Q1 of 9 Page 18

In this story, Ausable shows great 'presence of mind,' or the ability to think quickly, and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise. Give examples from your own experience, or narrate a story, which shows someone’s presence of mind.

Just like Ausable showed great ‘presence of mind’ or the ability to think quickly and act calmly and wisely in a situation of danger and surprise, we all must stick to our senses and wits and behave in a composed yet clever manner in times of crisis. I too remember having behaved in such a way some months back.


While playing in the park one day, one of my friends fell from the swing and was hit hard on his head. He fainted and his head started bleeding. We were five friends playing in the park and there was nobody around us. Everybody was scared and started crying. I sent one of them to that boy’s place to call his parents and rushed to fetch my bag which had a water bottle in it. I sprinkled some water on my friend’s face after which he regained consciousness. By this time, his parents came and they thanked me for acting wisely in such a situation and took him to the doctor timely. My parents were also very impressed with me.


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1

"Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read." What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages other than English. In English fiction you may have come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)

 2

How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room? Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?

 3

Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his plan for getting rid of Max? Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make up a plan taking advantage of events as they happened?

 2

Discuss what you would do in the situations described below. Remember that presence of mind comes out of a state of mental preparedness. If you have thought about possible problems or dangers, and about how to act in such situations, you have a better chance of dealing with such situations if they do arise.

(i) A small fire starts in your kitchen


(ii) A child starts to choke on a piece of food.


(iii) An electrical appliance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.


(iv) A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.


(v) It rains continuously for more than twenty-four hours.


(vi) A member of your family does not return home at the usual or expected time.