CBSE Class 8 English Unit 3 Mystery And Magic Chapter 1 The Case of the Fifth Word Important Question Answers from Poorvi Book
Class 8 English The Case of the Fifth Word Question Answers – Looking for questions and answers for CBSE Class 8 English Unit 3 Mystery And Magic Chapter 1 – The Case of the Fifth Word? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 8 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Unit 3 Mystery And Magic Chapter 1 – The Case of the Fifth Word now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract-based questions, multiple choice questions and Extra Question Answers
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- The Case of the Fifth Word NCERT Solutions
- The Case of the Fifth Word Grammar Exercises
- The Case of the Fifth Word Extract Based Questions
- The Case of the Fifth Word Multiple Choice Questions
- The Case of the Fifth Word Extra Question Answers
Related:
- The Case of the Fifth Word Summary, Explanation
- The Case of the Fifth Word Character Sketch
- Class 8 English Poorvi Book Lesson Notes
The Case of the Fifth Word Textbook Questions (NCERT Solutions)
Exercises
Let us do these activities before we read.
1. Work in pairs. Solve the crossword puzzle given below with the clues in the form of anagrams.
| Note: An anagram is a word or phrase that is made by rearranging the letters in a different order to make a new word or phrase. For example, ‘Neat’ is an anagram of ‘a net’. |
Across: 3. Declare 6. Tucks 7. Heart 9. Felt 10. Sown 12. Sword 13. Evil
Down: 1. Aces 2. Read 4. Tool 5. Alps 6. Hooks 8. Mane 11. Loves
Ans.
II Work in pairs. Match the different meanings of ‘case’ in Column 2 with the correct usage in the sentences in Column 1. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| 1. Lalit said that he could not sing but that was not the case as he sang melodiously later. | (i) writing format |
| 2. The lawyer was waiting for the case to be taken up in court. | (ii) container |
| 3. My pencil case is a gift from my grandmother. | (iii) situation |
| 4. The subject of a formal letter is written in title case. | (iv) matter |
Ans.
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| 1. Lalit said that he could not sing 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 |
Now, read the following text and find out which ‘case’ the title refers to.
Let us discuss
I Complete the following statements with suitable reasons. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
1. Leroy’s nickname was Encyclopedia and everyone called him by that name because ______________.
2. At the dinner table on Tuesday night, Chief Brown stared at his cream-of-mushroom soup as ______________.
3. Encyclopedia sat quietly at the dinner table because ______________.
4. Nolan put the will on the kitchen table because ______________.
Ans.
1. His head was full of facts and he never forgot one.
2. He thought about the unsolved mystery.
3. His parents were providing him the facts of the case.
4. He was dying
II Do you think Chief Brown would need Leroy’s help to solve this case? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Ans. Yes, Chief Brown would need Leroy’s help to solve the case because he was not able to decode the code. He could not identify the code and so, he would never solve the mystery.
Let us discuss
I A fact is something that can be proven true or false. A fact is not based on people’s beliefs. An opinion on the other hand is a belief, feeling, or judgement, and can vary from one person to another. An opinion cannot be proven.
Identify which of the following statements from part I and II of the story are facts or opinions. One example has been done for you. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
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.
3. An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with facts from A to Z.
4. Leroy’s friends said that he was like a library and computer rolled into one, and more user-friendly.
5. Two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue.
6. Nolan and Davenport had met while both were in prison in South Carolina.
7. Chief Brown’s hunch was that Davenport and Nolan decided to hide the loot until things cooled down.
8. Nolan wrote a four words code to tell Davenport where he had hidden the stolen jewellery.
Ans.
1. Fact
2. Opinion
3. Fact
4. Opinion
5. Fact
6. Fact
7. Opinion
8. Fact
II Complete the table by choosing the character traits of Leroy given in the box below. There is an extra word that you do not need. One example has been done for you.
| cleverness | knowledgeable | keen |
| listener | gentle | humble |
| Textual Evidences | Traits |
| 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. He didn’t want to seem different from other boys. | |
| 3. Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were discussing the case for his benefit. | |
| 4. Usually, he needed to ask only one question to solve a case before dessert. |
Ans.
| Textual Evidences | Traits |
| 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. He didn’t want to seem different from other boys. | humble |
| 3. Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were discussing the case for his benefit. | listener |
| 4. Usually, he needed to ask only one question to solve a case before dessert. | cleverness |
Let us think and reflect
I Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.
1. 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.
Encyclopedia never spoke of the help he gave his father. He didn’t want to seem different from other boys. But there was nothing he could do about his nickname. He was stuck with it.
Only his parents and teachers called him by his real name, Leroy. Everyone else called him Encyclopedia.
(i) Complete the following sentence with a suitable reason.
Chief Brown’s dilemma can be called unique because____________.
Ans. Hardly any child could help a police officer in solving cases.
(ii) What can be inferred about why Encyclopedia never spoke of the help he gave his father?
A. He is shy and lacks confidence in his abilities to share his insights.
B. He wants to avoid the jealousy others might feel about his skills.
C. He desires to blend with the other boys to prevent seeming different.
D. He is embarrassed about being smarter than most adults around him.
Ans. C. He desires to blend with the other boys to prevent seeming different.
(iii) The parents choose not to call their son ‘Encyclopedia’. Select the reason that is false.
A. For them he is more than his unique abilities; he is their child, with a personal identity.
B. Calling him by his real name reflects their affection and the desire to acknowledge him as an ordinary boy.
C. They want him to be remembered as different from the others around.
Ans. 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?
Ans. He means to say that his friends knew that Leroy was knowledgeable. Everyone acknowledged that Leroy knew many facts and never missed one.
2. 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?”
“Nom is a shortening of nominative, a grammatical term,” stated Mrs. Brown, who had taught English and other subjects in high school. “Utes is an American Indian tribe. Sweden is a country in northern Europe. Hurts is hurts.”
She lifted her gaze to Encyclopedia and shook her head.
“I can’t figure it out,” she confessed.
“Davenport disappeared right after the hold-up,” Encyclopedia reminded her.
(i) What does Chief Brown’s reaction of shaking his head suggest about his understanding of the four words?
A. He is confident that the words are a clue.
B. He is confused, unable to make sense of the words.
C. He believes the words are random and meaningless.
D. He thinks the words are unrelated to the case.
Ans. B. He is confused, unable to make sense of the words.
(ii) Identify whether the given statement is true or false.
Mrs. Brown explained the actual meanings of the individual words rather than decoding the hidden message behind them.
Ans. True
(iii) What does Mrs. Brown’s inability to decode the words suggest about the message?
Ans. It shows that the coded message was strong and no one could decode it easily.
(iv) Complete the following sentence suitably.
The purpose of Encyclopedia’s reminder in the last line of the extract was to _________________. (refocus the discussion on the context of the crime/suggest that the coded message was meant for Davenport/imply that the message was likely a clue about the location of the stolen jewellery)
Ans. imply that the message was likely a clue about the location of the stolen jewellery
II Answer the following questions.
1. Nolan and Davenport were very close. Support this statement with evidence from the text.
Ans. They were close because at the time of his death, Nolan left a note for Davenport and also, gave him a coded clue to the hidden stolen jewelry.
2. Why did Davenport disappear right after the jewellery hold-up? What might his plans have been if, Nolan had not died?
Ans. Davenport disappeared because he wanted to hide from the police who were conducting a trial on Nolan. His plans were to come out of hiding once Nolan was acquitted. Then both of them would share the loot and live a comfortable life.
3. What does Mrs. Brown’s interest in the case tell us about her?
Ans. It shows that she was also detective and interrogative.
4. Explain why Chief Brown was proud of his son.
Ans. He was proud of Leroy because Leroy helped him solve unsolved cases.
5. Why were Chief Brown’s suspicions regarding Nolan and Davenport justified, even when there was a lack of concrete proof?
Ans. His suspicions were justified because Davenport had vanished right after the robbery.
6. Analyse the role of the four-word coded message in the story.
Ans. The four-word coded message was the clue for Davenport that would help him find the hidden jewelry. Nolan was dying of a heart stroke and so, it was the only way for him to convey the location to his accomplice.
7. Write a character sketch on Leroy with the help of the character traits table given in ‘Let us discuss’ section.
You may begin it like this:
Encyclopedia was a knowledgeable eighth grader who never forgot a fact that he read.
Ans.
Encyclopedia was a knowledgeable eighth grader who never forgot a fact that he read. Thus he got this nickname from his friends for his knowledgeable quality. Leroy was humble and so, he never disclosed to anyone that he helped his father in solving mysterious cases. Leroy was a good listener and quietly listened to his parents’ conversation as they supplied him with the facts. Leroy was clever because he always solved the tough cases before the family finished the dinner.
The Case of the Fifth Word Grammar Exercises
Let us learn
I Match the phrasal verbs from the text given in Column 1 with their meanings in Column 2. You may refer to a dictionary.
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| 1. put on | (i) appeared, been discovered |
| 2. cooled down | (ii) solve a problem |
| 3. turned up | (iii) became normal or calmed |
| 4. make of | (iv) wear (clothes, hat, etc.) |
| 5. figure out | (v) escaped without being punished |
| 6. got away with | (vi) have an idea or understanding of something |
Ans.
| Column 1 | Column 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 |
Now, fill in the blanks with the phrasal verbs given in Column 1.
A. Finally, some important evidence about the case has _______________.
B. After I _______________, I understood that I had made a big mistake.
C. I couldn’t _______________ why he was angry with me.
D. He _______________ his special coat and went to his friend’s birthday party.
E. Ravi forgets to do his homework but he _______________ it as teacher didn’t ask for it that day.
F. I do not know what to _______________ his behaviour.
Ans.
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.
II Fill in the blanks in the following sentences by choosing the correct word pairs from the box given below.
week/weak
dying/dyeing
fore/four
peace/piece
break/brake
1. After running for 50 kilometres last _________________, I felt _________________ for two days.
2. When the committee met yesterday, they brought _________________ local cases to the _________________.
3. While learning to drive, Rina used too much force on the _________________, causing the car to _________________ down.
4. He has composed a beautiful _________________ of music in order to bring _________________ to thousands of people.
5. She was busy _________________ her hair not caring about the _________________ flowers in her garden.
Ans.
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.
III Leroy solved the mystery of the missing fifth word with his critical thinking abilities. Work in pairs to solve the puzzles given in the illustrations below and infer what they say. One example has been done for you.
Ans.
Middle aged
Try to understand
Up to you
Go for it
Sixth sense
One in a million
Once upon a time
Cross roads
IV Spoonerism is a mistake made when speaking, where the first sounds of the words in a phrase or a sentence are exchanged with each other. This usually gives a funny meaning.
Some examples of spoonerism are saying ‘wrong load’ instead of ‘long road’, ‘round of mice’ instead of ‘mound of rice’.
Find the correct order for the following spoonerisms.
1. knowing sits
2. it’s roaring with pain.
3. plaster man
4. blarm wanket
5. tars and crucks
6. shake a tower
7. bead a rook
8. mardon me padam
Ans.
1. Snowing kits
2. Its pouring with rain
3. Master plan
4. Warm blanket
5. Cars and trucks
6. Take a shower
7. Read a book
8. Pardon me madam
V Read the following sentences from the text and study the highlighted words.
1. Everyone thought that he must be the smartest police chief in the country.
2. She read what he had copied.
3. They tell where the jewellery is hidden.
4. “Nom is a shortening of nominative, a grammatical term,” stated Mrs. Brown, who had taught English and other subjects in high school.
5. “Nolan and Davenport had met,” Chief Brown said, “while both were in prison in South Carolina.”
6. When he came up against a case he couldn’t solve, he acted at once.
7. The code is simple, especially as it’s written on a sheet from a calendar.
8. They became friendly because of shared interests.
9. Encyclopedia solved the case for him before dinner was over.
Now, fill in the blanks with the words in the box given below to complete the following sentences. There are two extra words that you do not need.
| where | why | who | though | which |
| when | because | whose | if | how |
Detective stories are exciting, keeping readers guessing (i) ____________ the real culprit is. They take place in settings (ii) ____________ clues are hidden carefully. (iii) ____________ the mystery seems tricky, a clever detective always finds answers. Readers often wonder (iv) ____________ criminals leave small but important clues. The challenge is to decide (v) ____________ suspect is guilty. (vi) ____________ the truth is revealed, everything makes sense. But one may wonder (vii) ____________ they could have solved it themselves. These stories are fun (viii) ____________ they make readers think till the very end.
Ans.
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.
VI Combine the following pairs of sentences using the word given in brackets. One example has been done for you.
1. We gave him the signal. He was waiting for the signal. (that)
Answer: We gave him the signal that he was waiting for.
2. We went to a place. The incident occurred there. (where)
3. Teacher said she would retire soon. She is now nearly sixty. (who)
4. It was the day. Half the class was absent. (when)
Ans.
2. We went to the place where the incident occured.
3. The teacher who is now nearly sixty, said that she would retire soon.
4. It was the day when half the class was absent.
VII Read the following sentences from the text.
1. “What’s suspicious about that?” Mrs. Brown asked.
2. “What do you make of the four words, Leroy?”
3. “Wasn’t he mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years ago?”
4. “Didn’t you search Nolan’s house, dear?”
5. “Is there a young fir tree in Mr. Nolan’s palm-tree nursery?”
The given sentences are the direct words of the speaker, hence, they are in direct speech.
While reporting these direct words to someone else at some other time and some other place, we make certain modifications in person, tense, and adverbs of place and time.
There are two types of Interrogative sentences. They are Wh– questions and Yes/No questions.
Steps for Reporting Wh– questions and Yes/No questions
1. Replace the reporting verb ‘said’ with words like ‘asked’, ‘inquired’ ‘interrogated’, or ‘questioned’.
2. Convert the interrogative sentence into a declarative one.
3. Apply the appropriate tense shift as per the rules of tense changes.
4. Remove quotation marks and the question mark.
5. Omit the conjunction ‘that’ in the reported speech.
6. In Wh– questions, place the Wh– word immediately after the reporting verb in the reported speech.
7. In Yes/No questions, use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ immediately after the reporting verb in the reported speech.
Now, follow these steps to transform the sentences given as examples from direct speech to indirect speech.
Indirect Speech
(i) Mrs. Brown asked what was suspicious about that.
(ii) Mrs. Brown questioned Leroy what did he make of the four words.
(iii) Mrs. Brown inquired if he was mixed up in a jewelry robbery a few years ago.
(iv) Mrs. Brown asked Chief Brown that they had not searched Nolan’s house.
(v) Mrs. Brown inquired if there was a young fir tree in Mr Nolan’s palm-tree nursery.
VIII Rewrite the following sentences in Reported Speech.
1. “Why did you stop talking to me?” asked Rohan.
Ans. Rohan questioned me that why had I stopped talking to him.
2. “Did you enjoy the family gathering yesterday?” asked my aunt.
Ans. My aunt asked if I had enjoyed the family gathering the previous day.
3. “When will you visit us again?” asked my grandmother.
Ans. My grandmother inquired when would I visit them again.
4. Madavi said to Ravi, “Will you come with me to meet our old teacher tomorrow?” asked Madavi.
Ans. Madavi asked Ravi if he would go with her to meet their old teacher the next day.
5. My friend said, “What gift are you planning to give your brother?”
Ans. My friend inquired what gift was I planning to give to my brother.
6. “Shall I carry these notebooks to the staffroom, Ma’am?” asked Veenu.
Ans. Veenu asked her teacher if he should carry those notebooks to the staffroom.
IX Read the conversation between Aditi and Rahul.
ADITI: Did you see anyone leave a package near the lift?
RAHUL: I noticed a man wearing a blue jacket drop it off.
ADITI: What time did you see this happen?
RAHUL: It was around 6:45 p.m.
ADITI: Were you able to see his face?
RAHUL: He wore a hood and so I couldn’t see his face.
Complete the following paragraph by transforming the dialogue in indirect speech.
Aditi asked Rahul 1. ___________________________________________________.
Rahul replied that he had noticed a man wearing a blue jacket drop it off.
Aditi asked Rahul 2. ___________________________________________________.
Rahul replied that it had been around 6.45 p.m.
Aditi further inquired 3. _______________________________________________.
Rahul said that he had worn a hood, so he couldn’t see his face.
Ans.
1. If he had noticed anyone leave a package near the lift.
2. At what time had he seen that happen.
3. If he was able to see his face.
Let us listen
I You will listen to a podcast about ways of improving observation skills. As you listen, mark the statements 1–4 as true or false. (Transcript for teacher on page 151)
1. Observation skills help improve your common sense.
2. Rushing through tasks helps you focus better and observe more.
3. Taking notes or making sketches helps with what you observe.
4. Incorporating tips on observation skills will soon lead to success.
II You will once again listen to the podcast. As you listen, complete the given sentences by filling in the blanks with one to three exact words you hear.
1. It is important to slow down and ___________________ to notice several aspects around you more clearly.
2. The more senses like hearing and smelling you use, the more ___________________ you absorb.
3. People who are ___________________ tend to be better observers because they seek to understand what they notice.
4. When you make a note of things, it helps reinforce the ________________ in your memory.
5. Practising mindfulness helps a person stay ___________________ with their surroundings.
Ans.
1. Take your time
2. Information
3. Curious
4. Details
5. engaged
Let us write
I A report is written for an event that has already occurred. The purpose of a report is to provide first-hand details of an incident or event. It presents the information in a proper sequence.
Read the sample report written about the ‘Inter-school Football Tournament’ organised by your Vidyalaya.
Note the format, content, and language used.
| Inter-school Football Tournament by __________________________ | Title—Byline (Reporter’s Name and Class) |
| An Inter-school Football Tournament was organised by our Vidyalaya from 21 April 20XX to 24 April 20XX at Motinagar Football Ground. Ten teams participated in the tournament. | Paragraph 1:
• What • Who • When • Where Note: use of past tense, for example, organised, participated, etc. |
| The tournament was declared open by the Chief Guest, Dr. Singh, Honorary Sports Secretary of the State, on Wednesday, 21 April 20XX in the presence of all the teams and spectators from the participating schools. The matches were held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on all the days of the tournament. Following a tough competition, the teams from ABC Senior Secondary School and XYZ Senior Secondary School emerged as the finalists. For the final match, players from both these teams were cheered by students from their respective schools. After an exciting match, the score was tied at 3–3. Subsequently, a penalty shootout was used as tie breaker by the referee to decide the winner. Finally, the team from ABC Senior Secondary School won the penalty shootout and was declared the winner. |
Paragraphs 2 and 3:
• Description of the event in detail Note: (i) use sequence markers: following, after, subsequently, finally (ii) use of passive form: was declared, were held, were cheered, etc. |
| The winning team was awarded with a trophy, medals, and certificates by the Chief Guest. Addressing the students,he said,“All of you must take up a sport to keep yourself healthy.” The inter-school football tournament was a great success, showcasing exceptional talent, teamwork, and sportsmanship among the participating teams. | Paragraph 4:
• Prize giving ceremony • Remarks by the Chief Guest |
Now, as a member of the Art and Craft Club, write a report on an ‘Inter-school Art Exhibition’ organised by your school. Include the necessary details.
Ans.
Inter-school Art Exhibition
An Inter-school Art Exhibition was organised by our school from 16th to 18th September 2025. Students from fifteen schools participated and displayed various artistic models and creations.
The Exhibition was inaugurated by the school principal and the Vice Principal of Navchetan Pathshala was the guest of honour. The displays were judged and the announcement of winners was done on the 18th. All winners get a chance to represent the state in inter-state Art exhibition to be held in November. The panel of judges include prominent art enthusiasts, artists and the principal of the arts college.
The Principal gave a speech of thanks in the closing ceremony. She lauded the efforts of the participants and thanked the schools for taking part with enthusiasm.
The exhibition was a great success!
CBSE Class 8 English Unit 3 Chapter 1 The Case of the Fifth Word Extract-Based Questions
A. Only his parents and teachers called him by his real name, Leroy. Everyone else called him Encyclopedia.
An encyclopedia is a book or set of books filled with facts from A to Z. So was Encyclopedia’s head. He read more books than anyone in Idaville, and he never forgot a fact. His pals said he was like a library and computer rolled into one, and more user-friendly.
At the dinner table on Tuesday night, Chief Brown stared at his cream-of-mushroom soup. Encyclopedia and his mother knew what that meant. He had a mystery he could not solve.
“Tim Nolan died yesterday,” he announced in a matter-of-fact manner.
Q1. Encyclopedia was Leroy’s _________
Ans. nickname
Q2. Where did Leroy live?
Ans. He lived in Idaville, USA.
Q3. What did Leroy’s friends think about him?
Ans. Leroy’s friends nicknamed him Encyclopedia because they thought that he was like a library and computer rolled into one. He was user-friendly and never forgot a fact.
Q4. What time of the day was it?
Ans. It was night as the family was having dinner.
Q5. How is Chief Brown related to Leroy? Why was he staring at the bowl of soup?
Ans. Chief Brown was Leroy’s father. He was staring at the bowl of soup because he had a mystery that he could not solve.
B. “Tim Nolan died yesterday,” he announced in a matter-of-fact manner.
“That name is familiar,” Mrs. Brown said. “Wasn’t he mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years ago?”
“Five years ago,” Chief Brown replied. “Two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. They got away with a million dollars worth of jewellery.”
“I thought Tim Nolan was arrested,” Mrs. Brown said.
“He was questioned, not arrested,” Chief Brown corrected.
“I always believed that Nolan and a friend, a man named Daniel Davenport, pulled the hold-ups. There wasn’t any proof, though.”
Encyclopedia sat quietly. He knew his mother and father were discussing the case for his benefit.
His father filled in the facts.
“Nolan and Davenport had met,” Chief Brown said, “while both were in prison in South Carolina. They became friendly because of shared interests. Nolan was let out first. He settled in Idaville and started a small palm-tree nursery. It barely yielded him a living.”
Q1. Who was Tim Nolan?
Ans. Tim was a thief.
Q2. Who was Tim’s accomplice in the robbery?
Ans. Daniel Davenport was Tim’s accomplice in the robbery.
Q3. Where did the two meet for the first time?
Ans. They met at a prison in South Carolina.
Q4. Where did Nolan settle and what work did he do?
Ans. Time Nolan settled in Idaville and started a palm tree nursery.
Q5. What had happened five years ago?
Ans. Five years ago two masked men robbed the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. They got away with a million dollars worth of jewellery.
C. “I got a court order this morning,” Chief Brown said. “Officers Lewis and Maloney just about took Nolan’s house apart. They didn’t find one piece of the stolen jewellery.”
“Is there some mystery about Nolan’s death yesterday?” Mrs. Brown inquired.
“Yes and no,” Chief Brown answered. “Nolan suffered from a bad heart for many years. Yesterday morning he had a stroke. He must have realised he was dying. With his last strength, he managed to put his will on the kitchen table. It leaves everything he owns, including his palm-tree nursery to Davenport.”
Q1. Chief Brown got a court order for what?
Ans. He got a court order to search Tim Nolan’s residence.
Q2. What profession does Chief Brown pursue?
Ans. Chief Brown is a police officer.
Q3. What was the cause of Nolan’s death?
Ans. Heart stroke.
Q4. Who searched Nolan’s house? What did they find?
Ans. Officers Lewis and Maloney searched Nolan’s house but didn’t find any piece of the stolen jewellery.
Q5. What did Nolan leave while he was dying?
Ans. He left his will on the kitchen table.
D. “I copied what Nolan wrote on the sheet,” he said. “Here it is.”
He handed the notebook to Mrs. Brown.
She read what he had copied. “It has Davenport’s name and address,” she said, “and a few words I don’t understand.”
She handed the notebook to Encyclopedia.
“What do you make of the four words, Leroy?”
Encyclopedia read the four words below Davenport’s name and address: Nom Utes Sweden Hurts.
Mrs. Brown looked at him hopefully. Usually he needed to ask only one question to solve a case before dessert.
They were still on the soup.
Encyclopedia leaned back and closed his eyes when he did his hardest thinking.
After several seconds, he opened his eyes and asked his question. “Is there a young fir tree in Mr. Nolan’s palm-tree nursery?” Chief Brown thought a moment. “Yes, there is… one. On the south side of the house. How did you know?”
“The four words say so,” Encyclopedia answered.
“They do?” said Chief Brown.
“See for yourself,” Encyclopedia urged.
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?”
Q1. What did Chief Brown copy in his notebook?
Ans. He copied the coded message that Tim Nolan wrote on the paper attached to his will.
Q2. Other than Davenport’s name and address, the paper had __ words on it.
Ans. four
Q3. What were the four coded words on the paper?
Ans. Nom Utes Sweden Hurts.
Q4. Encyclopedia asked one question before solving the mystery. What did he ask?
Ans. He asked Chief Brown if there was a fir tree in Nolan’s nursery.
Q5. Were Leroy’s parents able to decode the four words?
Ans. No, they were not able to figure out.
Class 8 The Case of the Fifth Word Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. What is the fifth word related to?
A. a tree
B. day of a week
C. both A and B
D. None of these
Ans. C. both A and B
Q2. Encyclopedia is the nickname of _____
A. Leroy
B. Jack
C. Chief Brown
D. none of these
Ans. A. Leroy
Q3. Mrs. Brown is a __________
A. advocate
B. teacher
C. pianist
D. chef
Ans. B. teacher
Q4. Chief Brown is a ______
A. lawyer
B. judge
C. police officer
D. pilot
Ans. C. police officer
Q5. Who helps Chief Brown in solving the mystery?
A. Mrs Brown
B. Leroy
C. Officer Lewis
D. Tim Nolan
Ans. B. Leroy
Q6. Which of the following best describes a ‘hold up’?
A. Robbery at the Diamond mart
B. Nolan’s business of palm tree nursery
C. Tim Nolan and Davenport’s friendship in the prison
D. Tim Nolan’s sudden death due to heart stroke
Ans. A. Robbery at the Diamond mart
Q7. What is an Encyclopedia?
A. a book
B. a computer
C. a device
D. an AI tool
Ans. A. a book
Q8. How many questions does Leroy ask before solving a mystery?
A. many
B. 2
C. none
D.1
Ans. D.1
Q9. The robbery at the diamond mart was done ___ years ago.
A. 2
B. 3
C. 5
D. 10
Ans. C. 5
Q10. What helped Nolan in getting out of jail?
A. he bribed the police
B. the clerk at the store refused to testify against him
C. the police could not recover the stolen items
D. both B and C
Ans. D. both B and C
Q11. What did Nolan leave on the kitchen table?
A. food
B. plants
C. will
D. nothing
Ans. C. will
Q12. What was attached to the will?
A. a flower
B. torn bit of the calendar
C. a card
D. a photo
Ans. B. torn bit of the calendar
Q13. What do the coded words – Nom Utes Sweden Hurts, stand for?
A. Nominative Steward Destiny Thrust
B. Mon Tues Wednes Thurs
C. Both A and B
D. None of these
Ans. B. Mon Tues Wednes Thurs
Q14. What was the fifth word?
A. FIR
B. FRI
C. IFR
D. FOR
Ans. A. FIR
Q15. What did FIR refer to?
A. Friday
B. Fir tree
C. both A and B
D. None of these
Ans. C. both A and B
Q16. Whose name and address were mentioned on the torn piece of calendar?
A. Tim’s
B. Brown’s
C. Davenport’s
D. none of these
Ans. C. Davenport’s
Q17. Where had Nolan settled?
A. South Carolina
B. Idaville
C. not mentioned
D. Chicago
Ans. B. Idaville
Q18. Nolan died due to __
A. car crash
B. plane crash
C. heart stroke
D. all of these
Ans. C. heart stroke
Q19. What does ‘code’ mean here?
A. solution
B. a hidden message
C. secret recipe
D. password
Ans. B. a hidden message
Q20. The four words in the code stood for _______
A. names of trees
B. days of the week
C. names of jewellery items
D. all of these
Ans. B. days of the week
CBSE Class 8 English Poorvi Book Unit 3 Mystery And Magic Chapter 1 – The Case of the Fifth Word Extra Question and Answers
Answer the following questions-
Q1. Why is Leroy nicknamed ‘Encyclopedia’?
Ans. Leroy is known as Encyclopedia among his friends because he never forgets facts and is a library and computer rolled into one.
Q2. Who prefer calling Leroy by his formal name?
Ans. Leroy’s parents and teachers call him Leroy.
Q3. How is the use of the torn calendar a clue?
Ans. The code written on the torn piece of calendar refers to the days of the week. So, the use of a torn calendar will help to decode it.
Q4. What does the clue lead to?
Ans. The clue leads to the next day of the week – Friday. The three letters in Friday, other than ‘day’ are F-R-I which are decoded to Fir, which indicates that the stolen jewellery is hidden beneath the fir tree in Nolan’s nursery.
Q5. What was the one question that Leroy asked to solve the mystery?
Ans. Leroy asked if there was a fir tree in Nolan’s palm tree nursery.