NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor
THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR
👉 THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR SUMMARY
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q. 1. How is Ausable different from other
secret agents?
Ans. Ausable appears to be completely different from other secret agents. As he was a secret agent. But he was excessively fat. His accent is not proper.
Q. 2. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Ans. Fowler is a writer who envisions mysterious figures in the night the crack of pistols and drugs in the wine. He wants to meet Ausable to cover him up for writing. His first authentic thrill of the day is quite clear. It is that he outwitted Ausable in a simple way. And when he sees a man standing half way across the room holding a small automatic pistol in his hand.
Q. 3. How has Max got in ?
Ans. Max has used a passkey to enter
Ausable's room in his absence. As he wants to get a 'report' on some new
missiles.
Q. 4. How does Ausable say he got in ?
Ans. Ausable says that Max got in his room through an ordinary window. It was in the balcony. He would complain against it (balcony) to the hotel authorities. He makes Max believe that there was a balcony about which Max does not know anything.
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor
THINK ABOUT IT
1. 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 convincing story ?
Ans. First usable says that there is a balcony before his room. Ausable says that this is the second time is a month that somebody has entered his room through balcony. It is also before the other adjoining it. It is the next room. He describes the balcony vividly and makes Max believe that there was a balcony attached to his room. Ausable tells Max that there is police at the door when knocking is heard. Max is frightened. He asks Ausable to send the police back. He would go and wait on the balcony. But there is no balcony. Max falls down. His factual description makes it a convincing story.
Q. 2. 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?
Ans. Ausable was a brilliant and smart secret agent. When he entered, he saw Max in his room when he switched on the light. Max had a small automatic pistol in his hand. Ausable felt shocked to see him. He decided there and then to get rid of Max.
No, he had not worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning. He made the plan there and then when he saw Max there. Max had a pistol in his hand.
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q.1. Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disappointed?
Ans. Fowler was a writer. He wanted to meet Ausable to cover him up for writing. He was completely disappointed because he expected Ausable to look like a spy. But he was disillusioned as he didn't look like that. He was fat. In fact, he had nothing to look like a spy.
Q.2. Did Fowler find this episode thrilling or disappointing ? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. Fowler found the episode thrilling. As this was proved by Fowler's ‘jumping' at the sudden knocking at the door. Secondly, Fowler 'stammers' when the waiter places the tray on the table. Fowler is white-faced and is shaking. These indicate that he found the whole thing exciting.
Q. 3. Which of the following would be an appropriate title? You may also suggest other titles. Justify your choice.
❖ Jumping over the Window-sill
❖ Max with the Gun
❖The Clever Secret Agent
❖ Room with a Balcony
Ans. I think the title 'The Clever Secret Agent' would be an appropriate title. It is because Ausable does not seem to be a Secret Agent. But he finally proves to be clever. By this cleverness, he deceives Max and gets rid of him. The story is all about this.
Q. 4. Why did Ausable say to Fowler, "You are disappointed"?
Ans. Ausable said to Fowler that he was disappointed because Fowler thought that the secret agents were mysterious, romantic and smart young men. But Ausable was a very fat person. He did not look like those. He was the opposite of what Fowler had thought of the secret agents. So Ausable said these words to him.
5. Why did Max enter Ausable's room ? How did he do so ?
Ans. Max had entered Ausable's room as he had used a passkey to enter Ausable's room in his absence. He had come to take the 'report'. It was regarding some new missiles from Ausable by force. He knew that the 'report' was going to be delivered to Ausable on that night.
6. What did Ausable tell Max about the balcony ?
Ans. 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 because he wanted him to believe that the balcony was there.
Q. 7. Was there a balcony outside the window ? Give instances from the text in support of your answer.
Ans. 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. Then he looked at Fowler also.
Q.8. How did Ausable get rid of Max ?
Ans. Ausable get rid of Max as he told a lie that the knocking at the door was of the police. Max had come to snatch the paper. At the word of the police, Max hid himself in the supposed 'balcony'. But he dropped only 'once' and cried shrilly. It means he had jumped to his death.
Q.,9.Who was Fowler ? What made him see Ausable?
Ans. Fowler was a young writer who wants to cover Ausable for writing. So he wanted to know about the life of a secret agent. He had read about the lives of the secret agents. So he met Ausable to know more about his life. He thought of secret agents as mysterious and romantic persons.
Q. 10. What did Ausable say to Fowler immediately after making him disillusioned?
Ans. Ausable disappointed Fowler in the latter's thoughts of secret agents. To cheer him up, Ausable said that he would show him an important paper on missiles. Several men and women had risked their lives to get that paper. The paper would be brought to him that night.
Q.11. What happened when Ausable entered his hotel room ?
Ans. When Ausable unlocked his hotel room and entered. Then he closed the door and 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.
Q.12. What do you know about the intruder in Ausable's room ?
Ans. The intruder in Ausable's room was Max, another secret agent. He was slim, not tall. He looked like a clever man. Ausable thought that he was in Berlin. He did not look dangerous. However, he had a small automatic pistol in his hand.
Q. 13. Describe how Ausable outsmarted Max.
Ans. Ausable outsmarted Max, as he first, made Max believe about the balcony outside the window of the room. 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 saved himself by his skills.
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q.1. Describe the meeting between Ausable and Max.
Ans. Ausable was a clever Secret Agent. He was staying in a French hotel. He had some very important paper on missiles. Max entered He’s 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. Max went to the window to hide in the balcony. It was not the police but a waiter. Meanwhile, Max had jumped into the 'balcony'.
Q.2. Give a character-sketch of Ausable.
Ans. Ausable is a Secret Agent. But he does not look like that. As he was 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. Max got frightened and in order to escape he jumped out of the balcony.
3. How did Ausable make Fowler 'disillusioned' and 'happy' later?
Ans. Fowler was a young and romantic writer. He had read that secret agents are mysterious, smart and romantic. So he wanted to see all these things in meeting Ausable, a secret agent. But Fowler found Ausable a fat man. So Ausable 'disillusioned' fowler. But the next moment, Ausable made Fowler 'happy' when he outsmarted Max, another secret agent. Ausable opened the door of his room. He found Max in it. He wanted certain papers on new missiles. But Ausable misled him that the police was knocking on the door. He also told him that there was a balcony, though it was not there. Max jumped into the balcony.
4. Who was Max and how and why did he enter Ausable's hotel room ?
Ans. Max was another secret agent. He had come to know that that night Ausable was getting a secret report. That report was about the new missiles. So he entered Ausable's room to get that report by force. He entered the room by using a passkey to it. The report was very important. When Ausable switched on the light, he found Max across it. Max had a small automatic pistol in his hands. Ausable understood everything. So he misled Max by telling him about the balcony and the police. Max believed his words. To escape the police, he jumped in the 'balcony'. But he fell down. He screamed as there was no 'balcony' there.
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor
Ausable was very fat. He spoke French and German. But he had the American accent. Ausable told Fowler that he would be sad. He (Ausable) didn't look like a spy. Fowler was a writer. He had expected to see strange figures in the night. He also expected to hear the sound of pistols or about drugs in the wine. But it was never so in his case. As against this, Ausable told him that he had no beautiful girls around him. He might feel bored in his company. Saying so Ausable opened the door of his little room for Fowler.
After a few moments, Ausable told Fowler that he would see an important paper. Several men and women were after that. This paper could change the course of history. Ausable closed the door. He switched on the light. Fowler saw a man with a small automatic pistol across the room. It was Max. Seeing him Ausable said that he was shocked to see him there. He thought that he was in Berlin.
Max looks like a fox and he takes the two men at his gunpoint Max tells Ausable that he has come to take the report about the missiles from him. He tells Ausable that the report will be safer in his hands. At this Ausable walks to an armchair and sits in it heavily. He says that he will fight with the hotel management for the nuisance caused by the balcony near his window. Max says that he did not know about this balcony. At this Ausable tells him in detail about the balcony. Then he tells that last month also someone has entered through the balcony in his room. At that time the management had assured me that they would solve this problem. The Max reacted and said that he didn't enter the room from the balcony as he had a passkey.
Max looked at Fowler. He asked him to sit down. Ausable asked Max how he had learned about the report. Max told Ausable he wished he knew how Ausable's men had obtained the report. He hoped to get the report back that night. Then there was a knocking at the door.
Fowler jumped at this sudden knocking. Ausable smiled and told that it might be the police. As he had told the police about the important paper. It needed extra protection. So the police was there to make everything all right.
Max got nervous. Ausable asked Max what he would do. If Ausable did not answer the door, the police would enter anyway. The door was unlocked. The police might shoot also. Max's face was black with anger. He opened the window and put his leg out into the night. He asked Ausable to send the police a way. He told that he would go and wait outside on the balcony. He also warned that he would shoot and take his chance.
The knocking at the door became louder. Max had his gun cover Ausable and Fowler, He stood there catching the doorframe with his other free hand to support himself. Then he moved his other leg up and over the window sill. The doorknob turned. Max freed himself and dropped to the
'balcony'. He cried sharply.
The door opened and waiter comes in with and a bottle of wine in a tray. He set the tray at the table. He uncorked the bottle and left the room. This amazed Fowler.
Fowler, who has grown pale with fear, asks about the police. Ausable says that there was no police. Then Fowler asks about the man at the balcony. At this Ausable says that he will never come now as there is no bolcony outside and they are on the sixth floor.