UNIT 3 MYSTERY AND MAGIC

[Image Description: A banner showing a peacock standing near yellow trees against a purple starry sky, with a lunar lander/rover vehicle in the foreground.]

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THE CASE OF THE FIFTH WORD

[Image Description: An illustration of a young girl with pigtails resting her chin on her hand, thinking thoughtfully with a yellow speech bubble containing a question mark above her head.]

Let us do these activities before we read.

I. 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, 'North' is an anagram of 'Thorn'.

1. Change 'thicken' into a place where you cook.
2. Change 'Chain' into a country.
3. Change 'heart' into a planet.
4. Change 'flow' into an animal.
5. Change 'keen' into a part of the body.
6. Change 'tea' into a verb.
7. Change 'super' into something you keep money in.
8. Change 'thing' into a time of a day.
9. Change 'nails' into a slow animal.
10. Change 'dear' into something you do with a book.

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Let us read

I

Glossary:

• mysteries: something beyond understanding

• nickname: pet name

Encyclopedia Brown is a young boy who lives in Idaville, USA. His father is the Chief of Police. In spite of being so young he often helps his father solve mysteries that even the police find difficult to solve. Their discussions are generally held at the dining table. Read this story to find out how the boy wonder solves a case that has been troubling his father...

Encyclopedia's father was Chief of Police. Everyone thought that he must be the smartest police chief in the country. Chief Brown was smart and quick. He didn't sit around and worry. When he came up against a case he couldn't solve, he acted at once. He cleared his desk, put on his hat, and went home to dinner. Encyclopedia solved the case for him before dinner was over.

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.

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.

"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."

"Davenport came to live with Nolan a week before the jewellery store hold-up. During the hold-up, one gunman's mask slipped. A clerk thought she recognised Nolan. But she wasn't absolutely sure."

"I remember now," Mrs. Brown said. "The clerk refused to testify against him, and no trace of the stolen jewellery ever turned up."

Glossary:

• pals: friends

• in a matter-of-fact manner: without showing much emotion

• hold-ups: robberies conducted with the use of threat or violence

• nursery: a place where young plants and trees are grown for sale

• testify: make a statement in court to prove that something is true

• hunch: a strong feeling about something

• loot: stolen goods

• stroke: a sudden serious illness causing inability to move

"Davenport hasn't been seen since the hold-up," Chief Brown said. "My hunch is that he and Nolan decided to hide the loot until things cooled down."

"Didn't you search Nolan's house, dear?"

"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."

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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 ________.

II. Do you think Chief Brown would need Leroy's help to solve this case? If yes, why? If no, why not?

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"What's suspicious about that?" Mrs. Brown asked.

"Nothing about the will itself—just about a sheet from his desk calendar. It was clipped to the will," said Chief Brown.

He took out his pocket notebook and leafed through the pages.

"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?"

[Image Description: A small spiral-bound desk calendar standing upright on a triangular card support.]

Glossary:

• will: (here) a legal document that says what is to happen to somebody's money and property after their death

• leafed through: quickly turned (the pages)

• confessed: admitted

• code: hidden message

• explode: sudden outburst

"Nom is a shortening of nominative, a grammatical term," stated Mrs. Brown, who had taught English and other subjects in high school. "Utes are 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. "As Dad said, Davenport and Nolan must have hidden the stolen jewellery. Probably not a week or so ago, Nolan changed the hiding place."

"You think that he tried to tell Davenport by phone and failed to reach him?" Mrs. Brown asked. "So he wrote the four words as he was dying?"

Chief Brown nodded. "We'll find Davenport now that we know his address."

"He'll learn he has been left the palm-tree nursery," Mrs. Brown said. "And the four words will tell him where the jewellery is hidden!"

"Right," Encyclopedia said. "The code is simple, especially as it's written on a sheet from a calendar. Davenport will understand it easily. Still, it wouldn't make much sense to someone who isn't looking for a hiding place."

"Leroy!" Mrs. Brown exclaimed. "What do the four words mean?"

"You already guessed, Mom. They tell where the jewellery is hidden."

Mrs. Brown looked ready to explode with impatience, "Where?"

Encyclopedia smiled.

"Why, under the fifth word," he said.

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What Was The Fifth Word?

To tell Davenport where he had hidden the stolen jewellery, Nolan wrote a four-word code.

As the key to the code, he wrote the four words on a sheet from a desk calendar.

The four words stood for days of the week.

Nolan dropped the letters d-a-y. Then he used the other letters to form words.

So, Nom = Monday, Utes = Tuesday, Sweden = Wednesday and Hurts = Thursday.

The unwritten fifth word was Fir, or Friday.

The jewellery was found inside a twenty-gallon jug of earth from which grew the young fir tree in Nolan’s nursery—just as Encyclopedia had foreseen.

— Donald J. Sobol

(ADAPTED)

Glossary:

• foreseen: predicted

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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.

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.

Box: cleverness | knowledgeable | keen listener | gentle | humble

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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 ________.

(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.

(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.

(iv) What do you mean by the fact that Leroy was ‘stuck with’ the name Encyclopedia?

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.

(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.

(iii) What does Mrs. Brown's inability to decode the words suggest about the message?

(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)

II. Answer the following questions.

1. Why didn't father tell anyone that Leroy was the real detective?
2. Why didn't Leroy ever speak of the help he gave his father?
3. Why was Leroy nicknamed Encyclopedia? Do you think it was a suitable name?
4. Nolan and Davenport were very close. Support this statement with evidence from the text.
5. Why did Davenport disappear right after the jewellery hold-up?
6. What does Mrs. Brown's interest in the case tell us about her?
7. Explain why Chief Brown was proud of his son.
8. Think of five words to describe Encyclopedia.
9. What is the four-word coded message in the story?

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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.

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.

II. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences by choosing the correct word pairs from the box given below.

Box: 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.

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.

[Image Description: Word puzzles / Rebus puzzles]

• Example: SECRET over SECRET over SECRET with a top box highlighted -> Answer: Top secret
• stand over It
• AGED repeated three times
• Try with 2 and ↑uu
• GO inside It / surrounding words
• sense repeated six times
• M1LLION
• Clock face showing numbers 9 8 11 1 7 5 3 4
• Word ONCE
• Words ROADS crossing diagonally and vertically

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IV. 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.

Box: 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.

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V. 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)

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VI. 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 sentences above 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.

Tense Changes (Time Shift)

• Present $\rightarrow$ Past
• Past $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect
• Past Perfect $\rightarrow$ No change
• Present Progressive $\rightarrow$ Past Progressive
• Past Progressive $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect Progressive
• Present Perfect $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect
• Present Modal (e.g., will) $\rightarrow$ Past Modal (e.g., would)
• Past Modal $\rightarrow$ No change

Pronoun Changes (Subject-Perspective Shift)

• I $\rightarrow$ she/he
• you (singular) $\rightarrow$ she/he
• you (plural) $\rightarrow$ us
• we $\rightarrow$ they
• my $\rightarrow$ her/his
• our $\rightarrow$ their
• your $\rightarrow$ her/his/their
• me $\rightarrow$ her/him
• us $\rightarrow$ them
• mine $\rightarrow$ hers/his
• ours $\rightarrow$ theirs
• yours $\rightarrow$ hers/his/theirs

Time and Place Changes

• now $\rightarrow$ then
• ago $\rightarrow$ before
• today $\rightarrow$ that day
• tomorrow $\rightarrow$ the following day
• yesterday $\rightarrow$ the day before
• next week/month/year $\rightarrow$ the following week/month/year
• here $\rightarrow$ there
• this $\rightarrow$ that
• these $\rightarrow$ those

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 ________ (ii) Mrs. Brown questioned Leroy ________ (iii) Mrs. Brown inquired ________ (iv) Mrs. Brown asked Chief Brown ________ (v) Mrs. Brown inquired ________

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VII. Rewrite the following sentences in Reported Speech.

1. "Why did you stop talking to me?" asked Rohan. Rohan questioned __________________________.
2. "Did you enjoy the family gathering yesterday?" asked my aunt. My aunt asked __________________________.
3. "When will you visit us again?" asked my grandmother. My grandmother inquired __________________________.
4. Madavi said to Ravi, "Will you come with me to meet our old teacher tomorrow?" Madavi asked Ravi __________________________.
5. My friend said, "What gift are you planning to give your brother?" My friend inquired __________________________.
6. "Shall I carry these notebooks to the staffroom, Ma'am?" asked Veenu. Veenu asked her teacher __________________________.

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VIII. Read the conversation between Aditi and Rahul.

[Image Description: A person dressed in a dark blue hooded tracksuit walking away from an open elevator door in a hallway where a wrapped red package has been left on the floor.]

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.

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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.

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Let us speak

[Image Description: A group of school students in uniform standing around a wooden desk in a classroom having a lively discussion.]

I. Read the following words from the text loudly with the help of pronunciation guide given in brackets.

• jewellery (jool-ree)
• clerk (claak)
• dessert (dih-zuht) — a sweet dish

Now, practise reading the following words:

• January (ja-nyoo-uh-ree)
• sour (sau-uh)
• pizza (peet-zaa)
• Wednesday (wenz-day)
• bowl (bol)
• buffet (buh-fay)
• pronunciation (pruh-nuhn-see-ay-shn)

II. Work in groups of five or six. Conduct a group discussion on the topic, 'The Interesting Aspects of a Mystery Story'.

Guidelines:

• The moderator initiates the discussion inviting the speakers to share their views on the subject.
• The speakers take turns to put forth their viewpoint using polite expressions to agree or disagree.
• The speakers may interrupt by raising their hands to add or clarify a point.
• The moderator ensures equal participation of all the members in the group, consolidates views, and calls upon other speakers to respond.
• The moderator sums up the points of discussion, suggests guidelines for future action and thanks the members of the group.

Note: Choose a moderator. Decide upon the duration of the discussion.

Phrases for Turn-taking:

• If I may say something...
• May I draw the attention of this group...
• If I may interrupt...
• Sorry for this interruption...
• I would like to add to what (speaker) mentioned a few minutes ago...

Phrases for Expressing Agreement:

• I'm totally in agreement with that...
• That's absolutely true.
• There's no question about that...
• I fully agree...
• I am with (speaker) on this...

Phrases for Expressing Disagreement:

• I'm afraid I don't agree...
• Not quite so...
• I'm sorry, but I don't quite agree...
• Maybe I'm wrong...
• If you look at it this way, then...

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Let us write

[Image Description: An illustration showing young girls playing a game of soccer on a sports field in front of a goalpost.]

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.

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.

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Let us explore

I. Work in pairs. Read the words and observe the images given below. Check if your answers match. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

[Image Description: A series of six optical illusion / typographic word puzzles representing double readings or visual tricks (e.g., Learn/Teach, Love/Hate, Good/Evil, etc.).]

These are optical illusions which may trick the eye and make you think that you can see two different things.

II. Read the steps to play a language game—Name the Mystery Object.

1. Divide the class into teams.
2. Each team chooses an object and prepares three hints to enable the other teams to name the object.
3. Each team takes turns to name the object given by the other team.
4. If a team names the object with the first hint, they get 20 points, with the second hint 10 points, and with the third hint 5 points.

One example with three hints: (i) I display information for all to share, with a swipe I'm clean and bare.

(ii) I am rectangular or a square, whom neither teacher nor student can spare.

(iii) I am mostly black, sometimes green, now in white too I am seen.

III. Visit the library and look for an encyclopedia. What is it? Check how it is different from a dictionary. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.