THE STORY: "The Midnight Visitor" by Robert Arthur (for Rahima)
Fowler was a young writer who wanted to meet a real spy. He was very excited to meet Ausable, a secret agent. But when he met him, he felt disappointed.
Ausable didn’t look like a spy at all — he was fat, spoke with an American accent, and didn’t seem exciting. He lived in a small, dull room at the top floor of an old French hotel. Fowler had imagined dark nights, gunshots, and thrilling spy scenes, but instead, he had just spent a boring evening with a clumsy man.
As they entered the room, Ausable tried to cheer him up, saying that soon an important paper would arrive — something so important that people had risked their lives for it.
Suddenly, as the light came on, Fowler got a real shock — a man was already in the room, holding a gun. His name was Max. He was also a spy and wanted to steal the report that Ausable was going to receive that night.
Ausable stayed calm and sat down. He complained about the hotel staff, saying that this was the second time someone had entered his room through the balcony. Fowler looked at the window but didn’t see any balcony.
Max was surprised too. He said he came in using a key and didn’t know about the balcony. Ausable explained that the balcony belonged to the next apartment and that it stretched below his window too. Someone had used it before, and the hotel promised to fix it, but didn’t.
Then there was a sudden knock at the door. Ausable smiled and said, “That must be the police.” He said he had asked the police to check on him because the paper was very important.
Max got scared. He didn’t want to be caught, so he backed towards the window and said he would wait on the balcony. He warned Ausable not to open the door or he would shoot. Then, Max climbed out of the window — but the moment he dropped, he screamed loudly.
Just then, the door opened. It wasn’t the police — it was only a waiter with drinks. Fowler was shocked and asked about the police.
Ausable simply said, “There were no police. Only Henry, the waiter. I was expecting him.”
Then Fowler asked, “But what about Max on the balcony?”
Ausable smiled and said, “There is no balcony.”
Moral of the Story:
Ausable may not have looked like a spy, but he was clever and calm. He used his brains, not brawn, to handle danger — and tricked Max using a smart lie.
Assamese Mixed English :
Fowler ekjon young writer asil, aru he real spy log pai excited feel kori asil. Tar imagination't spy buli hol heman exciting, handsome, gun loi ghura kowa manuh hobo. But jetiya Fowler Ausable log pai, he to dhukhi hol.
Ausable bilak spy jiman cinema't dekha jai, heman bilak’ot fit nokorei. He was fat — dhemaliya, aru tar American accent ekhon dhuniya French city Paris’ot thakileu noxoli gol.
Ausable ekhon old French hotel'or top floor't ekhon small room't thake. Fowler bhabise je he spy logote thaka mane hobo dangor adventure, dark night, gunshot, aru secret message. But actual't he spent just a boring evening with this fat man.
Jetiya room’ot prabesh korile, Ausable try korile Fowler’k comfort diboloi. He koise, “Very soon a paper ahibo — eta dangor important document, jikar babe anek manuhe jibon risk kori ase. That paper might even change history.”
Tetiya light on kora matrei, Fowler shock paise. Room’r majat eta manuh already ase, aru tar haat’ot ase eta gun. Tar naam asil Max. Max koise je sei important paper tu tar babe more safe hobo, so he came to take it.
But Ausable ekdom calm asil. He bhok bhokai koise, “Again! Etiyahe month’t dusorbaru keuba balcony dia mor room’t ahise. I’ll complain to the manager!”
Fowler dekhe je window ase, but kono balcony nai. Max’k Ausable bujai dise je technically, window’r talot eta balcony ase — it belongs to the room next door. Ahi ahileu Max unaware asil he balcony bishoy.
Tetiya door’t knock hol.
Ausable ekdom cool bhave koise, “That must be the police.” He koise he important paper’r security babe police'k kowa ase check koriboloi.
Max ghoror bahirot police ahibo buli bhabi dangor bhoy paisil. So, Max window dia balcony’loi jump korile.
Just tetiya, door khuli gol — aru police nohoi, eta waiter asil. He drinks loi aahi asil, je Ausable order korise.
Fowler ekdom confused. He koise, “But… the police?”
Ausable hahi koise, “There were no police. Only Henry, the waiter.”
Fowler dangor surprise paise aru koise, “But Max? He jumped to the balcony!”
Ausable calmly reply dise,
“There is no balcony.”
Final Message:
Spy hoile dhuniya suit pora, gun loi ghura nai lage. Ausable smartness aru calmness dia Max’k easily trick kori pelale.
Eta spy’r most powerful weapon hoise — brain!
📘 SEBA English Question Paper (50 Marks)
Section: Prose – "The Midnight Visitor" by Robert Arthur
Time: 1 hour
Total Marks: 50
A. Multiple Choice Questions (1×5=5 marks)
Choose the correct option:
-
What was the actual profession of Ausable?
a) A writer
b) A tourist guide
c) A secret agent
d) A soldier -
What did Fowler expect from a secret agent?
a) Exciting adventures
b) Cooking skills
c) Poetic talks
d) Lectures -
What did Ausable say about the balcony?
a) It was blocked
b) It was his own
c) It did not exist
d) It belonged to another room -
What did Max carry in his hand?
a) Knife
b) Gun
c) Map
d) Mobile -
Who was knocking at the door?
a) The police
b) Fowler’s friend
c) The hotel manager
d) A waiter
B. Fill in the blanks (1×5 = 5 marks)
-
Ausable spoke French and German but never lost his __________ accent.
-
The room was located on the __________ floor of the hotel.
-
Ausable said someone entered his room through the __________ last month.
-
Max planned to take away the secret __________.
-
Fowler got his first thrill when he saw __________ inside the room.
C. True/False (1×5 = 5 marks)
Write True or False. If False, correct the statement.
-
Ausable was tall and handsome like a movie spy.
-
Fowler was a secret agent working with Ausable.
-
Max entered the room using a passkey.
-
Ausable had actually called the police.
-
There was really a balcony outside the window.
D. Very Short Answer Type Questions (1×5 = 5 marks)
Answer in one sentence.
-
Who was Max?
-
Why was Fowler disappointed?
-
What kind of hotel room did Ausable live in?
-
What time was the secret report expected?
-
What happened when Max jumped out of the window?
E. Short Answer Type Questions (2×5 = 10 marks)
Answer in 30–40 words.
-
Describe the appearance and nature of Ausable.
-
What trick did Ausable play on Max?
-
How did Ausable create an atmosphere of mystery about the balcony?
-
Why did Max get scared and try to escape?
-
What made Fowler believe that real danger was happening?
F. Reference to Context (3×2 = 6 marks)
Read the lines and answer the questions:
26. “That will be the police,” he said.
a) Who said this and to whom?
b) Why did he say it?
c) Was it really the police?
27. “There is no balcony.”
a) Who said this?
b) Why is this line important in the story?
c) What happened because of this lie?
G. Vocabulary & Grammar (4 marks)
28. Match the words with their meanings: (1×2 = 2 marks)
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (a) Espionage | (i) A secret mission |
| (b) Prosaic | (ii) Ordinary or dull |
29. Change the narration: (1×2 = 2 marks)
Fowler said, “But won’t that man out on the balcony come back?”
"The Midnight Visitor" based on SEBA (Assam Board) pattern.
📘 SEBA English Question Paper – Solved (50 Marks)
Chapter: "The Midnight Visitor" by Robert Arthur
A. Multiple Choice Questions (1×5=5 marks)
1. c) A secret agent
2. a) Exciting adventures
3. d) It belonged to another room
4. b) Gun
5. d) A waiter
B. Fill in the blanks (1×5 = 5 marks)
6. American
7. sixth
8. balcony
9. report
10. Max
C. True/False (1×5 = 5 marks)
11. False – Ausable was fat and did not look like a movie spy.
12. False – Fowler was a writer, not a secret agent.
13. True
14. False – Ausable only pretended to have called the police.
15. False – There was no balcony outside the window.
D. Very Short Answer Type Questions (1×5 = 5 marks)
Answer each in 2 simple sentences.
16. Who was Max?
Max was a secret agent from a rival group.
He came to steal the report from Ausable.
17. Why was Fowler disappointed?
Fowler expected excitement and danger in a spy’s life.
But Ausable was dull and looked very ordinary.
18. What kind of hotel room did Ausable live in?
Ausable lived in a small, gloomy room.
It was on the sixth and top floor of a French hotel.
19. What time was the secret report expected?
The report was supposed to arrive at 12:30.
Ausable mentioned this to Max while talking.
20. What happened when Max jumped out of the window?
Max screamed and fell down.
He had jumped, thinking there was a balcony.
E. Short Answer Type Questions (2×5 = 10 marks)
Answer each in about 4 simple sentences.
21. Describe the appearance and nature of Ausable.
Ausable was a fat man who didn’t look like a spy.
He spoke French and German with an American accent.
He seemed clumsy and boring at first.
But later, he proved to be very smart and clever.
22. What trick did Ausable play on Max?
Ausable told Max that there was a balcony outside the window.
He also said that the police were knocking at the door.
Max believed him and tried to escape through the window.
But there was no balcony, so Max fell down.
23. How did Ausable create an atmosphere of mystery about the balcony?
Ausable lied calmly about the balcony belonging to another room.
He explained it used to be part of a large unit.
He said someone had entered through it earlier too.
This story made Max believe there really was a balcony.
24. Why did Max get scared and try to escape?
Max thought the police had come to catch him.
He got nervous and didn’t want to be caught.
So, he decided to hide on the balcony.
But he didn’t know that the balcony didn’t exist.
25. What made Fowler believe that real danger was happening?
Fowler was surprised when Max pointed a gun.
He had never seen such danger before.
He also believed the police were coming.
All this gave him his first real thrill.
F. Reference to Context (3×2 = 6 marks)
26. “That will be the police,” he said.
a) Ausable said this to Fowler.
b) He said this to scare Max, who had a gun.
c) No, it was not the police but the waiter Henry.
27. “There is no balcony.”
a) Ausable said this.
b) This line shows how Ausable tricked Max.
c) Max believed there was a balcony and fell after jumping.
G. Vocabulary & Grammar (4 marks)
28. Match the words with their meanings: (1×2 = 2 marks)
(a → i) Espionage – A secret mission
(b → ii) Prosaic – Ordinary or dull
29. Change the narration: (1×2 = 2 marks)
Fowler asked if that man out on the balcony would not return.
✅ Total: 50/50 Marks
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