by Robert Arthur
NCERT Questions & Answers + Important Extra Questions
NCERT Textbook Questions
How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Answer
Ausable is nothing like the stereotypical spy: (i) He is fat — "sloppy fat" with a round body that doesn't suggest agility or athleticism. (ii) He speaks French with a strange American accent — not the suave multilingual spy of movies. (iii) He lives in a small, ordinary room on the sixth floor of a musty French hotel — not in luxurious or exotic locations. (iv) He doesn't carry visible weapons or gadgets. (v) He looks more like a teacher or businessman than a secret agent. Fowler, the young writer who came to interview him expecting glamour and danger, was deeply disappointed by Ausable's appearance. However, Ausable proves to be brilliant — his greatest weapon is his sharp mind and quick thinking, not physical prowess.
Who is Fowler and what is his role in the story?
Answer
Fowler is a young, romantic writer who has come to meet Ausable because he admires the world of spies and secret agents. He expects thrilling adventures, but instead finds a fat, ordinary-looking man in a dull hotel room. Fowler's role is that of a witness and narrator's lens — through his initial disappointment and then astonishment, the reader experiences Ausable's brilliance. He represents the reader's expectations: we expect spies to be like James Bond, but Ausable shows that real intelligence work depends on brains, not glamour.
What is the significance of the balcony in the story?
Answer
The balcony is Ausable's greatest invention — it doesn't exist. When Max (the rival spy) confronts Ausable at gunpoint in his room, Ausable calmly invents a story about a balcony below the window, claiming it belongs to the next apartment and that intruders have used it before. He is so convincing that: (i) Max believes there is a balcony and decides to escape through it when a knock comes at the door. (ii) Max jumps out the window, expecting to land on the balcony — but there is no balcony. He falls from the sixth floor. The non-existent balcony shows Ausable's genius for quick thinking and deception. He defeats an armed enemy without firing a shot — only with words and psychological manipulation.
How did Ausable handle Max?
Answer
Ausable handled Max with brilliant presence of mind: (i) When Max appeared with a gun, Ausable didn't panic — he started complaining angrily about the "balcony" as if it were a real security nuisance, saying he'd complain to the management. (ii) He invented the story so naturally that Max completely believed it. (iii) When a knock came at the door (actually just the waiter with drinks Ausable had ordered), Ausable told Max it was the police who always checked on him because of his secret documents. (iv) Panicking, Max decided to hide on the "balcony" and jumped out the window — to his death. (v) Ausable then calmly opened the door, took his drinks from the waiter, and went about his evening. He defeated an armed intruder using nothing but his words and wits.
Important Extra Questions
What is the message of the story?
Answer
(i) Appearances are deceptive: Ausable looks nothing like a spy but is the most effective agent. Don't judge people by how they look. (ii) Brain is mightier than brawn (or bullets): Ausable defeats an armed man without a weapon — only with quick thinking and storytelling. Intelligence and presence of mind are more powerful than physical strength. (iii) Calm under pressure wins: While Max had the gun, Ausable had composure — he didn't panic, didn't beg, didn't fight. He simply out-thought his opponent. (iv) Reality vs. fantasy: Fowler expected glamorous spy adventures but witnessed something far more impressive — the power of a sharp mind in a crisis.
Compare Ausable and Max.
Answer
Ausable: Fat, ordinary-looking, calm, supremely intelligent, uses words as weapons, always in control, creative problem-solver. Max: Slim, conventionally spy-like, relies on a gun, doesn't think deeply, is gullible (believes the balcony story), acts out of panic. Irony: Max looks like the better spy but is outwitted by the man who looks least like one. The story suggests that true competence has nothing to do with appearance — the best spies don't look like spies.