If Ausable had panicked and done something rash, Max would probably have killed him. But Ausable kept his cool. With his calm mind he fabricated a believable story of a balcony outside his room. He used the knock made by room service in his favour by telling Max that he had called the police for the protection of the documents. Ausable dealt with the situation using alertness of mind and acting promptly and smartly. In real life too we should always focus and keep calm in difficult and unexpected situations and not panic, because panic can hamper our thinking. If we keep our mind cool and focused, only then can we find ways to get out of crunch situations.

Question 16. Though Max was very cunning, still he was but ‘a little spy’ before Ausable. Explain.
Answer: Though Max was very cunning, he was indeed no match for Ausable. He was easily misled by Ausable into believing that there was a balcony attached to the room. Ausable also made a fool of him by cooking up a false story about the police knocking at the door though it was just the waiter. Ausable’s facial expressions were so normal and he appeared so calm and composed that Max could not believe he was lying to him. Ausable was able to get rid of Max with very little effort. So we can say that Max was ‘a little spy’ before Ausable.

Question 17. Write a character sketch of the secret agent Ausable.
Answer: Ausable was a secret agent. He was a fat and sloppy fellow by looks. In his appearance, he did not seem to be the romantic or ideal personality of a secret agent. He had come to Paris from Boston twenty years ago. He could speak French and German passably. He had not completely lost the American accent. Ausable was a very intelligent person. He had a great presence of mind. He did not lose his calm in a difficult situation when he faced a man with a pistol in his hand. He remained cool. He cooked up a story about the balcony. He made Max nervous by telling him about the police. He got rid of Max without any fighting or shooting. Fowler, who was disappointed to meet him at the beginning of the story, was very much impressed with his intelligence and presence of mind at the end of the story.

Question 18. In the beginning of the story, Fowler was disappointed with Ausable. Do you think he thought the same by the end of the story?
Answer: Fowler is a young romantic writer who is expecting to get an exciting account of a secret agent and his activities. However he is not only disappointed by Ausable’s appearance, but also by the lack of any thrills in his routine. Then when Fowler and Ausable are confronted by a gun toting Max, Ausable uses his wit and presence of mind to turn the tables on Max and gets rid of him this impresses Fowler. He realises that though he may not look like it but Ausable was truly a great agent. So, by the end of the story, Fowler gets rid of the romantic image that he had of a secret agent and accepts Ausable as an actual agent who uses his wit and expertise to come out of unexpected trouble.

Question 19. What impression do you form of Ausable as a secret agent after reading ‘The Midnight Visitor’?
Answer: To begin with, Ausable comes across as a laid back and an unfit secret agent. He is fat, has a strong accent and wheezes after walking a bit. He does not match with the typical idea of a secret agent or a detective. He is actually a simple man whose primary abilities are intangible like his wit and presence of mind. He does not appear to be an alert, action oriented agent. However, it is when he is faced with danger, he is able to use the events to his advantage and not only saves himself from danger but also gets rid of his enemy, that his true colours are seen. He is undoubtedly a great secret agent.