NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English, Footprints Without Feet, Chapter 3, presents a gripping story where intelligence triumphs over physical power.
The narrative focuses on Ausable, a secret agent who appears ordinary but proves to be extremely smart when faced with danger. His calm attitude and sharp thinking enable him to handle a sudden threat without resorting to violence.
In The Midnight Visitor Class 10 solutions, students learn the importance of presence of mind and clever reasoning through a well-structured question answer approach. The chapter fits well into the CBSE Class 10 syllabus, helping learners understand key themes, character traits, and exam-oriented questions effectively.
The Midnight Visitor Chapter 3 Summary
The Midnight Visitor by Robert Arthur is a suspenseful story that highlights the power of intelligence over physical strength.
The story revolves around Ausable, a secret agent who is unexpectedly confronted by Max, a criminal holding a gun. Instead of panicking, Ausable remains calm and uses his presence of mind to control the situation.
Ausable cleverly invents a story about a non-existent balcony outside his hotel room and pretends that intruders often enter through it. When there is a knock at the door, Ausable convinces Max that the police have arrived.
Terrified of being caught, Max tries to escape through the imaginary balcony and falls to his death. Through this incident, the story shows that quick thinking, confidence, and intelligence can overcome danger more effectively than force.
Class 10 The Midnight Visitor Question Answer
NCERT Solutions of Class 10 The Midnight Visitor Question Answer helps students understand the cleverness of Ausable and the importance of quick thinking in dangerous situations.
Practicing these questions improves comprehension of the story’s plot, characters, and suspenseful elements. It is useful for exam preparation.
The Midnight Visitor question answer
1. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Ausable was unique among other undercover operatives in several ways. He had a little room in the musty corridor of a run-down French hotel. It was rarely a romantic adventure scene, and it was located on the sixth and upper story.
He was overweight. Even though he had spent nearly twenty years living in Paris, he spoke with an American accent and could only speak French and German. Rather than having dark-eyed women whisper messages into his hands, he got a call to schedule a meeting. He was different from the spy model in several ways.
2. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
The writer Fowler had traveled to see Ausable. The first real thrill of the day came when Fowler noticed a man in Ausable's room pointing a weapon at both Ausable and himself.
3. How has Max got in?
Ausable was enraged since he didn't have a gallery and suspected Max had entered the room by the balcony. Conversely, Max said that he didn't know about the balcony and had entered using a master key.
4. How does Ausable say he got in?
Ausable was enraged since he didn't have a gallery and suspected Max had entered the room by the balcony. But that was the second time someone other than him had come in by the same balcony. Because it was the second time it had happened, Ausable was so unhappy that he wanted to speak with management about the issue.
Think About it
5. “Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler hand ever read.” What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives, and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages other than English. In English fiction, you may have come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)
Secret spies are typically represented in fiction as idealized men who are "tall, dark, and attractive." They are typically surrounded by gorgeous women and have a good build. They would always conduct risky things while puffing on a pipe or cigar. James Bond is a well-known character created by Ian Fleming. The high-tech devices in James Bond films help the detective foil adversaries. This rule does have a few exceptions. The well-known Bangla cinema filmmaker Satyajit Ray created a character called Feluda. Feluda looked like any other bhadralok.
7. 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?
Ausable tells Max that there was once someone who walked in through the balcony into his room. He also told him that he was carrying important documents, which was why he had asked for police protection. After hearing this, Max became frightened and wanted nothing more than to escape the police; he jumped out of the window and fell to the ground. Ausable's ability to think clearly and quickly under pressure makes it believable.
8. 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 to take advantage of events as they happened?
No, I don't think he had a detailed plan of attack. He used the circumstances as they developed. Max was put at risk when Ausable made up a story about the balcony outside the room and said it was the police when the doorbell rang. In his haste, he became restless and sprang out the window without turning around.
Talk About it
9. In this story, Ausable shows great ‘presence of mind’ or the ability to think quickly and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise. Give examples from your own experience, or narrate a story, which shows someone’s presence of mind.
A criminal pointed a gun at Gurrad, who treated him like a guest and held him hostage in his confidence. This is a spoof of the drama "If I Were You." When the police were closing in on him, he managed to get the perpetrator to flee. He gave the thief the order to escape through the cabinet door that served as the exit. The criminal went out the door and was caught in the cupboard.
10. Discuss what you would do in the situations described below. Remember that presence of mind comes out of a state of mental preparedness. If you have thought about possible problems or dangers, and about how to act in such situations, you have a better chance of dealing with such situations if they do arise. You may suggest other such situations.
1. A small fire starts in your kitchen.
I would investigate the cause of the fire. In the event that there is an electrical short circuit, I would use the fire extinguisher after fully cutting off the electrical supply. If food is burning, I would switch off the burner, remove the container safely, and submerge it in water.
2. A child starts to choke on a piece of food.
If giving them abdominal thrusts doesn't help, I'd transport them to the hospital right away.
3. An electrical appliance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.
I would switch off the power to the appliance right away. I'll have an electrician inspect it later before utilising it once more.
4. A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.
I'll assist the pedestrian in standing while I look over any wounds. In the event that they have small wounds, I will administer first aid. If someone gets hurt really badly, I'll call for an ambulance.
5. It rains continuously for more than twenty-four hours.
I'll stay inside and make sure that every window is closed correctly. I will also see to it that the drainage system in my home and the surrounding areas is in good working order.
6. A member of your family does not return home at the usual or expected time.
I'll make an effort to get in touch with them and find out when they plan to return. I will wait patiently for an hour and then get in touch with people they know or the location where they are returning if they are not approachable.
