Question

Read the given extract and answer the questions given below:

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)

1. Which of the following describes how Fowler felt on seeing Ausable for the first time? 1
   1. excited and happy
   2. indifferent and disgusted
   3. surprised and disappointed
   4. envious and in awe
2. How did the hotel’s atmosphere influence Fowler’s mood? 2
3. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket: 1
   Ausable’s reaction on seeing how Fowler felt shows that he was ______. (observant/embarrassed)
4. In what way does Ausable defy the typical spy image? 1

Answer 1

1. surprised and disappointed
2. The hotel’s musty, gloomy corridor and the small, top‑floor room undercut Fowler’s romantic expectations, making him feel disillusioned and let down rather than excited.
3. Ausable’s reaction on seeing how Fowler felt shows that he was observant.
4. Ausable defies the typical spy image because he is fat, unglamorous, and still has an American accent from Boston; his room and manner are ordinary and prosaic rather than mysterious or romantic.