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?
Ausable did not have a detailed plan worked out from the beginning. He made up his plan taking advantage of events as they happened, using his presence of mind.
When Ausable entered the room and found Max with a pistol, he was genuinely surprised, as seen when he blinked and wheezed, "you gave me quite a start." He had no prior knowledge of Max's presence.
The real turning point came with the sudden knocking at the door. Ausable quickly seized this opportunity and cleverly claimed it was the police checking on him. This spontaneous lie created panic in Max, who backed towards the window and threatened to wait on the balcony. Ausable's ability to think quickly and exploit the situation as it unfolded shows he improvised his plan rather than pre-planning it.
Explanation
The question tests whether students understand that Ausable's strength was his 'presence of mind' - the ability to think on his feet. The textbook context explicitly mentions this quality. Evidence from the story shows Ausable was genuinely startled by Max's presence, and the knocking at the door provided an unexpected opportunity that Ausable cleverly exploited to outwit Max.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify that Ausable was genuinely surprised by Max's presence (he blinked and wheezed), ruling out a pre-planned scheme.
Step 2: Note the turning point - the knocking at the door - which Ausable had not arranged.
Step 3: Conclude that Ausable improvised by claiming it was the police, taking advantage of the situation to make Max panic and attempt escape through the non-existent balcony.