The Midnight Visitor — Practice

Question 1

Who is the author of 'The Midnight Visitor'?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: Robert Arthur.

Question 2

What did Max climb out onto, and what was the result?

Accepted Answer

He climbed out of the window onto a 'balcony' that did not exist, and fell to his death.

✦ Answer: a non-existent balcony — he fell and died.

Question 3

Who was really at the door when the knock came?

Accepted Answer

It was the waiter bringing the drinks Ausable had ordered — not the police.

✦ Answer: the waiter (with the ordered drinks).

Question 4

How did Ausable make Max believe in the existence of a balcony?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Ausable calmly complained that this was the second time someone had entered his room through the balcony.

Step 2 — He grumbled that he had already asked the hotel management about that troublesome balcony, making the story sound utterly genuine.

✦ Answer: by calmly complaining about a 'second' break-in via the balcony and about having reported it — making it sound real.

Question 5

Why did Max decide to step out onto the balcony?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — There was a knock at the door, and Ausable said it was the police he had called for protection.

Step 2 — To avoid being caught by the police, Max chose to climb out onto the 'balcony' and wait there until they left.

✦ Answer: he wanted to hide from the 'police' at the door, so he climbed out — into a fall.

Question 6

How is Ausable different from a typical secret agent of fiction?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — He is fat, ordinary-looking, speaks with an American accent, and lives in a dull hotel room — nothing like the glamorous film spy.

Step 2 — Yet he is highly intelligent, calm and resourceful, defeating an armed enemy with wit alone.

✦ Answer: unglamorous and ordinary in appearance, but shrewd and quick-witted — the opposite of the romantic spy image.

Question 7

How does 'The Midnight Visitor' show that presence of mind is more powerful than force?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Max holds a loaded pistol and has every physical advantage over the unarmed Ausable.

Step 2 — Ausable does not panic or fight; he calmly invents a balcony and a story about reporting it.

Step 3 — When the waiter knocks, he passes it off as the police, and Max's fear drives him to climb out onto the imaginary balcony.

Step 4 — Max falls to his death — defeated entirely by Ausable's quick thinking, not by any weapon.

✦ Answer: an unarmed man defeats an armed enemy purely by calm, clever thinking — proving brains beat brawn.

Question 8

What can we learn from Ausable's behaviour in a moment of danger?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Stay calm under pressure — panic clouds judgement, but composure allows clear thinking.

Step 2 — Use intelligence and resourcefulness rather than reacting with fear or force.

Step 3 — Confidence can make even a bluff convincing.

Step 4 — Do not judge ability by appearance — the unimpressive Ausable was the smartest person in the room.

✦ Answer: keep calm, think quickly and resourcefully, project confidence, and never judge ability by appearance.

Practice — The Midnight Visitor