Skip to navigation Skip to content
About Contact Feedback FAQs
MAK LABS Maximize your learning.
Class 8 English · Unit 3 · Mystery and Magic

The Case of the Fifth Word

Complete textbook exercise solutions — NCERT Poorvi, Class 8 English (CBSE).

Advertisement

Let us do these activities before we read

ISolve the crossword puzzle with clues in the form of anagrams.

Across: 3. CLEARED 6. STUCK 7. EARTH 9. LEFT 10. OWNS 12. WORDS 13. LIVE

Down: 1. CASE 2. DEAR 4. LOOT 5. PALS 6. SHOOK 8. NAME 11. SOLVE

IIMatch the different meanings of ‘case’ with the correct usage.
Column 1Column 2
1. … but that was not the case as he sang melodiously later.(iii) situation
2. The lawyer was waiting for the case to be taken up in court.(iv) matter
3. My pencil case is a gift from my grandmother.(ii) container
4. The subject of a formal letter is written in title case.(i) writing format

The ‘case’ in the title means a matter (a crime) that the police have to investigate and solve.

Let us discuss (Part I)

IComplete the statements with suitable reasons.
  1. Leroy’s nickname was Encyclopedia because he read more books than anyone in Idaville and never forgot a fact. His head was filled with facts from A to Z, like an encyclopedia.
  2. Chief Brown stared at his cream-of-mushroom soup as he had a mystery that he could not solve.
  3. Encyclopedia sat quietly at the dinner table because he knew his parents were discussing the case for his benefit.
  4. Nolan put the will on the kitchen table because he realised he was dying and wanted to leave everything he owned to Davenport.
IIDo you think Chief Brown would need Leroy’s help to solve this case?

Yes. The police had searched Nolan’s house but found no jewellery. They had no proof against Nolan or Davenport. The strange words on the calendar sheet also made no sense to them. So, Chief Brown needed Leroy’s sharp mind.

Let us discuss (Part II)

IIdentify which statements are facts and which are opinions.
  1. Encyclopedia’s father was the Chief of Police. — Fact
  2. Everyone thought that Chief Brown must be the smartest police chief in the country. — Opinion
  3. An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with facts from A to Z. — Fact
  4. Leroy’s friends said that he was like a library and computer rolled into one… — Opinion
  5. Two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. — Fact
  6. Nolan and Davenport had met while both were in prison in South Carolina. — Fact
  7. Chief Brown’s hunch was that Davenport and Nolan decided to hide the loot… — Opinion
  8. Nolan wrote a four words code to tell Davenport where he had hidden the stolen jewellery. — Fact
IIComplete the table with the character traits of Leroy.
Textual EvidenceTrait
1. He read more books than anyone in Idaville, and he never forgot a fact.knowledgeable
2. Encyclopedia never spoke of the help he gave his father…humble
3. Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were discussing the case for his benefit.keen listener
4. Usually, he needed to ask only one question to solve a case before dessert.cleverness

The extra word is gentle.

Let us think and reflect

I.1Read the extract and answer the questions.
Chief Brown would have liked to tell everyone about his only child. But who would believe him? Who would believe that the best detective alive was an eighth grader? So, he said nothing. …

(i) Chief Brown’s dilemma can be called unique because ______.
his son was the best detective alive. But no one would believe that an eighth grader solved cases for the Chief of Police.

(ii) Why did Encyclopedia never speak of the help he gave his father?
C. He desires to blend with the other boys to prevent seeming different.

(iii) Select the reason that is false.
C. They want him to be remembered as different from the others around.

(iv) What does the writer mean by the fact that Leroy was ‘stuck with’ the name Encyclopedia?
Leroy could not get rid of the nickname. Everyone except his parents and teachers called him Encyclopedia, whether he liked it or not.

I.2Read the extract and answer the questions.
Chief Brown studied the four words: Nom Utes Sweden Hurts. He shook his head and passed the notebook to Mrs. Brown again. “Can you figure it out?” …

(i) What does Chief Brown’s reaction of shaking his head suggest?
B. He is confused, unable to make sense of the words.

(ii) Mrs. Brown explained the actual meanings of the individual words rather than decoding the hidden message. (True/False)
True

(iii) What does Mrs. Brown’s inability to decode the words suggest about the message?
The message is cleverly hidden. It makes no sense to anyone who is not looking for a hiding place.

(iv) The purpose of Encyclopedia’s reminder in the last line was to ______.
refocus the discussion on the context of the crime

IIAnswer the following questions.

1. Nolan and Davenport were very close. Support this statement with evidence from the text.
They met in prison and became friendly because of shared interests. Davenport came to live with Nolan a week before the hold-up. Chief Brown believed they did the robbery together. Before dying, Nolan left everything he owned to Davenport.

2. Why did Davenport disappear right after the jewellery hold-up? What might his plans have been if Nolan had not died?
He disappeared so that the police could not catch or question him. If Nolan had not died, they would have waited until things cooled down. Then they would have taken out the hidden jewellery and shared it.

3. What does Mrs. Brown’s interest in the case tell us about her?
She is curious and intelligent. She remembers the details of old cases. She also supports her husband and is eager to know the answer.

4. Explain why Chief Brown was proud of his son.
Leroy solved cases that even the police could not solve. He did this at the dinner table, often with just one question. Yet he never boasted about it.

5. Why were Chief Brown’s suspicions regarding Nolan and Davenport justified, even when there was a lack of concrete proof?
The two had met in prison. Davenport came to live with Nolan just before the hold-up. A clerk thought she recognised Nolan when a gunman’s mask slipped. Davenport disappeared right after the robbery. Later, Nolan left everything to Davenport. All these facts supported the Chief’s suspicion.

6. Analyse the role of the four-word coded message in the story.
The coded message is the key to the mystery. It tells where the jewellery is hidden. It creates suspense, as no one else can understand it. It also shows Leroy’s cleverness, because he decodes it and helps recover the stolen jewellery.

7. Write a character sketch of Leroy.

Encyclopedia was a knowledgeable eighth grader who never forgot a fact that he read. He read more books than anyone in Idaville. He was very clever and usually solved a case by asking just one question. He was also a keen listener, as he listened quietly while his parents discussed the case. Leroy was humble. He never spoke about the help he gave his father because he did not want to seem different from other boys. He was truly the boy wonder of Idaville.

Let us learn

IMatch the phrasal verbs with their meanings. Then fill in the blanks.
Column 1Column 2
1. put on(iv) wear (clothes, hat, etc.)
2. cooled down(iii) became normal or calmed
3. turned up(i) appeared, been discovered
4. make of(vi) have an idea or understanding of something
5. figure out(ii) solve a problem
6. got away with(v) escaped without being punished
  • A. Finally, some important evidence about the case has turned up.
  • B. After I cooled down, I understood that I had made a big mistake.
  • C. I couldn’t figure out why he was angry with me.
  • D. He put on his special coat and went to his friend’s birthday party.
  • E. Ravi forgets to do his homework but he got away with it as teacher didn’t ask for it that day.
  • F. I do not know what to make of his behaviour.
IIFill in the blanks with the correct word pairs.
  1. After running for 50 kilometres last week, I felt weak for two days.
  2. When the committee met yesterday, they brought four local cases to the fore.
  3. While learning to drive, Rina used too much force on the brake, causing the car to break down.
  4. He has composed a beautiful piece of music in order to bring peace to thousands of people.
  5. She was busy dyeing her hair not caring about the dying flowers in her garden.
IIISolve the picture puzzles and infer what they say.
  • AGED AGED AGED (middle one underlined) — Middle aged
  • Try stand/2 — Try to understand
  • Arrow pointing up with ‘uu’ — Up to you
  • GO It It It It — Go for it
  • sense written six times, the last one circled — Sixth sense
  • M1LLION — One in a million
  • ONCE with a clock — Once upon a time
  • ROADS written across and down — Crossroads
IVFind the correct order for the spoonerisms.
SpoonerismCorrect order
1. knowing sitssewing knits
2. it’s roaring with painit’s pouring with rain
3. plaster manmaster plan
4. blarm wanketwarm blanket
5. tars and cruckscars and trucks
6. shake a towertake a shower
7. bead a rookread a book
8. mardon me padampardon me madam
VFill in the blanks with the words in the box.

Detective stories are exciting, keeping readers guessing (i) who the real culprit is. They take place in settings (ii) where clues are hidden carefully. (iii) Though the mystery seems tricky, a clever detective always finds answers. Readers often wonder (iv) why criminals leave small but important clues. The challenge is to decide (v) which suspect is guilty. (vi) When the truth is revealed, everything makes sense. But one may wonder (vii) if they could have solved it themselves. These stories are fun (viii) because they make readers think till the very end.

Extra words: whose and how.

VICombine the pairs of sentences using the word given in brackets.
  • We went to the place where the incident occurred.
  • The teacher, who is now nearly sixty, said she would retire soon.
  • It was the day when half the class was absent.
VIITransform the sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.
  1. Mrs. Brown asked what was suspicious about that.
  2. Mrs. Brown questioned Leroy what he made of the four words.
  3. Mrs. Brown inquired whether he had not been mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years before.
  4. Mrs. Brown asked Chief Brown if he had not searched Nolan’s house.
  5. Mrs. Brown inquired if there was a young fir tree in Mr. Nolan’s palm-tree nursery.
VIIIRewrite the sentences in Reported Speech.
  1. Rohan questioned why I had stopped talking to him.
  2. My aunt asked if I had enjoyed the family gathering the day before.
  3. My grandmother inquired when I would visit them again.
  4. Madavi asked Ravi if he would come with her to meet their old teacher the following day.
  5. My friend inquired what gift I was planning to give my brother.
  6. Veenu asked her teacher if she should carry those notebooks to the staffroom.
IXComplete the paragraph by transforming the dialogue into indirect speech.

Aditi asked Rahul 1. if he had seen anyone leave a package near the lift. Rahul replied that he had noticed a man wearing a blue jacket drop it off. Aditi asked Rahul 2. what time he had seen that happen. Rahul replied that it had been around 6.45 p.m. Aditi further inquired 3. if he had been able to see his face. Rahul said that he had worn a hood, so he couldn’t see his face.

Let us listen

IMark the statements as true or false.
  • 1. Observation skills help improve your common sense. — False
  • 2. Rushing through tasks helps you focus better and observe more. — False
  • 3. Taking notes or making sketches helps with what you observe. — True
  • 4. Incorporating tips on observation skills will soon lead to success. — False

The podcast says observation skills improve awareness, decisions and memory. It says the tips will help you notice new things, not that they lead to success.

IIComplete the sentences with one to three exact words.
  1. It is important to slow down and take your time to notice several aspects around you more clearly.
  2. The more senses like hearing and smelling you use, the more information you absorb.
  3. People who are curious tend to be better observers…
  4. When you make a note of things, it helps reinforce the details in your memory.
  5. Practising mindfulness helps a person stay present with their surroundings.

Let us speak

I & IIPronunciation practice and group discussion on ‘The Interesting Aspects of a Mystery Story’.

Points for the discussion: suspense that keeps us guessing; clever clues; a smart detective; a surprise ending; it sharpens our thinking.

Let us write

Write a report on an ‘Inter-school Art Exhibition’ organised by your school.

INTER-SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION
by Neha Joshi, Class VIII A (Member, Art and Craft Club)

An Inter-school Art Exhibition was organised by our school, Sunrise Public School, on 15 November 20XX in the school auditorium. Students from twelve schools of the city participated in the exhibition.

The exhibition was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Mrs. Kavita Rao, a well-known painter, at 10:00 a.m. More than 300 artworks were displayed. These included paintings, sketches, clay models, Madhubani and Warli art, and craft made from waste material. Following the inauguration, visitors were taken around the stalls by student volunteers.

Subsequently, a live painting competition was held on the theme ‘Save Water’. The entries were judged by a panel of art teachers. Finally, the best three entries were selected.

The prizes were given away by the Chief Guest. She praised the young artists and said, “Art helps us express what words cannot.” The exhibition was a great success and showcased the creative talent of the students.

Let us explore

IObserve the optical illusions.

These images can be seen in two ways. For example, image 1 reads ‘teach’ and ‘learn’, image 2 reads ‘hate’ and ‘love’, and image 3 reads ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Image 5 shows a penguin and a man’s face, and image 6 shows pillars and human faces.

IIName the mystery object from the three hints.

The object is the board (blackboard).

III & IVEncyclopedia and thesaurus.

An encyclopedia gives detailed information on many topics arranged from A to Z. A dictionary gives the meaning, pronunciation and usage of words.

Thesaurus examples: happy – joyful, cheerful; big – large, huge; fast – quick, swift; brave – bold, fearless; clever – smart, intelligent.

← Verghese Kurien — I Too Had a Dream The Magic Brush of Dreams →