Questions Answers

1. Answer in a sentence or two the following questions.

a)        Mention two features of Ausable that were uncharacteristic of a detective.

i. Ausable was very fat.  ii. He spoke French and German with an American pronounciation (accent). These were the two features that were uncharacteristic of a detective.

b)       What was Ausable waiting for?

Ausable was waiting for Henry, the waitor, whom he ordered to bring the drinks.

c)        Who was the Midnight Visitor? What was the purpose of his visit?

Max was the mid night visitor. He wanted to get a report concerning some new missiles.

d)       How had Max actually entered the room?

Max had entered the room by using a pass key.

e)        Did Max’s presence alarm Ausable?

Yes, Max’s presence alarmed Ausable.

f)         How did Ausable describe the balcony and the manner in which one could get into his room, through it?

The balcony belonged to the next room, and the balcony extended upto the windows of Ausable’s room.

g)        Where did Max try to hide himself?

Max tried to hide himself in the balcony just below the window.

h)       Who was Henry? Why had he visited Ausable’s room?

Henry was a waiter. He had visited Ausable’s room to bring the drink which Ausable had ordered.

i)          What happened to Max finally?

Finally Max jumped out of the window thinking that there was a balcony, but he fell down to the ground.

2. Answer the following questions in about three to four sentences each.

a. Who was Fowler? Why did he meet Ausable?

Fowler was a young writer. He met Ausable to solve his personal problem.

b. Why was Fowler initially disillusioned with Ausable?

Ausable did not look like a typical detective. He was fat. He spoke French with an American accent. So Fowler was initially disillusioned with Ausable.

c. Fowler was thrilled when he entered Ausable’s room. Why?

As Fowler saw a man with a pistol standing in the room, he was thrilled.

d. How, according to Ausable, had Max entered the room?

According to Ausable, Max had entered the room by using the balcony.

e. How did the three men react to the knocking at the door?

When there was knocking at the door,

·            Ausable just smiled

·            Fowler jumped and

·            Max rushed to the windows in order to escape.

f. Was Ausable really waiting for the police? Give reasons.

No, Ausable was not really waiting for the police, but for the waiter whom he ordered to bring drinks. But he said “police” in order to frighten Max.

3. Answer in a paragraph of about 150 words the following questions.

a. How did Ausable outwit Max?

Ausable was a secret agent and an intelligent detective. He stayed in a small room of a French hotel. Fowler was a young writer who wanted to meet Ausable to solve his personal problem. When both of them entered the room, they saw Max, a spy holding a gun. Ausable asked him whether he had come through the balcony. But there was no balcony at all. Max replied him that he had entered the room using a pass key. He asked Ausable to hand him over the secret papers concerning some new missiles. Ausable passed the time by saying that he would recive those papers at twelve thirty. After sometime, the waiter knocked the door, bringing drinks. But Ausable said that it was the policemen. So Max jumped through the windows in order to escape thinking that there was the balcony. Since there was no balcony, he fell down to the ground screamingly. Thus, Ausable outwitted Max.

b. Describe the significance of the balcony.

When Ausable and Fowler entered the room, they saw Max, a spy holding a gun. Ausable told Max that it was the second time in a month that somebody had got into his room through the balcony below the window. Further Ausable asked him whether he had come through the balcony. But Max did not know anything about the balcony. Moreover, there was no balcony at all. Max replied that he had entered the room using a pass key. He asked Ausable to hand him over the secret papers concerning some new missiles. After sometime, the waiter knocked the door, bringing drinks. But Ausable said that it was the policemen. Max was getting ready to jump on the balcony. On the second knocking, Max jumped through the windows in order to escape thinking that there was the balcony. Since there was no balcony, he fell down to the ground screamingly. This is the significane of the balcony. It shows the cleverness of the detective.

c. Ausable planned to get rid of Max the very moment he noticed him. Explain with supporting evidence from the story.

When Ausable and Fowler entered the room, they saw Max, a spy holding a gun there. Being a clever detective, he understood that Max had come there for the important report. He knew that his room had only one way to enter and exit. His presence of mind made him tell a lie that there was a balcony below the window of his room, which extended from the next apartment. Ausable told Max that it was the second time in a month that somebody had got into his room through the balcony. Further he asked Max whether he had come through the balcony. He replied that he had entered the room using a pass key. Ausable already knew that the waiter would come to his room, since he ordered to bring drinks. When there was knocking at the door, Ausable threatened that it was the policemen. No way to escape, Max thought of the balcony and jumped through the windows. He fell down to the ground, as there was no balcony. This is what Ausable expected. Thus his brilliant plan got rid of Max.

d. Sketch the character of Ausable.

Ausable was a secret agent and an intelligent detective. But his appearance and his American accent did not show him a typical detective. When he saw the spy Max in his room, he was shocked. Soon he understood that Max had come there for the important report. Ausable was not afraid. Being a clever and an experienced detective, he expected Max to jump through the windows. His presence of mind made him tell a lie that there was a balcony below the window of his room. Ausable asked Max whether he had come through the balcony. He replied that he had entered the room using a pass key. Ausable already knew that the waiter would come to his room, since he ordered to bring drinks. When there was knocking at the door, Ausable threatened that it was the policemen. No way to escape, Max thought of the balcony and jumped through the windows. He fell down to the ground, as there was no balcony. This is what Ausable expected. Thus his brilliant plan got rid of Max.

e. Do you think physical appearance matters most for a secret agent? Answer giving reasons in the context of the story ‘The Midnight Visitor.’

In my view, physical appearance does not matter for a secret agent. Generally people expect a detective to be slim, active and fast. But the most important aspect of a secret agent is his intelligence and presence of mind. Ausable was a fat man. His language was not sound. When Ausable saw the spy Max in his room, he was shocked. Soon he understood that Max had come there for the important report. Ausable was not afraid. Being a clever and an experienced detective, ho expected Max to jump through the windows. His presence of mind made him tell a lie that there was a balcony below the window of his room. Ausable asked Max whether he had come through the balcony. He replied that he had entered the room using a pass key. Ausable already knew that the waiter would come to his room, since he ordered to bring drinks. When there was knocking at the door, Ausable threatened that it was the policemen. No way to escape, Max thought of the balcony and jumped through the windows. He fell down to the ground, as there was no balcony. Thus Ausable outwitted Max by his intelligence and presence of mind.

f. The unexpected presence of a criminal wielding a gun triggers different reactions in the two men who entered the room. In this light, discuss the appropriacy of the title.

“The Midnight Visitor” is the title of the story. When the secret agent Ausable and the young writer Fowler entered the room, they saw a man holding a pistol. Ausable was a little surprised because he thought that the spy was in Berlin. But immediately he overcame the shock and planned cleverly to get rid of the spy. On the other hand, Fowler, the young writer, had his first authentic thrill of the day. It was a new experience to him. He may thought the criminal was waiting for Ausable to plunder something from him. As it was the first time Fowler saw a man with a pistol, he was shocked. But the presence of the intelligent detective might give him hope to withstand the unwanted midnight visitor. Thus the title “The Midnight Visitor” is apt.

4. Look at the following expressions used in the story. Match them with their meanings.

Let down : to complain or scold : disappointed

Chuckled to himself : try one’s luck/ take a risk : laughed softly to himself

Take cheer : become enraged : to be encouraged

Raise the devil : Disappointed : to complain or scold

Black with anger : laughed softly to himself : become enraged

Take chances : to be encouraged : try one’s luck/ take a risk

5. Based on your understanding of the story, complete the Graphic Organiser (GO) suitably.

Title : The Midnight Visitor

Author : Robert Jay Arthur (1909-69) American

Setting : 

The room of Ausable

The secret agent

Plot : How the secret agent get rid of Max the spy, in a cunning way.

Characters:

1. Ausable - secret agent

2. Fowler - a young writer

3. Max - the spy

4. Henry - the waiter

Climax : Max jumps out of the window and falls to the ground screamingly.

6. Given below are pictures of fictitious detective characters in English & Tamil short stories. Match them with the authors who created them.

Detective Characters : Authors

Hercule Poirot : Agatha Christie

Sankar Lal : Tamizhvanan

Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson : Sri Arthur Conan Doyle

Sambu : Devan

Ganesh, Vasanth : Sujatha

ESSAY

Introduction

Detective Ausable

The spy’s entry

Description about the Balcony

Demand of the spy

Worst escape

Conclusion