Chapter 3: The Midnight Visitor

Important questions — the ones the board asked most (7)

1. Q1Case-based5 marksAsked: 2026

   Read the given extract and answer any one of the following questions (A) and (B) given below : (A) Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read. Following him down the musty corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room, Fowler felt let down. It was a small room, on the sixth and top floor and scarcely a setting for a romantic adventure. Ausable was, for one thing, fat, very fat. And then there was his accent. Though he spoke French and German passably, he had never altogether lost the American accent he had brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago. "You are disappointed," Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder. (The Midnight Visitor) (i) Which of the following describes how Fowler felt on seeing Ausable for the first time ? (ii) How did the hotel's atmosphere influence Fowler's mood ? (iii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket : Ausable's reaction on seeing how Fowler felt shows that he was ________. (observant/ embarrassed) (iv) In what way does Ausable defy the typical spy image ? OR (B) "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die". (Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom) (i) What is the main ideal Mandela is talking about ? (A) economic prosperity (B) representative and free society (C) absolute power (D) finishing racism (ii) How does the statement reflect Mandela's commitment to justice ? (Answer in about 40 words) (iii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket : Nelson's vision was not simply to reverse the oppression but to end it completely as he wishes to ________ (fight / appease) all forms of domination in which all persons live with equal opportunities. (iv) The phrase "prepared to die" shows Mandela's : (A) anxiety (B) desperation (C) passion (D) uprightness

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Hear it from Medha Ma’am · 205 s

   Model answer · Ausable's appearance, extract-based

   1. 1.(i) (C) surprised and disappointed. Fowler expected a romantic secret agent, but Ausable was nothing like one, so he felt let down.1 mark
   2. 2.(ii) The French hotel was gloomy, its corridor was musty, and Ausable's room was small, on the sixth and top floor. It was "scarcely a setting for a romantic adventure". This dull atmosphere made Fowler feel let down. He was disappointed and disillusioned, because the place did not match his exciting idea of a spy's life.2 marks
   3. 3.(iii) Ausable's reaction on seeing how Fowler felt shows that he was observant. Without being told, he noticed Fowler's mood and said, "You are disappointed."1 mark
   4. 4.(iv) Ausable does not look like the usual spy. He was fat, very fat, and unimpressive in appearance. He spoke French and German only passably and had never lost the American accent he brought from Boston. He also lived in a small room in a gloomy hotel, so he did not look like a stereotypical spy at all.1 mark

   • In (ii), write both parts: the hotel was "gloomy", "musty" and "small", and Fowler "felt let down".
   • In (iii), write only the word "observant" in the blank, and give the line "You are disappointed" as proof.
   • In (iv), give at least one clear point, such as "fat, very fat" or that he "had never lost the American accent".

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

2. Q2Short answer3 marksAsked: 2026

   Ausable displayed a remarkable presence of mind combined with a good sense of humour to handle Max. Justify. (The Midnight Visitor)

3. Q3Short answer3 marksAsked: 2026

   How does the setting of the hotel room become a tool in Ausable’s plan to defeat Max ? (The Midnight Visitor)

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Hear it from Medha Ma’am · 75 s

   Model answer · setting as plot device, The Midnight Visitor

   1. 1.Ausable's room was a cheap hotel room, a shabby room, and he used this ordinary setting to create a false narrative to deceive Max. He told Max and Fowler that his room had a balcony that was being used by intruders to sneak into his room, and that this was the second time in a month that somebody had got in through that nuisance of a balcony.1 mark
   2. 2.Ausable used the single window of his shabby room as the entry point for an imaginary balcony. He explained that the room used to be part of a larger unit and the next room had a balcony which extended under his window, and that one could get onto it from the empty room two doors down, making Max believe that someone could enter the cheap hotel room from outside through that window.1 mark
   3. 3.When the knock at the door came and Ausable said it was the police, Max, frightened, backed towards the window of the shabby room and swung himself over the sill towards the balcony he believed existed. Since there was no balcony, Max fell down without any support, and this led to the complete success of Ausable's plan to get rid of him.1 mark

   • Mention clearly that the room was a 'cheap hotel room' / 'shabby room' to set the scene.
   • End with the outcome: Max 'fell down' because there was no support, showing the plan's success.

   Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not CBSE’s official scheme

4. Q4Short answer3 marksAsked: 2025

   How did Ausable get rid of Max ? (The Midnight Visitor)

   How the model answer begins

   1. Ausable, a clever spy, got rid of Max through his presence of mind. When he returned to his room, he found Max waiting there with a pistol. Ausable calmly made up a story that a balcony belonging to the next apartment…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
5. Q5Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   Despite his unusual appearance, Ausable's presence of mind helped him get rid of Max. Comment with reference to the story 'The Midnight Visitor'.

   How the model answer begins

   1. Appearances are deceptive, and Ausable proves it. He was fat and sloppy and did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read. Yet when Max, another secret agent, threatened him with a pistol for the…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
6. Q6Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   One should never judge a book by its cover. Explain with reference to Ausable and how he outwits Max with his presence of mind. (The Midnight Visitor)

   How the model answer begins

   1. One should never judge a book by its cover, because Ausable looks ordinary but is a clever secret agent. Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent. He was fat, very fat, and sloppy, and he wheezed when he…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
7. Q7Short answer3 marksAsked: 2023

   Describe Max as a secret agent.

   How the model answer begins

   1. Max was a rival secret agent who had come to take from Ausable an important report concerning some new missiles.

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "The Midnight Visitor" carry in CBSE Class 10 English?

In the CBSE papers of 2023–2026, this chapter carried about 1 marks and about 0 questions a year; by marks it ranks 27 in English.

Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "The Midnight Visitor"?

The 7 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 7 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

Yes. CBSE publishes its marking schemes; every model answer here is written point by point to the marks the board’s own scheme gives, and checked by a second, independent model.