English Language & Literature — CBSE Class 10 board question

Ausable demonstrated remarkable presence of mind when he invented a fictional balcony to trap Max. Despite being caught off guard by an armed spy, he calmly and convincingly described the non-existent balcony as belonging to the adjacent apartment, giving detailed reasons for its presence. His sense of humour showed in his irritated complaints about the "nuisance" balcony. He then fabricated the arrival of police, forcing Max to jump onto the balcony — which did not exist. This cool, quick thinking eliminated the threat without violence.

Source: The Midnight Visitor, Chapter 3

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Examiners look for two distinct qualities — presence of mind AND humour — with textual evidence for each. Key points:

• Presence of mind: inventing the balcony story with convincing details; fabricating the police knock.
• Humour: his mock-irritated grumbling about the balcony, his casual attitude under threat.
• Do not just retell the plot — link events explicitly to the traits mentioned in the question.