Short Answer Questions: The Midnight Visitor

Q1: What made the story of the balcony so convincing?
Ans: Ausable spoke with confidence and annoyance about the nuisance caused by the balcony and presented specific details to support his claim. He said someone had entered his room through that balcony for a second time, added that the balcony belonged to the next apartment and explained that his room had once been part of a larger unit. These precise, believable details made his account about the balcony convincing to Max.

Q2: Comment on the writer's likely choice to create an unconventional spy character like Ausable in 'The Midnight Visitor'.
Ans: The writer likely created an unconventional spy like Ausable to break the usual stereotypes and make the narrative more engaging. Ausable's ordinary appearance and manner - his size, accent and seeming sloppiness - make him more memorable and relatable. At the same time his quick wit and cleverness surprise other characters and the reader, adding both humour and a fresh perspective on what a secret agent can be.

Q3: Henry unintentionally saved Ausable's life. Briefly comment. 
Ans: Henry, the hotel waiter, knocked at Ausable's door while Max was poised to escape via the supposed balcony. Max mistook the knock for the arrival of the police, panicked and leapt out of the window. Because of that knock, which Henry made while bringing the wine Ausable had ordered, Max fell and Ausable's life was saved without direct violence from Ausable.

Q4: How did Ausable befool Max about the balcony?
Ans: Ausable used a rapid and believable account to convince Max that there was a balcony beneath his window through which people could enter. He described the balcony as a recurring nuisance and suggested that Max must have entered that way. His calm and specific explanation made Max accept the claim, so when a loud knocking sounded at the door Max tried to hide by going out onto the supposed balcony and consequently fell.

Q5: Why did so many people risk their lives?
Ans: Several people risked their lives because Ausable had in his possession a very important paper about new missiles. The information on that report was so valuable and dangerous that rival agents and operatives were willing to take great risks to obtain it.

Q6: How did Ausable kill Max without using a weapon?
Ans: Ausable used a psychological trick rather than a weapon. He quickly invented a convincing account about a balcony and then suggested that the loud knocking at the door announced the police. Panicked and confused, Max tried to escape by going onto the supposed balcony and fell to his death. In this way Ausable removed Max without firing a shot.

And thus, when someone knocked at the door, Max fearing it to be the police, jumped out of the window and died.

Q7: Who was in Ausable's room? What was in his hand?
Ans: A man named Max, who was a rival secret agent, was in Ausable's room. He held a small automatic pistol in his hand.

Q8: What did the secret agent tell Max when he heard the knock?
Ans: Ausable told Max that the knocking announced the arrival of the police. He said he had asked the police for protection because of the important report he expected that night, and that they had come to check on him. This claim was intended to frighten and confuse Max.

Q9: Did Ausable know that it was the waiter who had knocked at the door?
Ans: Yes. Ausable had ordered a bottle of wine and expected the waiter to bring it. He therefore knew that the knocking would be made by the waiter, and he used the real knock to reinforce his claim about the police arriving.

Q10: Was there a balcony outside the window? Give instances from the text in support of your answer.
Ans: No. There was no balcony outside the window. Ausable had invented that account to mislead Max. When Max attempted to get onto the supposed balcony he screamed and fell from the sixth floor. Later Ausable told Fowler, "No, he won't return," confirming that Max had not survived the fall.

Q11. How does Ausable's presence of mind help him handle a dangerous situation?

Ans  Ausable shows great presence of mind by staying calm despite facing an armed intruder. He quickly invents a story about a balcony and the arrival of police, confusing Max. His intelligence and composure help him outwit Max without using force and save his own life.

Q.12. How was Ausable different from the other secret agents?
Ans: Ausable differed from the typical image of a secret agent. He was fat, spoke with a German accent and lived in a modest, gloomy hotel room. Fowler had expected a dashing, romantic figure, but Ausable arrived by telephone appointment and appeared ordinary. Despite his appearance, he was intelligent and very effective in his work.

Q.13. Why was Ausable confident that Max would never return?
Ans: Ausable was confident because he knew there was no balcony and that his account would make Max try to escape in that direction. He realised that a jump from the sixth floor would be fatal, so he believed Max would not survive and therefore would never return.

Q.14. Did Max really deserve to get a chance to accomplish a risky task?
Ans. No. Max did not seem to deserve such a chance because he relied chiefly on his gun and appeared overconfident and less resourceful. His behaviour showed rashness rather than careful planning, and that made him unsuitable for delicate and dangerous assignments.

Q.15. Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disappointed?
Ans: Fowler, a young and romantic writer, wanted to meet the secret agent out of curiosity and imagination about a glamorous operative. He was disappointed because Ausable did not match his romantic expectations: Ausable was a fat, rather ordinary man living in a small, gloomy hotel room and gave no impression of glamour or danger.

Q16: How did Ausable behave to see Max in his room?
Ans: Ausable remained calm, composed and outwardly annoyed when he saw Max. He did not show fear; instead he behaved as if he were irritated by the supposed nuisance of the balcony, using that irritation to support his explanation and to unsettle Max.

Q17: Fowler said that Max would soon come back from the balcony. What did Ausable tell him?
Ans: Ausable told Fowler that Max would never return. He said this because he knew the balcony did not exist and expected Max to fall to his death after attempting to escape.

Q18: How does the author create suspense and surprise in the story?

Ans: The author builds suspense through the sudden appearance of Max with a pistol and the tension of waiting for the report. The unexpected twist-that there is no balcony and no police-creates surprise. The story ends dramatically with Max's fall, leaving a strong impact on the reader.

Q19: What is the important paper that Ausable talks of?
Ans: Ausable had custody of an important paper relating to new missiles. The information was highly sensitive and valuable; it could affect national security, which is why many people had risked their lives to try to obtain it.

Q20: How did Fowler have his first authentic thrill of the day?
Ans. Fowler's first genuine thrill came when Ausable switched on the light and revealed Max standing half across the room with a small automatic pistol. Until that moment Fowler had been bored and disillusioned, but the sudden presence of a gunman demanding the report gave him an authentic shock.

Q21: What was the real story of the balcony below the window of Ausable's room?
Ans: There was no balcony. Ausable invented the account that the balcony had once been a nuisance and that people had entered through it. He used this believable explanation to confuse Max and to induce him to jump out of the window, thereby removing him without violence.

Q22. What message does the story convey about intelligence and physical strength?

Ans: The story highlights that intelligence is more powerful than physical strength. Although Max has a gun, he is defeated by Ausable's cleverness. It shows that calm thinking and presence of mind can overcome dangerous situations more effectively than force or weapons. 

Q23: What story did Ausable cook up regarding the arrival of the police? How did it affect Max?
Ans: Ausable said that he had called the police for protection because of the important report he expected and that the loud knocking announced their arrival. This claim unnerved Max, who feared capture, and added to his confusion; as a result he panicked and tried to escape immediately.

Q24. Why is Ausable considered an unconventional secret agent?

Ans:  Ausable does not fit the typical image of a secret agent as he is fat, slow-moving, and appears ordinary. However, his sharp intelligence and quick thinking make him highly effective. Unlike glamorous spies, he relies on wit rather than physical strength or weapons.

Q25: Who was actually knocking at the door? Was it pre-planned?
Ans. The knocking was by Henry, the waiter, who came with a bottle and two glasses after Ausable had ordered wine. Ausable had planned the wine order, and he used the actual knock by Henry as part of his scheme to convince Max that the police had arrived.

Q.26. Why and how did Max enter Ausable's room?
Ans. Max entered Ausable's room using a passkey. He came with the purpose of seizing the important report about new missiles, believing it was in Ausable's possession.

Q.27. Describe Max as a secret agent.
Ans. Max was a rival secret agent who looked slender and somewhat fox-like in face. He appeared crafty and threatening mainly because he carried an automatic pistol, but otherwise did not seem especially menacing. He had come to steal the important report, but Ausable outwitted him and caused his downfall.

Q.28. How did clever Ausable outwit and get rid of his rival or enemy secret agent Max?
Ans. Ausable outwitted Max by inventing a convincing account of a balcony beneath his window and by claiming that the loud knock at the door announced the police. Panicked and confused, Max tried to escape by stepping onto the non-existent balcony and fell to his death. Thus Ausable removed his rival through clever deception.

Q.29. What happened to Max after he jumped out of the window?
Ans. Max fell from the sixth floor and was fatally injured. Ausable later told Fowler that Max would not return, indicating that Max died as a result of the fall.

Q.30. How do you judge Ausable as a secret agent?
Ans. Ausable may appear fat and unremarkable, but he is exceptionally quick-minded and resourceful. He uses psychological tactics, inventiveness and calm presence to handle dangerous situations. Though he does not fit the romantic image of an agent, his competence and cleverness make him a highly effective secret agent.