In this article, we have created the most comprehensive NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor.
The Midnight Visitor NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3
The Midnight Visitor NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers
The Midnight Visitor Read and Find out
Question 1.
How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Answer:
Ausable, a secret agent, is different from other secret agents as he is very fat. ‘He lives in a room where there is no environment of romantic and thrilling adventure.
Question 2.
Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Answer:
Fowler is a reporter who was very young and romantic. 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 entry in Ausable’s room by using a passkey.
Question 4.
How does Ausable say he got in?
Answer:
Ausable says that Max had come in the room through the balcony.
The Midnight Visitor Think About It
Question 1.
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 thinks that Ausable ‘ would be a smart and active secret agent but he turns out to be a fat and bald person. Normally, in films and stories the secret agents are with a gun or pistol and a very interesting and fast lifestyle, whereas Ausable was a humorous and simple person.
Question 2.
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 in his house. He quickly thought of a plan. When the bearer came to the room and knocked at the door, Ausable fabricated a story to convince Max about the balcony. The moment Max realised the danger, he jumped onto the balcony and his act proved fatal. The way Ausable complained about the existence of the balcony which had created a nuisance earlier also, Max could not think it to be wrong and willingly jumped to his death.
Question 3.
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 in the room, he was shocked to see Max with a pistol in his hand, inside the room. Before he could plan to get rid of Max, there was a knock at the door. His sharp mind immediately made up a plan. He convinced Max that there was a balcony through which he could save himself as the police had arrived for a routine check. His response was spontaneous not fabricated.
The Midnight Visitor Extra Questions and Answers
The Midnight Visitor Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disappointed?
Answer:
Fowler was a young romantic writer. He loved adventure and thrill. He was always interested in knowing the lives of secret agents. He wanted to meet Ausable who was on a secret assignment. He was a little disappointed when he found nothing mysterious and romantic in Ausable. Ausable, in fact, was a fat, ordinary person.
Question 2.
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 helping Ausable’s plan as it was Henry’s knock at the door which frightened Max as he mistook it to be a policeman at the door. This confusion forced Max to jump from the window assuming it to be a balcony and hence helping Ausable’s plan to get rid of Max.
Question 3.
What was someone expected to bring to Ausable’s room?
Answer:
Ausable expected to get a very important report about missiles, which was to be delivered to him after midnight.
Question 4.
Why was Ausable angry with the hotel’s management?
Answer:
Ausable pretended to be angry with the hotel management because they had not paid any attention to the balcony that was a safety threat for him. In fact, he fabricated a story about the non-existent balcony to trap Max.
Question 5.
How did Max enter the room? Why did he do so?
Answer:
Max entered Ausable’s room through the main door, using a pass key. He wanted to take the important report from Ausable. Therefore, he decided to give a shock to Ausable. He thought it would be easy to overpower Ausable by giving him a shock.
Question 6.
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 ever return.”
Thus, we know that the man had died after jumping from the 6th floor.
Question 7.
Did Fowler find this episode thrilling or disappointing? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer:
Fowler found this episode quite thrilling. In the beginning, he was not impressed by the personality of Ausable who did not fit as a secret agent. As he had read about the mysterious figures, the crack of pistols and drugs in wine, the fat Ausable did not impress him much. But he was not able to believe the quick answer and smartness of Ausable. The whole episode appeared to be quite unbelievable.
Question 8.
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. Many people had risked their lives. Therefore, there could be some drama in his room.
Question 9.
What story did Ausable fabricate about the balcony?
Answer:
He told Fowler that the balcony in his room had become a nuisance for him. He told him that his room used to be the part of a large unit and through the balcony any one could come to his room as the adjoining room was empty.
Question 10.
How do you know that Ausable was a clever secret agent?
Answer:
Ausable was really a clever secret agent as is evident from the story. He told a false story about the existence of a non-existent balcony. Knowing very well that the waiter was knocking at the door, he told him about the police.
The Midnight Visitor 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 made Max believe that he was scared on finding him 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 arrival of the report and the police. When there was a knock at the door, he convinced Max that it was police. Max got scared and jumped into the non-existent balcony to 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 the 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. These are complementary to each other. Intelligence without physical ability is useless and vice versa. But out 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 stress upon more on intelligence but will not ignore physical strength at the same time.
Question 3.
How did Ausable get rid of Max? Would you call the act of Ausable a violent act? Do you support violence in prevention of crime?
Answer:
Max was in Ausable’s room with a pistol in his hand. When there was a knock at the door Ausable convinced Max that it was police. He excited him to hide himself on the non-existent balcony. Max, in terror, jumped from the sixth floor and met his end. No, it cannot be called non-violence. Ausable saved himself but led Max to death. He made him jump from the eighth floor.
He concocted the story of a non-existent balcony and convinced him to hide there. He trusted him and jumped to death. Violence should never be supported but in prevention of crime it is inevitable. We cannot tackle the criminals without the use of weapons and violence is inevitable.
Question 4.
Give a brief character sketch of Fowler?
Answer:
Fowler is a young romantic writer, who loves reading mysterious stories. He has a fantasy to meet a secret agent or to see 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 very timid by 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 scared, the moment he realises that it is a waiter and not the police who has knocked at the door. He wants to know about the man in the balcony. He has a horrible experience with Ausable tackling risky situations so calmly.
Question 5.
How does Ausable convince Max that there is a balcony in his room? How does his intelligence and presence of mind help him?
Answer:
Ausable had realised that Max had no idea about the balcony in his house. He quickly thought of a plan. When the bearer came to the room and knocked at the door, Ausable fabricated a 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 existence of the balcony which had created a nuisance earlier also, Max could not think it to be wrong and 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 and foolishness in his own favour. His intelligence and presence of mind helped him in a dangerous and critical situation.
Question 6.
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 as 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 becomes obvious that the person assigned such task should be witty and a perfect planner but Max did not take any pain to inspect the hotel or Ausable’s room in advance. Max fell into the trap of false story and jumped onto a non-existent balcony, which eventually cost him his life.
No doubt Max was also equally clever but he had a flaw in his personality. He trusted his rival without the application of his mind. He fell victim to his carelessness and foolishness. Yes, our carelessness and foolishness may prove fatal.