EnglishCBSE Class 8 · Wisdom Paves the Way

Wisdom Paves the Way, Class 8: The Four Clues and How the Men Deduce

Updated 17 October 2026 · Draft, not yet fact-checked

In Wisdom Paves the Way, four men who have never seen the merchant's camel describe it correctly from tracks alone. Ram Datt reads a limp from uneven prints, Shiv Datt a blind right eye from leaves eaten only on the left, Har Datt a short tail from drops of blood and Dev Datt stomach pain from deep front prints. The King of Ujjain accepts the reasoning and makes them advisers.

Understand Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions

What deduce means. To deduce is to reach a conclusion by reasoning from clues. Each man follows the chain: clue, reason, conclusion.

The four deductions.

Ram Datt noticed that three feet left clear prints and the fourth was faint. Reason: the camel put less weight on one leg. Conclusion: it is lame in one leg.
Shiv Datt noticed that leaves were eaten only on the left side of the road. Reason: the camel did not see the other side. Conclusion: it is blind in the right eye.
Har Datt noticed small drops of blood along the track, probably from mosquito bites. Reason: a long tail would have swished the insects away. Conclusion: the tail is short.
Dev Datt noticed that the front prints were deep and the healthy back foot's print was faint. Reason: the camel was drawing up its back legs, moving with care. Conclusion: it has a pain in the stomach.

Why the merchant is wrong. The merchant hears that the men know details of his camel, yet they say they have not seen it. He decides that they must be thieves and does not ask how they know. This is a hasty judgement. The King listens to all four before deciding.

Scene 2 as a courtroom. The King asks each man to explain, weighs the reasoning, declares the men wise and not thieves, tells the merchant to be careful whom he accuses and offers the men a place as advisers.

Irony. The men wanted a meeting with the King. The accusation of theft brings them before him, so what looked like a misfortune becomes their chance.

Answer pattern. For any question on a clue, write the clue, the reasoning and the conclusion.

Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions: key facts

Ram Datt: Three clear prints, one faint
Uneven weight
Lame in one leg; Clue, reason, conclusion.
Shiv Datt: Leaves eaten only on the left
Right side not seen
Blind in the right eye; Notices what is missing.
Har Datt: Drops of blood on the track
No tail to swish insects away
Short tail; Cause and effect.
Dev Datt: Deep front prints, faint back print
Back legs drawn up with care
Stomach pain; The subtlest deduction.

Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions in real life

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

Reasoning from small clues

Suppose Anaya reaches home and finds wet footprints on the verandah, a closed umbrella dripping in the corner and her grandfather's slippers missing from the rack. She tells her mother that her grandfather has gone out in the rain and is likely to return soon, though she has not seen him.

Which skill from the play is Anaya using, and how can she be sure it is not a hasty guess?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

She links each clue to a reason: wet prints and umbrella suggest rain; missing slippers suggest he went out.
Several clues point the same way.
She keeps room for being wrong and checks when he returns.

Answer: She uses observation and deduction, as the four young men do. Several independent clues support her conclusion, so it is reasoning and not a guess, and she is ready to check it.

Memory hook: Many clues, one careful conclusion.

Tricks to remember Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions

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

L-B-S-S
Lame, Blind, Short tail, Stomach pain.
Use it when: The four facts about the camel in the order of the men.
R-S-H-D
Ram, Shiv, Har, Dev.
Use it when: The order in which the men speak in Scene 2.
Clue-Reason-Conclusion
C-R-C.
Use it when: The shape of every deduction answer.

Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Which man deduced what · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which of these was NOT a clue used by the four men?
(a) a faint footprint (b) leaves eaten only on one side (c) a broken water pot on the road (d) drops of blood on the track

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The pot is not mentioned; the other three are clues (1 mark).

Answer: (c)

Example 2: Clue and conclusion · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Explain the difference between a clue and a conclusion, using one example from Scene 2. Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A clue is what is seen (1).
A conclusion is what is reasoned from it, with an example (1).

Answer: A clue is something observed, such as leaves eaten only on the left of the road. A conclusion is what we work out from it: the camel could not see on the right, so it was blind in that eye.

Example 3: The stomach pain · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Show Dev Datt's chain of reasoning in three links and say why it is the hardest of the four deductions. Answer in 50-60 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Clue: front prints deep, one back print faint (1).
Reason: the camel drew up its back legs carefully (1).
It needs two inferences, not one visible fact (1).

Answer: Dev Datt saw that the front prints were deep while the healthy back foot's print was faint. He reasoned that the camel was drawing up its back legs and moving carefully, which suggested pain in its stomach. It was the hardest because the pain cannot be seen; it needed two steps of reasoning, from prints to posture to cause.

Example 4: Merchant and king compared · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Compare the way the merchant and the King judge the four men. What lesson does the play draw from this? Answer in 70-80 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Merchant: hears details, assumes theft, does not ask (1.5).
King: hears each man, weighs reasoning (1.5).
Lesson: do not judge hastily (1).

Answer: The merchant hears that the men know every detail of his camel and at once decides that they must be thieves. He does not ask how they know. The King does the opposite: he calls each man, listens to his reasoning and only then gives his verdict. The King's fair hearing proves the men innocent and wise. The play teaches us not to accuse anyone hastily but to ask questions and look at the evidence.

Example 5: Irony of the accusation · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

The accusation of theft turns out to be the best thing that happens to the four men. Explain this irony and say what it shows about wisdom. Answer in 80-100 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

State the irony (1).
Link to their wish for an audience with the King (1.5).
Show how reasoning won the King's respect (1.5).
Conclusion about wisdom (1).

Answer: The men wanted to meet the King of Ujjain and hoped he would see their talents, but they did not know how to reach him. When the merchant accuses them of theft, he takes them before the King himself. Their clear reasoning about the camel proves their innocence and also shows their intelligence, so the King offers them places as advisers. What looked like a misfortune becomes the chance they wanted. The irony shows that wisdom, used calmly, can turn a danger into an opportunity.

Where students lose marks in Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions

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

Mistake: Giving the conclusion without the clue
Deduction answers need the reasoning.
Wrong working
Shiv Datt knew the camel was blind in one eye.
Right working
Shiv Datt saw that leaves were eaten only on the left, so the camel could not see the right side.
Do this: Always write clue, reason, conclusion.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Mixing up the four men
Each clue belongs to one man.
Wrong working
Har Datt noticed the faint print.
Right working
Ram Datt noticed the faint print; Har Datt noticed the drops of blood.
Do this: Remember R-S-H-D.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Calling the men guilty or lucky
They were wise, not lucky.
Wrong working
The men guessed correctly by luck.
Right working
The men observed carefully and reasoned from clues.
Do this: Use "observation" and "reasoning".
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Write each deduction as clue, reason, conclusion.
Do not mix the order Ram, Shiv, Har and Dev.
Use "stands for" or "shows" when linking an action to a quality.
For the merchant, mention hasty judgement and the lack of any question.
Finish a long answer with the lesson about fair hearing.

Practice questions on Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions

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 · MCQBoard level
Who deduced that the camel was lame from three clear prints and one faint print?
(a) Ram Datt (b) Shiv Datt (c) Har Datt (d) Dev Datt
Hint
Think of the clue that compares three clear prints with the fourth one.
Answer
(a)
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
How does the merchant's mood change between the road and the court? Answer in 30-40 words.
Hint
Anxious, then angry, then ashamed.
Answer
On the road the merchant is anxious and out of breath about his lost camel. He turns angry and suspicious when the men describe it without seeing it. In court, once the King has judged, he leaves red with shame.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): The King of Ujjain treated the case in a fair way.
Reason (R): He questioned each man separately and judged on the evidence.
(a) Both A and R are true and R explains A
(b) Both are true but R does not explain A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Hint
Does R tell us how the King was fair?
Answer
(a)
Q4 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Choose any two of the four men and compare their qualities with one action each from the play. Answer in 60-70 words.
Hint
For example Har Datt is practical and Dev Datt is calm.
Answer
Har Datt is cautious and practical. On the road he says that they need a strategy before they meet the King. Dev Datt is calm and patient. When the merchant accuses them, he politely says they will wait under a banyan tree if the King wants them. Both are thoughtful: one plans ahead and the other keeps his composure when the others might panic.
Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the King had not asked the men to explain. Write what would probably have happened and what that shows (80-100 words).
Hint
Think about justice and the merchant's anger.
Answer
If the King had not asked them to explain, he would have had only the merchant's word. The merchant was sure that the men were thieves because they knew every detail of the camel. The King might have punished them or sent them away in disgrace, and the camel would still have been missing. Their reasoning about the lame leg, the blind eye, the short tail and the pain would never have been heard. This shows that a fair ruler must listen to the accused and weigh evidence before judging.

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 the setting of Scene 1?Show answer
A road with Ujjain visible in the distance.
2.How many young men are there?Show answer
Four.
3.Which man noticed the drops of blood?Show answer
Har Datt.
4.What animal does the merchant lose?Show answer
A camel.
5.What does the King offer the four men?Show answer
Places as his advisers.
6.What word describes the merchant's judgement?Show answer
Hasty.

Wisdom Paves the Way: The Four Clues and Deductions: frequently asked questions

What is the central idea of the play?

Careful observation and reasoning are signs of wisdom, while hasty judgement leads to wrong accusations.

Is the play based on facts or an imagined story?

It is a story told as a two-scene play; the book presents it as drama, not as recorded history.

How are the clues usually asked in exams?

As short answers asking how one man knew a fact, or as a comparison of the four men.

Who is the best character in the play?

It is a matter of opinion; give reasons from the text, such as the King's fairness.