Jpadhlie akshay CHAPTER cn _— padhie.akshayAusable is a secret agent but he doesn't look so in appearance and looks. He is short and very fat. Fowler, a young writer, comes to him to write about Ausable and to spend an evening with him. v Both of them return to Ausable's sixth floor hotel room. Max, another secret agent, confronts Ausable with a gun in his hand. He has come to take a document on missiles from Ausable with the force of the gun. v Ausable invents a story about anybody entering his room easily through a balcony. This balcony is just below the window in his room. However, this balcony doesn't exist. ¥ Suddenly, there is a knocking at the door. Ausable tells Max that it is the ‘police’ which has come seeing the importance of the documents. (But it is not the ‘police’ but the bearer.) v Max decides to wait for the moment in the balcony till the ‘police’ goes away, Ausable also asks him to do so. Max steps out to go to the balcony but falls on the ground to his death. v When the door is opened the waiter comes in with drinks which Ausable had already ordered to the room. ¥ Ausable shows and proves his being a secret agent by outwitting Max. He passes the test with flying colours.Weyl =e eee Wy LAST 10+ YEARS QUESTIONS —— _ — “ _ © /padhlie.akshayQuestion: Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disappointed? Answer: Fowler was a writer. He wanted to meet Ausable to cover him up for writing for his publication. He expected Ausable to look like a spy. But he was disillusioned because he didn't look like that. He was fat. In fact, he had nothing to look like a spy. uestion: In the beginning of the story Fowler felt disappointed with Ausable. Do you think Fowler had the same feeling towards the end of the story? Give reasons for your answer. Answer: Fowler did not have the same feeling about Ausable in the end. It was because Ausable proved himself to be a real spy. Fowler first felt disappointed. Ausable did not look like a secret agent physically. But his 'white-face' and 'stammering' made him see Ausable as a real secret agent. Question: What is the significance of the balcony in the story ‘The Midnight Visitor’? Answer: The significance of the balcony in the story is very clear in "The Midnight Visitor’, Actually, there is no balcony worth the name. It is just to deceive or outwit Max by Ausable. Ausable has to outwit him being the most alert detective. He tells Max that there is the ‘police’ and he must hide in the balcony’. But he does so to outwit him to prove his being a good detective. Question: Why did Ausable frame the story of the balcony ? Answi sate framed the story of the balcony to outsmart Max. Max had entered Ausable's room to snatch the important documents. But he was a smart detective. However, he was being tested by the department of his smartness. He framed the story of the balcony simply to pass the departmental test and outwit Max, the intruder. Question: 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 room had a single ordinary window. Ausable pointed out to the next room connected through another ‘door’. But there was no such ‘door’. "There creates this impression that there was balcony. But there was not any balcony. Then he looked at Fowler also. Question: Describe how Ausable outsmarted Max. Answer: Ausable, first, made Max believe about the balcony outside the room window. But it was not there. Then he made him believe that the ‘police’ was knocking at the door. But it was the waiter. This made Max jump into the balcony. But he fell down. Thus Ausable outsmarted Max by his skills, and the presence of his mind. Question: Why did Max enter Ausable's room? How did he do so? Answer: He had come to take the ‘report. It was regarding some new missiles which Ausable had or would have. He knew that the ‘report’ was going to be delivered to Ausable on that night. Max had used a passkey to enter Ausable's room in his absence. Question: What did Ausable tell Max about the balcony? Why? Answer: Ausable told Max that two persons had entered his room through that balcony. It was not the balcony of his room. But it was of the next apartment. It extended under the window of his room. He said so to Max. It was to make him believe that the balcony was there, though there was not. Question: What happened when Ausable entered his hotel room? Answi usable unlocked his room and entered. He, then, closed the door. He did not ‘suspect ‘that any other person would be there. He switched on the light. He was surprised to see a man halfway across the room. The man held a small automatic pistol in his hand.Question: Describe the meeting between Ausable and Max. Answer: Ausable was a clever Secret Agent. He was staying in a French hotel. He had some very important paper on missiles. Max entered his room to take that paper. Ausable handled Max cleverly. He told Max that he would complain to the Hotel authorities about the balcony, It should be closed. People entered his room through it. But there was no balcony’. Then there was a knocking on the door. Ausable told Max that it was the ‘police’. The paper needed extra protection. But he knew the truth. Max went to the window to hide in the non-existing balcony. It was not the ‘police’ but a waiter. Meanwhile, Max had jumped into the ‘balcony'. Question: Give a character-sketch of Ausable. Answer: Ausable is a secret agent. But he does not look like that. He is very fat and not much tall. But he is much alert in the mind. Actually, he uses his mind the maximum. He has an important paper on missiles. Max enters his room with an automatic pistol to take that paper. Ausable is not nervous. He is cool. He tells that he would ask the hotel authorities to close the ‘balcony’ outside the single window. People enter his door through this ‘balcony’. But there is no such balcony. Then a bearer knocks at the door. But Ausable tells it is the ‘police’. However, he knows the truth. Max jumps into the balcony. Question: Ausable says to Fowler, "he won't return. " Explain With reference to the context. Answer: There was a knocking at the door. It was the waiter with the drinks. But Ausable told Fowler and Max that there was ‘police’. This frightened Max very much. Ausable confidently added that the documents were very important. Max got nervous at the mention of ‘police. Ausable asked him what he would do then. He added that if he did not answer they would. enter and shoot. So he asked him to hide in the 'balcony’. Max hurriedly swung a leg over the sill to go to the ‘balcony’. He told Ausable to send the ‘police’ and he would wait on the balcony’. He also added that he would shoot and take his chances. But Max pushed with his left hand to free himself from the sill and drop to the ‘balcony’. But he dropped down with a scream. Ausable rightly tells Fowler that Max will not return as he had fallen down. There was no ‘balcony’ there. Question: The Midnight Visitor’ describes the value of diligence in spying through Ausable. Ausable does not look like a true spy but professionally he is a real spy. Write a paragraph describing the value of true professionalism as implied by the author. Answer: The author of "The Midnight Visitor’ indirectly focuses on the value of true professionalism through Ausable. Indirectly, it emphasizes that all should be perfect in their work like Ausable. Ausable doesn't look like a true spy. But mentally he is not so as he outwits Max. Thus the values implied in the story are necessary in life to progress. These involve devotion and sincerity to any work. If that work is done this way, it ensures success and wonderful achievement. Ausable is wedded to success because of his mental ability and swift action. He is thus result-oriented. We must also be like him in our work to make life successful.} inadhie akshay CHAPTER BASED MCQs padhlie.akshayQuestion: Who is the author of the story “The Midnight Visitor”? A) James Herriot B) Ruskin Bond C) Robert Arthur D) Victor Canning Question: “ did not fit any description of a secret agent.” A) Fowler B) Ausable C) Max D) None of the above Question: Ausable was a fellow. A) fat and sloppy. B) fat and enthusiastic C) thin and enthusiastic D) thin and sloppy Question: What is the meaning of the word “wheezily”? A) making a sound when you can’t breathe easily B) sneezing C) coughing D) None of the above Question: Where was Ausable staying? A) Fowler's home B) French hotel C) Max's home D) French Inn Question: Which floor was he staying at? A) ground floor B) first floor C) second floor D) top floor Question: What language did Ausable speak? A) German B) French C) none of these D) both aand b Question: Where did he come from? A) Paris B) Germany C) Boston D) None of the above Question: When did he move to Paris? A) 5 years ago B) 10 years ago C) 20 years ago D) 25 years ago Question: “he had never Lost his accent” A) American B) French C) British D) None of the aboveQuestion: What is the meaning of the word “espionage”? A) spying B) writing C) hunt D) None of the above Question: Who is Fowler? A) secret agent B)spy C) personal investigator D) writer Question: How did Fowler feel after meeting Ausable? A) excited B) overwhelmed C) disappointed D) None of the above Answer t C€ 2 «2B 3 =A 4 A 5. B 6 OD 7 OD 8 6C 9 =C 10. A 1. A 12. D is;