Class 10 English - WEST-BENGAL
Supplementary: The Midnight Visitor
Supplementary: The Midnight Visitor by Robert Arthur is an engaging detective story featured in the Class 10 WBBSE English syllabus. It revolves around Ausable, a secret agent who defies the traditional stereotype of a spy by being fat and sloppy. The chapter explores themes of presence of mind, wit, and intelligence over physical strength or weaponry. Ausable cleverly outwits a rival secret agent named Max, who sneaks into his hotel room at midnight with a pistol. This chapter is important for board exams as it tests reading comprehension, character analysis, and narrative understanding through direct and analytical questions.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Ausable's Character
Ausable is a clever and unconventional secret agent who lacks the dramatic physical traits of a typical spy but possesses extreme presence of mind.
Max's Intrusion
Max is a rival, slender spy who sneaks into Ausable's room with a pistol to steal an important confidential report concerning new missiles.
The Balcony Ruse
Ausable invents a brilliant and completely fictional story about a non-existent balcony beneath his window to deceive Max.
Fowler's Disillusionment
Fowler, a young and romantic writer, expects secret agents to be like movie characters, but learns a valuable lesson about reality from Ausable.
Presence of Mind
The central message of the story is that quick thinking and calmness in a crisis are far more powerful than weapons or physical force.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) Class 10 English exams, supplementary reader chapters like 'The Midnight Visitor' typically carry around 5 to 8 marks. Questions usually include multiple-choice questions (MCQs), short answer type questions (SAQs), and analytical descriptive questions focusing on character traits, plot twists, and themes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was there really a balcony outside Ausable's room?
No, there was no balcony. Ausable completely made up the story about the balcony to trick Max into jumping out of the window.
Why was Fowler disappointed when he first met Ausable?
Fowler was a writer who expected secret agents to look like movie heroes with secret messages and dark atmosphere, but Ausable was very fat and lived in a boring French hotel room.
Who was the man at the door at the end of the story?
The man at the door was only the waiter, Henry, who had brought the wine and drinks that Ausable had ordered earlier.
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