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NCERT · Class 10 · English

Chapter 3: The Midnight Visitor

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Textbook page 18-19 · 2 questions
Q1Written answer

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.

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Worked solution

This story resembles the play ‘If I Were You’. A criminal held Gerrard as a hostage. However, Gerrard trapped the criminal with confidence and treated him like a guest. He convinced the criminal to run away from that place as the police was behind him. He showed the criminal the exit door for escaping which was actually a cupboard door. The criminal blindly followed Gerrard’s instructions and tried exiting through the door, but was eventually trapped in the cupboard.

Q2Written answer

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.

• A small fire starts in your kitchen.

• A child starts to choke on a piece of food.

• An electrical appliance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.

• A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.

• It rains continuously for more than twenty-four hours.

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

You may suggest other such situations.

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Worked solution
  1. When a small fire breaks out in the kitchen, it is advisable to use a blanket and put it over the fire to shut out the air. We should carefully make sure the fire is not due to an electrical problem so that water can be splashed on it. If it is due to some electrical short-circuit problem, all the electrical outlets in the house must be disconnected immediately so that the fire doesn’t spread unnecessarily to other parts of the house.
  2. The child’s back should be rubbed and thumped slowly until the piece of food stuck in the food pipe is vomited out. However, in case the child finds difficulty in breathing, he/she should be given trained medical help immediately.
  3. As a temporary measure, the electrical outlet connected to the appliance should be immediately disconnected by removing the plug from the socket. Later, an authorised person should be called to repair the appliance and have it checked thoroughly before using it again.
  4. It is advisable to give some first aid to the pedestrian immediately and seek help from people around. If the person has a major injury, he/she could be rushed to the hospital.
  5. Excessive rains can cause floods. All necessary precautions should be taken to save all possessions from getting damaged and as a precautionary measure, it is advisable to inform the concerned authorities for necessary action.
  6. Just in case a family member does not return home at the usual time, we should enquire at the place where he/she might have visited. We can check at their friend’s place or any place they are likely to visit. If none of them is able to give the whereabouts of the family member, it is advisable to inform the local police and seek help in tracking the person.