NCERT Solutions: Expert Detectives

Q1: What did Nishad give Mr Nath? Why?
Ans: Nishad gave Mr Nath a bar of chocolate. He did so because of the lean appearance of Mr Nath, which suggested that he was starving.

Q2: What is “strange” about Mr Nath’s Sundays?
Ans: Every Sunday Mr Nath used to have the same visitor at this home and the two used to have lunch together.

Q3: Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?
Ans: Nishad and Maya got a holiday because of a heavy downpour. The streets were flooded due to the rain. Since no traffic could move through the flooded roads, they got a holiday.

Working with Text

Q1: What does Nishad find out about Mr Nath from Ramesh? Arrange the information as suggested below.

• What he eats
• When he eats
• What he drinks, and when
• How he pays

Ans: Ramesh told Nishad that Mr Nath was not very particular about what he ate. It was always the same food – two chapattis, some dal, and a vegetable. He used to have this food in the morning and the evening. Mr Nath would drink tea once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Ramesh said that Mr Nath would pay in cash and was also a generous tipper.

Q2: Why does Maya think Mr Nath is a crook? Who does she say the Sunday visitor is?
Ans:  Maya thought that Mr Nath was a crook because he had a strange appearance. 

• He did not work but always had money to order his meals from restaurants, and even gave tips.
• The tenants at Shankar House said that he was mad, strange, and unfriendly.
• He sat in his room all day, and nobody except a spectacled, fair, fat man visited him.
• He had no friends and she thought that it was so because he feared someone might recognize him and inform the police.
• She thought that the Sunday visitor was his accomplice in crime.
•  She said that the visitor perhaps kept all the loot, and would come now and then to give a part of it to his partner for expenses. 

Q3: Does Nishad agree with Maya about Mr Nath? How does he feel about him?
Ans: No, Nishad did not agree with Maya about Mr Nath.

• He wanted to find out why Mr Nath was so thin and so lonely.
• He also wanted to know why he did not have any friends and lived alone.
• When Maya said that he did so because he feared someone might recognise him and inform the police, Nishad responded by saying that perhaps no one had ever tried to make friends with him.
• He finally said that he liked Mr Nath and was going to try and be his friend.
• Maya’s theories did not make any impression on him.

Working with Language

Q1: The word ‘tip’ has only three letters but many meanings. Match the word with its meanings below.
 (i) fingertips – be about to say something
 (ii) the tip of your nose – make the boat overturn
 (iii) tip the water out of the bucket – the ends of one’s fingers
 (iv) Have something on the tip of your tongue – give a rupee to him, to thank him
 (v) Tip the boat over – empty a bucket by tilting it
 (vi) tip him a rupee – the pointed end of your nose
 (vii) the tip of the bat – if you take this advice
 (viii) the police were tipped off – the bat lightly touched the ball
 (ix) if you take my tip – the end of the bat
 (x) the bat tipped the ball – the police were told, or warned.
Ans:
(i) fingertips – the ends of one’s fingers
(ii) the tip of your nose – the pointed end of your nose
(iii) tip the water out of the bucket – empty a bucket by tilting it
(iv) Have something on the tip of your tongue – be about to say something
(v) Tip the boat over – make the boat overturn
(vi) tip him a rupee – give a rupee to him, to thank him
(vii) the tip of the bat – the end of the bat
(viii) the police were tipped off – the police were told or warned
(ix) if you take my tip – if you take this advice
(x) the bat tipped the ball – the bat lightly touched the ball

Q2: The words helper, companion, partner and accomplice have very similar meanings. But each word is typically used in certain phrases. Can you fill in the blanks below with the most commonly used words? A dictionary may help you.
 (i) business _______
 (ii) my _________________on the journey
 (iii) I’m mother’s little __________
 (iv) a faithful _______such as a dog
 (v) the thief’s_______
 (vi) find a good _______
 (vii) tennis/golf/bridge______
 (viii) his________in his criminal activities
Ans:
(i) Business partner
(ii) my companion on the journey
(iii) I’m mother’s little helper
(iv) a faithful companion such as a dog
(v) the thief’s accomplice
(vi) find a good helper
(vii) tennis/golf/bridge partner
(viii) his accomplice in his criminal activities

Q3: Now let us look at the uses of the word break. Match the word with its meanings below. Try to find at least three other ways in which to use the word.
 (i) The storm broke – could not speak; was too sad to speak
 (ii) daybreak – this kind of weather ended
 (iii) His voice is beginning to break – it began or burst into activity
 (iv) Her voice broke and she cried – The beginning of daylight
 (v) The heat wave broke – changing as he grows up
 (vi) broke the bad news – end it by making the workers submit
 (vii) break a strike – gently tell someone the bad news
Ans:
(i) The storm broke – it began or burst into activity
(ii) daybreak – the beginning of daylight
(iii) His voice is beginning to break – changing as he grows up
(iv) Her voice broke and she cried – could not speak; was too sad to speak
(v) The heat wave broke – this kind of weather ended
(vi) broke the bad news – gently told someone the bad news
(vii) Break a strike – end it by making the workers submit