EnglishCBSE Class 8 · Chapter 7

The Case of the Fifth Word Class 8: Summary, Code and Questions

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Case of the Fifth Word, by Donald J. Sobol, opens Poorvi Unit 3. Boy detective Encyclopedia Brown decodes a dying thief's note, 'Nom Utes Sweden Hurts': each is a weekday with 'day' removed. The missing fifth word is Fir (Friday), so the stolen jewellery is hidden under the young fir tree in Nolan's nursery.

What The Case of the Fifth Word is about

The Case of the Fifth Word by Donald J. Sobol (adapted) is the first lesson of Unit 3 (Mystery and Magic) in Poorvi, the Class 8 English textbook. It is a short detective story featuring Encyclopedia Brown (real name Leroy), an eighth grader in Idaville, USA, whose father is the Chief of Police.

Over dinner, Chief Brown describes a puzzle: Tim Nolan, suspected of a million-dollar jewellery robbery five years earlier, has died, leaving a will and a calendar sheet with four strange words, 'Nom Utes Sweden Hurts'. Encyclopedia works out that the words are the days Monday to Thursday with the letters d-a-y removed and the rest rearranged. The unwritten fifth word is 'Fir' (Friday), and the jewellery is found under the young fir tree in Nolan's palm-tree nursery.

The story is about observation, logical thinking and reading clues. The title plays on the word 'case' (a police matter).

CBSE sets no Class 8 paper; your school sets the exam. Expect extract questions, fact versus opinion, character sketch of Leroy, grammar (phrasal verbs, homophones, spoonerisms, linking words, reported speech of questions) and a report on a school event.

Weightage: CBSE sets no Class 8 English paper or marks: Class 8 is assessed by your school, which teaches from NCERT Poorvi. School papers usually mix extract questions, short answers (about 40-50 words) and longer answers (about 100-150 words), plus grammar and writing from the "Let us learn" and "Let us write" sections.Source: docs/research/cbse-8-2026-27.md (NCERT book list, Reprint 2026-27)

The Case of the Fifth Word: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

Introducing Encyclopedia. Chief Brown of Idaville is thought to be the smartest police chief in the country. When he cannot solve a case, he goes home to dinner, and his son solves it before dinner ends. He cannot tell anyone, because who would believe that the best detective alive is an eighth grader? Leroy himself never talks about it because he does not want to seem different from other boys. Everyone except his parents and teachers calls him Encyclopedia, because his head is full of facts: he reads more than anyone in Idaville and never forgets anything.

The problem at dinner. On Tuesday night, Chief Brown stares at his soup, a sign he is stuck. He says Tim Nolan died yesterday. Five years earlier, two masked men robbed the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue of jewellery worth a million dollars. Nolan was questioned but not arrested. The Chief believes Nolan and his friend Daniel Davenport, whom he had met in prison in South Carolina, did it. Davenport moved in with Nolan a week before the robbery. During the robbery a mask slipped and a clerk thought she recognised Nolan but was not sure, and she refused to testify. The jewellery was never found, and Davenport vanished. With a court order, two officers searched Nolan's house thoroughly but found nothing.

The will and the code. Nolan had a weak heart and died after a stroke. Before dying, he left his will on the kitchen table, giving everything, including his small palm-tree nursery, to Davenport. Clipped to the will was a sheet from his desk calendar with Davenport's name, address and four words: Nom Utes Sweden Hurts. Mrs Brown, a former high-school English teacher, explains what each word means on its own but cannot see the message.

Encyclopedia's solution. Encyclopedia closes his eyes, thinks, and asks one question: is there a young fir tree in Nolan's nursery? There is one, on the south side of the house. He reasons that Nolan had written a message for Davenport, who would soon learn he had inherited the nursery and would understand the simple code, especially as it was on a calendar sheet. When his impatient mother asks where the jewellery is, he replies: under the fifth word.

The answer. The four words are days of the week with 'day' dropped and the remaining letters rearranged: Nom = Monday, Utes = Tuesday, Sweden = Wednesday, Hurts = Thursday. The fifth, unwritten word is Fir = Friday. The jewellery is found inside a twenty-gallon jug of earth in which the young fir tree grew, just as Encyclopedia predicted.

Themes and message

Observation and logical reasoning

Encyclopedia solves the case by noticing a pattern (calendar sheet, four words) and reasoning from it, not by force or luck.

From the text: 'Usually he needed to ask only one question to solve a case before dessert.'

Knowledge put to use

Leroy's huge store of facts matters because he applies it cleverly. Mrs Brown knows the meanings of the words but cannot see the hidden link.

From the text: 'he was like a library and computer rolled into one, and more user-friendly'

Humility

Leroy never boasts about helping his father; he wants to be like other boys. Talent does not need to be shown off.

From the text: 'Encyclopedia never spoke of the help he gave his father.'

Crime does not pay

Nolan and Davenport hid the loot for years, but the stolen jewellery is finally recovered.

From the text: 'My hunch is that he and Nolan decided to hide the loot until things cooled down.'

Characters

Encyclopedia Brown (Leroy)

Eighth-grade boy detective; son of the Chief of Police.

Knowledgeable: reads widely, never forgets a fact
Humble: keeps his help secret
A keen listener: sits quietly while his parents talk
Clever and quick: solves with one question

'He didn’t want to seem different from other boys.'

Chief Brown

Encyclopedia's father, Chief of Police of Idaville.

Experienced and thorough (court order, searched the house)
Relies on his son for tough cases
Proud of his son but keeps it quiet

'Chief Brown would have liked to tell everyone about his only child.'

Mrs Brown

Encyclopedia's mother; former high-school English teacher.

Interested and involved in the case
Knowledgeable about words
Impatient to learn the answer

'“I can’t figure it out,” she confessed.'

Tim Nolan

Suspected robber who ran a small palm-tree nursery; writes the code before dying.

Cunning: hid the loot and wrote a coded message
Loyal to Davenport (leaves him everything)

'It leaves everything he owns, including his palm-tree nursery to Davenport.'

Daniel Davenport

Nolan's friend and suspected partner; disappeared after the robbery.

Secretive; never seen since the hold-up

'Davenport hasn’t been seen since the hold-up,'

How it is written

Device	Example	Effect
Suspense	The story stops at 'What Was The Fifth Word?' before the answer.	Invites readers to solve the puzzle themselves before reading the solution.
Humour	Chief Brown 'went home to dinner' when stuck; 'They were still on the soup.'	Light comedy makes the detective story fun and shows how quickly Leroy works.
Pun in the title	'Case' = a police matter (also a container or situation).	The word game in the title matches the word game in the code.
Dialogue	The dinner-table conversation between the Browns	Facts of the case are revealed naturally, as if we are sitting at the table.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

Who would believe that the best detective alive was an eighth grader?
Narrator: Why Chief Brown says nothing about his son's help.
Shows how unusual Leroy's talent is.
he was like a library and computer rolled into one, and more user-friendly
Leroy's pals (reported): Explaining his nickname.
Humorous description of his knowledge.
He was questioned, not arrested,
Chief Brown: Correcting Mrs Brown about Nolan.
Shows there was no proof against Nolan.
My hunch is that he and Nolan decided to hide the loot until things cooled down.
Chief Brown: Explaining why the jewellery never turned up.
Gives the motive behind the hidden jewellery.
The code is simple, especially as it’s written on a sheet from a calendar.
Encyclopedia: Explaining why Davenport would understand.
The calendar is the key clue: the words are days.
Why, under the fifth word,
Encyclopedia: His answer to where the jewellery is hidden.
The punchline and title of the story.

Key concepts

Cracking the code

Rule: take each weekday, remove d-a-y, and rearrange the remaining letters.

Mon(day) -> M, O, N -> Nom
Tues(day) -> T, U, E, S -> Utes
Wednes(day) -> W, E, D, N, E, S -> Sweden
Thurs(day) -> T, H, U, R, S -> Hurts
Fri(day) -> F, R, I -> Fir (the unwritten fifth word)

The calendar sheet is the hint that the words are days. Since the nursery has palm trees and only one young fir tree, 'Fir' points to the hiding place. These words are anagrams: words made by rearranging letters.

Worked example

Using Nolan's method, which day would the code word 'Nus' stand for, and which word would 'Sunday' give if written first?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Add d-a-y back to the letters N, U, S.
Rearrange: S, U, N + day = Sunday.

Answer: 'Nus' stands for Sunday (Sun + day). Written in the same way, Sunday becomes 'Nus' (or 'Uns').

Phrasal verbs and homophones

Phrasal verbs (verb + particle with a new meaning): put on (wear), cool down (become calm), turn up (appear or be found), make of (understand or form an opinion about), figure out (solve, understand), get away with (escape without punishment).

Homophones (same sound, different spelling and meaning): week/weak, dying/dyeing, fore/four, peace/piece, break/brake.

Spoonerism: swapping the first sounds of words, often by mistake, for a funny effect: 'wrong load' for 'long road'.

Worked example

Fill in: The thief nearly ______ the robbery, but the jewels finally ______ in a flower pot. (get away with / turn up)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Past tense: got away with.
Past tense: turned up.

Answer: The thief nearly got away with the robbery, but the jewels finally turned up in a flower pot.

Linking words and joining sentences

Relative and linking words join ideas: who (people), which (things), whose (possession), where (place), when (time), why (reason), how (manner), if/whether (condition or doubt), because (reason), though (contrast).

Joining: 'This is the nursery. Nolan grew palm trees there.' -> 'This is the nursery where Nolan grew palm trees.'
'I met the clerk. She refused to testify.' -> 'I met the clerk who refused to testify.'

Worked example

Join using 'whose': 'Leroy is a boy. His father is the Chief of Police.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

'His' shows possession -> whose.
Place 'whose' right after 'boy'.

Answer: Leroy is a boy whose father is the Chief of Police.

Reported speech: questions

Steps: (1) change 'said' to asked/inquired/questioned; (2) turn the question into a statement (subject before verb); (3) shift tenses back one step (is -> was, did/past -> had + past participle, will -> would, can -> could); (4) change pronouns and time/place words (now -> then, yesterday -> the day before, tomorrow -> the following day, here -> there, this -> that); (5) drop the question mark and do not use 'that'.

Wh- questions: keep the Wh- word. 'Where is the loot?' he asked. -> He asked where the loot was.
Yes/No questions: use if/whether. 'Did you search the house?' she asked. -> She asked if he had searched the house.

Worked example

Report: The Chief said to Leroy, “Can you explain the code now?”

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Yes/No question -> if.
you -> he; can -> could; now -> then.
Statement order.

Answer: The Chief asked Leroy if he could explain the code then.

Writing a report

A report gives first-hand details of an event that has already happened, in order.

Format: title; byline (reporter's name and class); paragraph 1: what, who, when, where; paragraphs 2-3: the event in detail, in sequence; paragraph 4: prizes, chief guest's remarks, conclusion.

Language: past tense; passive voice where suitable (was organised, were displayed); sequence markers (following, after, subsequently, finally); formal, factual tone.

Worked example

Write a report (about 120 words) on a Book Fair organised by your school.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Title, byline.
What, when, where, who.
Details in sequence; prizes; remarks.

Answer: Pages and Possibilities: School Book Fair / by Meera Nair, Class 8B, Member, Literary Club / / A three-day Book Fair was organised by our school from 5 to 7 October 20XX in the school auditorium. Twelve publishers set up stalls. / / The fair was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Ms Anita Rao, a well-known children's author. Over 3,000 books, including mysteries, science titles and comics, were displayed. Following the inauguration, a storytelling session was held for the junior classes. Subsequently, a quiz on detective stories was conducted, and the winners received book vouchers. / / Finally, the Chief Guest addressed the students. She urged them to read every day and to observe the world closely. The fair was a great success.

The Case of the Fifth Word in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Spotting patterns

Suppose your little brother's toys keep vanishing from the living room only on days when the dog is left indoors.

How would Encyclopedia approach this?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Collect facts: which days, which toys.
Look for a pattern: only when the dog is indoors.
Ask one sharp question: where does the dog sleep?

Answer: Like Leroy, I would gather facts and notice the pattern that toys go missing only when the dog is inside. Then I would check the dog's bed or usual hiding corner, where the toys are probably buried.

Memory hook: Facts, pattern, one question.

Not boasting about talent

Imagine you are the best coder in your class and your teacher often asks you to fix the projector laptop.

What does Leroy's attitude teach you?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Leroy helps but does not boast.
He wants to fit in with friends.
Help quietly; share skills.

Answer: Leroy helps his father without telling anyone, because he wants to be like other boys. I can help my teacher happily without showing off, and offer to teach classmates so that the skill is shared, not used to look superior.

Memory hook: Talent shines brighter when it doesn't shout.

Reporting an event

Say your school held a tree-plantation drive and you are asked to write about it for the school magazine.

What should your report include?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

What, who, when, where in paragraph 1.
Events in order with sequence markers.
Chief guest's message and outcome.

Answer: My report would have a title and byline, then say that the Eco Club organised the drive on a certain date at a certain place with a number of students. It would describe the events in order, mention the chief guest's words and end with how many saplings were planted.

Memory hook: What-Who-When-Where, then How it went.

Topics in this chapter

The Case of the Fifth Word: Reasoning and the Code

How the school exam asks The Case of the Fifth Word

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Extract-based (5 x 1 mark)	A passage from the dinner scene with MCQs, true/false, inference about characters and word meanings.	Note who speaks; use margin meanings (hunch = strong feeling, loot = stolen goods).
Fact or opinion	Sort sentences from the story into facts and opinions.	'Everyone thought...' and 'My hunch...' are opinions; events and places are facts.
Short answer (2 marks, 40-50 words)	How was the code made? Why did the Chief keep quiet about his son? Why did Leroy ask about a fir tree?	Give the reasoning step by step with the clue.
Long answer (5 marks, 100-150 words)	Character sketch of Leroy; role of the coded message; qualities of a good detective.	Three traits with evidence from the story; conclusion.
Grammar and writing	Phrasal verbs, homophones, linking words, reported speech (questions); report on a school event.	For reported questions: asked + Wh-/if + statement order + tense shift.

Tricks to remember The Case of the Fifth Word

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

The code
'Nom Utes Sweden Hurts ... Fir': Mon, Tues, Wednes, Thurs, Fri, all without 'day', letters jumbled.
Use it when: Explaining the code.
Case facts
'5 years, 2 masks, 1 million, 0 jewels found': robbery five years ago, two masked men, a million dollars, nothing found in the search.
Use it when: Factual questions.
Reported questions
'ASK-IF-BACK': ASKed replaces said, IF for yes/no (or keep the Wh- word), tense goes BACK.
Use it when: Reported speech.
Report paragraphs
'4W, Details, Prizes': what/who/when/where, then event details, then prizes and remarks.
Use it when: Report writing.

The Case of the Fifth Word: extract-based questions

Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.

Extract 1: One question

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.

(1) · 1 mark · Short answer
Why did Mrs Brown look at Encyclopedia 'hopefully'?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
'They were still on the soup' suggests that:
(a) dinner was late (b) Encyclopedia was solving the case unusually fast (c) the soup was cold (d) the family was not hungry
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What did Encyclopedia do while thinking hard?
(4) · 1 mark · Short answer
After several seconds, Encyclopedia opens his eyes and asks whether there is a young fir tree in Mr Nolan's palm-tree nursery. Why is his question about a fir tree surprising to the Chief?
(5) · 1 mark · MCQ
Report the question: Encyclopedia said, “Is there a young fir tree in Mr Nolan's nursery?”
(a) Encyclopedia asked if there was a young fir tree in Mr Nolan's nursery. (b) Encyclopedia asked is there a young fir tree. (c) Encyclopedia said that is there a fir tree. (d) Encyclopedia asked whether is there a young fir tree.

Show the answersAnswers

She expected him to solve the case quickly, as he usually did.
(b) Encyclopedia was solving the case unusually fast
He leaned back and closed his eyes.
Nobody had mentioned a fir tree, and Nolan's was a palm-tree nursery, yet Leroy guessed that one grew there; so the Chief asks, 'How did you know?'
(a) Encyclopedia asked if there was a young fir tree in Mr Nolan's nursery.

Extract 2: The robbery recalled

“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.

(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, Chief Brown announces 'in a matter-of-fact manner' that Tim Nolan died yesterday, and Mrs Brown asks whether he was mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years ago. 'In a matter-of-fact manner' means:
(a) angrily (b) without showing much emotion (c) in a whisper (d) jokingly
(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which phrasal verb in the extract means 'escaped with something without being punished'?
(3) · 1 mark · Short answer
Why was Nolan not arrested?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Fact or opinion: 'Two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue.'
(5) · 1 mark · MCQ
(See the context given in the first question.) Mrs Brown's questions show that she:
(a) is bored (b) remembers the case and is interested (c) dislikes police work (d) knows the answer

Show the answersAnswers

(b) without showing much emotion
got away with
There was no proof; the clerk was not sure and refused to testify.
Fact.
(b) remembers the case and is interested

The Case of the Fifth Word: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: How the code works · 2 marks · Short answerExam level

Explain how Nolan created the four-word code. Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Weekday names; drop d-a-y.
Rearrange letters: Nom, Utes, Sweden, Hurts.
Fifth word Fir = Friday.

Answer: Nolan took the days Monday to Thursday, dropped the letters d-a-y and rearranged the rest into new words: Nom, Utes, Sweden and Hurts. The unwritten fifth word, made from Friday, is Fir, which points to the young fir tree where he hid the jewellery.

Example 2: Why the Chief stayed silent · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Why did Chief Brown never tell anyone that his son solved his cases? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Wanted to tell, proud.
No one would believe an eighth grader was the best detective.
So he said nothing.

Answer: He was proud and would have liked to tell everyone, but he knew nobody would believe that the best detective alive was an eighth grader. Leroy also did not want to seem different from other boys, so the Chief kept his son's help a secret.

Example 3: Why 'fir' gave it away · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Why was the fifth word left unwritten, and why would Davenport still understand it? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Writing 'Fir' would give the hiding place to anyone.
Calendar sheet shows days; pattern leads to Friday.
Davenport inheriting the nursery would look for it.

Answer: Writing 'Fir' openly would reveal the hiding place to anyone. The calendar sheet showed the words were days, so someone following the pattern, like Davenport, would work out the next day, Friday, and the word Fir. As the new owner of the nursery, he would dig under the fir tree.

Example 4: Why the son succeeded · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Mrs Brown, a former English teacher, could not crack the code, but her son could. Which of Leroy's habits, shown in the story, explain the difference? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Mrs Brown: explained each word separately.
Leroy: linked the words to the calendar sheet and looked for a pattern.
Habits: listening quietly, thinking hard, asking one sharp question.

Answer: Mrs Brown explained each word on its own: a grammar term, a tribe, a country and a verb. Leroy linked the words to the calendar sheet they were written on and looked for a pattern. He also listened quietly to every fact and thought hard before asking one question.

Example 5: The dinner table as a crime scene · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

The case is solved without anyone leaving the dinner table. How does the writer use this setting to create humour and suspense? Answer in 100-150 words. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Setting: the robbery is old; the detective work happens at dinner.
Humour: the Chief goes home to dinner when stuck; Leroy solves it before dinner is over.
The meal as a clock: staring at the soup; 'still on the soup'.
Suspense: facts revealed one by one in conversation; Mrs Brown fails.
The pause at 'What Was The Fifth Word?'

Answer: Although the robbery happened five years earlier, the real detective work in this story takes place at the Browns' dinner table. The setting creates humour: when Chief Brown cannot solve a case, he simply goes home to dinner, and his son solves it before dinner is over. The meal also works like a clock. The Chief stares at his cream-of-mushroom soup, a sign that he is stuck, and when Leroy is about to answer, we are told, 'They were still on the soup.' Suspense builds through the conversation. Facts about the robbery, the prison friendship, the will and the calendar sheet come out one by one, as if we too were at the table. Mrs Brown's failed attempt to decode the words raises the tension, and the story pauses at 'What Was The Fifth Word?' before the answer is given.

Example 6: Qualities of a good detective · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Using this story, explain the qualities a good detective needs and how they are useful in everyday life. Answer in 100-150 words. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Listening and gathering facts.
Observation: calendar sheet, fir tree.
Logical reasoning: pattern, elimination.
Calm thinking.
Everyday use: studies, problems.

Answer: Encyclopedia shows the qualities of a good detective. First, he listens carefully, gathering every fact his parents mention without interrupting. Second, he observes small details, such as the fact that the words are on a calendar sheet. Third, he reasons logically: if the words are days without 'day', the missing word must be Fir, and a fir tree in a palm-tree nursery would stand out. Fourth, he stays calm, closing his eyes to think instead of guessing wildly. These qualities are useful far beyond crime. A student solving a tricky maths problem must read every detail, spot the pattern and test an answer. When something goes missing at home, careful listening and logical steps find it faster than panic. Detective thinking is really just careful thinking, and anyone can practise it.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

How did Encyclopedia work out where the jewellery was hidden? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks) (2 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: calendar sheet clue; words are weekdays minus 'day'; fifth word Fir; fir tree in the nursery.	1
Expression within the word limit.	1

Write a report on a 'Road Safety Week' organised by your school. (5 marks) (5 marks)

Step	Marks
Format: title and byline.	1
Content: what/who/when/where; details in sequence; prizes and remarks.	2
Organisation with sequence markers and paragraphs.	1
Accuracy: past tense, passive voice, spelling.	1

Where students lose marks in The Case of the Fifth Word

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Saying the jewellery was buried under a palm tree
The nursery grew palm trees.
Wrong working
It was hidden under a palm tree.
Right working
It was inside a twenty-gallon jug of earth under the young fir tree.
Do this: Fir = Friday = the fifth word.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Explaining the code without the 'day' rule
Saying only 'the words are days'.
Wrong working
The words mean days of the week.
Right working
Each is a weekday with d-a-y removed and the letters rearranged.
Do this: State both steps: remove 'day', rearrange.
Usually costs: 1 mark of 2.
Mistake: Keeping question order in reported speech
Copying the direct question.
Wrong working
She asked where was the jewellery.
Right working
She asked where the jewellery was.
Do this: Subject before verb; no question mark.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Writing a report in the present tense
Treating it like a notice.
Wrong working
The exhibition is held in the hall and students display art.
Right working
The exhibition was held in the hall, where students' art was displayed.
Do this: Report = past event = past tense.
Usually costs: 1 mark of 5.

Practice questions on The Case of the Fifth Word

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
Where does Encyclopedia Brown live?
(a) London (b) Idaville, USA (c) South Carolina (d) Sixth Avenue
Hint
Introduction to the story.
Answer
(b) Idaville, USA
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
What did Nolan leave Davenport in his will?
Hint
Everything he owned.
Answer
Everything he owned, including his palm-tree nursery.
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Where exactly was the jewellery found?
Hint
Not in the ground directly.
Answer
Inside a twenty-gallon jug of earth in which the young fir tree grew, in Nolan's nursery.
Q4 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Choose the correct homophones: (i) After the long ______ (break/brake) I felt ______ (week/weak). (ii) She bought a ______ (peace/piece) of cloth for ______ (dying/dyeing).
Hint
Meaning decides spelling.
Answer
(i) break, weak (ii) piece, dyeing
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Report these questions: (i) Mrs Brown said, “What do the four words mean?” (ii) The officer said to me, “Did you see the van yesterday?”
Hint
Wh-word kept; if for yes/no; tense and time shift.
Answer
(i) Mrs Brown asked what the four words meant. (ii) The officer asked me if I had seen the van the day before.
Q6 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Join using the word in brackets: (i) This is the jug. The jewellery was hidden in it. (which) (ii) Leroy asked one question. It solved the case. (that)
Hint
Replace the repeated noun.
Answer
(i) This is the jug in which the jewellery was hidden. (ii) Leroy asked one question that solved the case.
Q7 · 1 mark · Very short answerHOTS / competency
Correct the spoonerisms: (i) 'blushing crow' (ii) 'tons of soil'
Hint
Swap the first sounds back.
Answer
(i) crushing blow (ii) sons of toil
Q8 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Make your own code like Nolan's for the months January, February and March (drop 'ary' / or choose a rule), and explain the rule.
Hint
State the rule clearly.
Answer
Sample rule: drop the last three letters and reverse the rest. January -> 'Janu' -> 'unaJ'; February -> 'Febru' -> 'urbeF'; March -> 'Ma' -> 'aM'. Any clear, consistent rule that someone could reverse is acceptable.
Q9 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The clerk 'thought she recognised Nolan' but was not sure. Why is an unsure witness not enough to arrest someone? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Evidence, not guesses.
Answer
An arrest must rest on evidence, and an unsure witness may be mistaken, especially after seeing a face for a moment when a mask slipped. Arresting someone on a guess could punish an innocent person. That is why Nolan was only questioned, not arrested, despite the Chief's suspicion.
Q10 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a report (100-120 words) on a 'Science Quiz Competition' held in your school.
Hint
Title, byline, what/when/where, sequence, prizes.
Answer
Points: title; byline (name, class); para 1: quiz organised by the Science Club, date, venue, number of teams; para 2: rounds (written, buzzer, visual), quizmaster, audience involvement; para 3: tie-breaker, winning team; para 4: prizes, principal's remarks, conclusion. Use past tense, passive voice and sequence markers.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What is Encyclopedia's real name?Show answer
Leroy.
2.What sign showed Chief Brown had an unsolved case?Show answer
He stared at his cream-of-mushroom soup.
3.Where had Nolan and Davenport met?Show answer
In prison in South Carolina.
4.What business did Nolan start in Idaville?Show answer
A small palm-tree nursery.
5.What had Mrs Brown taught?Show answer
English and other subjects in high school.
6.On which side of the house was the fir tree?Show answer
The south side.
7.How did Nolan die?Show answer
He had a bad heart and suffered a stroke.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Author: Donald J. Sobol (adapted); Poorvi Unit 3, Mystery and Magic; detective story.
Encyclopedia Brown (Leroy), eighth grader, Idaville; father is Chief of Police.
Diamond Mart robbery five years ago: two masked men, a million dollars of jewellery.
Suspects: Tim Nolan and Daniel Davenport (met in prison, South Carolina).
Nolan dies; will leaves all, including palm-tree nursery, to Davenport.
Calendar sheet: Nom Utes Sweden Hurts = Mon, Tues, Wednes, Thurs minus 'day'.
Fifth word Fir = Friday; jewellery in a jug of earth under the young fir tree.
Leroy: knowledgeable, humble, keen listener, logical.
Grammar: phrasal verbs, homophones, spoonerisms, linking words, reported questions.
Writing: report (title, byline, 4W, sequence, past tense, passive).

The Case of the Fifth Word: frequently asked questions

What was the fifth word in 'The Case of the Fifth Word'?

Fir, made from Friday with 'day' removed. It pointed to the young fir tree in Nolan's nursery, where the jewellery was hidden.

Who wrote the story?

Donald J. Sobol; the Poorvi version is adapted.

Why is Leroy called Encyclopedia?

Because, like an encyclopedia, his head is full of facts: he reads more than anyone in Idaville and never forgets a fact.

Who were Nolan and Davenport?

Two friends who met in prison and were suspected of robbing the Diamond Mart of a million dollars' worth of jewellery five years earlier.

What is the writing task?

A report on an Inter-school Art Exhibition organised by your school, following the format of the sample football tournament report.

Based on: NCERT Poorvi, Textbook of English for Grade 8 (Reprint 2026-27); NCERT unit PDF: Poorvi Unit 3