CBSE Class 10 English literature includes Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor from the Footprints Without Feet textbook. Students preparing for school tests and board exams often require a clear set of important questions with answers for effective revision.
Key Short Answer Questions for Class 10 English Chapter 3
Below is a set of fundamental short answer questions that typically appear in Class 10 English assessments. These questions focus on character insights, plot points, and story elements that are relevant for both school and board examinations.
Important short questions include:
- Who was Ausable and how did his appearance challenge typical spy notions?
- What was Fowler’s first impression of Ausable when they met?
- Identify Max and his purpose for entering Ausable’s hotel room.
- Why did Ausable mention a balcony outside his room?
- How did Max attempt to escape and what was the outcome?
- What made Ausable’s strategy successful in outwitting Max?
- How does the story illustrate the value of presence of mind in dangerous situations?
These questions emphasize comprehension of key actions and character decisions within the narrative.
Detailed Answers for Major English Literature Questions
Important answers that students should remember are given here. These can be used to draft responses in 40–50 words or more depending on question marks:
Ausable vs. Typical Spy:Ausable was an unexpected secret agent: overweight, ordinary-looking, and living in a simple room in a Paris hotel. Despite these, his calmness and intelligence proved more effective than stereotypical spy characteristics.
Fowler’s Impression:Fowler, a writer, expected an exciting and charismatic agent but was initially disappointed by Ausable’s unremarkable demeanor. This contrast becomes significant later in the story.
Max’s Intent:Max was a rival agent who entered Ausable’s room to seize a confidential report about missiles. His plan involved using force, but he was ultimately outsmarted.
The Balcony Episode:Ausable fabricated a story about a balcony outside his window and claimed the police had arrived. Max, deceived and fearful of capture, attempted to escape through the imagined balcony and suffered a fatal fall.
Intelligence Over Brute Force:The narrative demonstrates that quick thinking and composure can outweigh physical strength; Ausable’s calm strategy leads to his survival and Max’s failure.
How to Use This Q&A for Exam Prep?
Students should practise writing answers in full sentences and relate responses directly to the text’s events and character behaviours. Focusing on the reasoning behind Ausable’s tactics and Max’s reaction will strengthen analytical answers in English literature papers.