The Case of the Fifth Word

About the story and author

The Case of the Fifth Word is an adapted detective story by Donald J. Sobol. Its central character is Leroy Brown, nicknamed Encyclopedia because he remembers facts and solves difficult cases. He lives in Idaville and helps his father, Chief Brown, discreetly. The story celebrates observation, broad knowledge and a willingness to test a hypothesis.

Part I — the young detective

Chief Brown is respected as a clever police officer, but when a case puzzles him he sometimes discusses it at the family dinner table. Leroy listens carefully and usually finds the solution. He does not boast about this ability because he wants to live like an ordinary boy. Mrs Brown, a former teacher, also participates in the discussions.

The unsolved Diamond Mart robbery

Five years earlier, masked robbers stole jewellery worth about one million dollars from the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue. Chief Brown suspected Tim Nolan and Daniel Davenport, who had met in prison and later lived together. Davenport disappeared after the robbery, and the missing jewellery could not be found. Suspicion alone was not sufficient proof.

Nolan's death, will and calendar

Nolan dies following a stroke. Before dying, he prepares a will leaving his property, including a palm-tree nursery, to Davenport. A sheet from a desk calendar bears Davenport's address and four puzzling words: Nom, Utes, Sweden and Hurts. The calendar sheet is the essential clue to the code.

Mrs Brown's attempt

Mrs Brown can explain the ordinary meanings of individual words, but those meanings do not reveal the hiding place. This demonstrates the difference between defining a word and recognising a deliberately constructed code. Leroy instead asks what the words have in common and why they appear on a calendar.

The key observation

The calendar suggests days of the week. Nolan removed the letters D, A and Y from the first four weekday names and rearranged the remaining letters. Monday becomes Nom, Tuesday becomes Utes, Wednesday becomes Sweden and Thursday becomes Hurts. Each strange word therefore corresponds to a weekday.

The unwritten fifth word

After Thursday comes Friday. Removing DAY from FRIDAY leaves FRI, which can be rearranged into FIR. The fifth word is deliberately absent from the calendar note, but its answer names a fir tree. Leroy asks whether Nolan's palm-tree nursery contains a young fir tree; there is one.

Where the jewellery is found

The jewellery is inside a twenty-gallon jug of earth in which the young fir tree is growing. The location is more precise than simply saying it is buried beneath a tree. The word 'under' in the story's riddle points to the earth or container associated with that fir tree.

Character analysis

Leroy is knowledgeable, humble, attentive and inventive. Chief Brown is thoughtful and willing to accept help. Mrs Brown is intelligent and curious, although her first interpretation of the code is too literal. Nolan and Davenport are the men linked to the robbery. Their prior criminal history alone would not establish guilt; the code and recovered jewellery provide more specific evidence within the story.

Narrative craft and message

Suspense develops from an unsolved theft, a dying man's strange message and the unanswered question of the fifth word. The author withholds the explanation until the reader has encountered the clues. The final solution rewards careful attention to context: the calendar, weekdays, letter rearrangement and fir tree fit together.

Key vocabulary

Hold-up means robbery by threat; nursery is a place where plants are grown; hunch is an unverified feeling; testify means give evidence in court; loot means stolen goods; stroke is a medical emergency affecting the brain; will is a legal document about inheritance; code is a disguised message; foreseen means anticipated; matter-of-fact means calm and unemotional; confessed means admitted; suspicious means causing doubt.

Decode the fifth word step by step

Verification: each code uses exactly the letters remaining after DAY is removed. A fir is a type of evergreen tree, so the missing word is also a location clue. The calendar is essential because it identifies the intended category of words.

Before we read — crossword and meanings of case

I. All fourteen anagrams

II. Match four meanings of case

1 → iii (situation); 2 → iv (legal matter); 3 → ii (container); 4 → i (capitalisation or writing format). In the title, case means a mystery or matter being investigated.

Let us discuss — after Part I

1. Leroy is called Encyclopedia because he knows facts from A to Z and remembers what he reads. 2. Chief Brown silently studies his soup at dinner because he has a difficult case and hopes Leroy will help. 3. Leroy listens quietly to gather the details rather than interrupt. 4. Nolan prepares the will as he is dying and wants Davenport to inherit his property and receive the hidden clue.

Does Chief Brown need Leroy's help?

Yes. Neither parent can explain the strange words from their ordinary meanings. Leroy recognises the importance of the calendar and tests his idea by asking about the fir tree.

Let us discuss — after Part II

I. Fact or opinion — all eight

II. Character traits

The extra unused trait is gentle.

Let us think and reflect — eight extract questions

Let us think and reflect — seven comprehension answers

Let us learn — phrasal verbs, homophones and puzzles

I. Six phrasal verbs

Fill A–F: turned up; cooled down; figure out; put on; got away with; make of.

II. Five homophone pairs

1. week / weak. 2. four / fore. 3. brake / break. 4. piece / peace. 5. dyeing / dying. Homophones sound alike but differ in meaning and spelling.

III. Eight rebus puzzles

The supplied example is Top secret. Interpret the images using their actual layout; the visual puzzles are not reproduced here.

IV. Eight spoonerisms

1. The first item is ambiguous in the printed wording; 'sewing kits' is a plausible intended phrase, but the printed initial sounds do not form a clean spoonerism. 2. It's 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. A spoonerism exchanges initial sounds, not arbitrary letters.

V. Linking words

Answers i–viii: who; where; Though; why; which; When; how; because. The unused options are whose and if.

VI. Join sentences

1. We gave him the signal that he was waiting for. 2. We went to a place where the incident occurred. 3. The teacher, who is now nearly sixty, said she would retire soon. 4. It was the day when half the class was absent.

Reported speech — complete exercises

VII. Report five questions from the story

1. Mrs Brown asked what was suspicious about that. 2. Mrs Brown asked Leroy what he made of the four words. 3. Mrs Brown inquired whether he had been mixed up in a jewellery robbery a few years before. 4. Mrs Brown asked Chief Brown whether he had searched Nolan's house. 5. Mrs Brown asked whether there was a young fir tree in Nolan's palm-tree nursery. Note: the story attributes the fir-tree question to Leroy; the exercise's reporting stem uses Mrs Brown.

VIII. Six reported questions

1. Rohan asked why I had stopped talking to him. 2. My aunt asked whether I had enjoyed the family gathering the previous day. 3. My grandmother asked when I would visit them again. 4. Madavi asked Ravi whether he would come with her to meet their old teacher the following day. 5. My friend asked what gift I was planning to give my brother. 6. Veenu asked her teacher whether she should carry those notebooks to the staffroom.

IX. Aditi and Rahul — three completions

1. whether he had seen anyone leave a package near the lift. 2. what time he had seen that happen. 3. whether he had been able to see the man's face. Since the man wore a hood, Rahul could not see the man's face clearly.

Grammar rule

In reported questions, use statement word order after the reporting verb: 'She asked where the box was', not 'She asked where was the box'. Backshift tenses and change pronouns or time expressions when the reporting context requires it. A negative question may retain 'not' if that nuance matters.

Let us listen — observation and attention

I. Four true/false items

1. True as an inference about observation and decisions; the transcript does not explicitly say 'common sense'. 2. False — rushing can cause us to miss details. 3. True — notes and sketches support memory. 4. False or not supported — the transcript encourages better noticing, not guaranteed quick success.

II. Five short answers

The listening transcript appears near printed pages 151–152. Students should listen to the original audio or teacher's reading before submitting.

Let us speak — pronunciation and discussion

Practise: jewellery (often JOO-uhl-ree), clerk (British 'clark' or American 'clerk'), dessert (second-syllable stress), January, sour, Wednesday (WENZ-day), bowl, pronunciation, pizza and buffet. Pronunciations vary by accent; check a dictionary with audio for the variety you use.

Model group discussion

Moderator: What makes a mystery satisfying? Speaker A: It gives the reader fair clues. Speaker B: I agree, but suspense is important too. Speaker C: The solution should explain the strange details rather than introduce a new fact without warning. Moderator: Our group values believable clues, patient reasoning and a clear ending. Students should express their own views and practise turn-taking.

Let us write — report writing

Identify features of a report

A report uses a clear headline and byline, a factual opening answering who, what, when and where, events in chronological order and a concluding result. Use past tense for completed events, and verify dates, names and results.

Original model: Inter-school Art Exhibition

By [Student reporter], Class 8. An inter-school art exhibition was organised at Example School from 12 to 14 March 20XX. Students from eight schools displayed paintings, sketches and recycled-material crafts in the school auditorium.

A local artist opened the exhibition and encouraged students to explain their work. Displays focused on nature, community life and conservation. On the final day, certificates were presented and volunteers thanked the participants. The exhibition gave young artists an opportunity to share ideas and learn from one another.

This is fictional sample reporting. Replace all placeholders, numbers and events with verifiable details from your own school.

Let us explore — all four activities

I. Optical illusions

The six textbook images can be interpreted as: learn/teach; hate/love; good/evil; faces or animals concealed in a tree; a penguin or human profile; and columns or silhouettes of people. Rotate or refocus the images to compare perceptions. The original illustrations are needed for exact visual checking.

II. Name the mystery object

The textbook clues point to a classroom board, such as a blackboard or whiteboard. Original alternative: I have a handle; I unfold above your head; I keep off rain. Answer: umbrella. Award 20, 10 or 5 points depending on the clue at which a team guesses.

III. Encyclopedia versus dictionary

An encyclopedia explains topics, people, places and events in articles. A dictionary mainly explains words, pronunciation, spelling and usage. Both may be available online and in print. Compare actual entries to see the difference.

IV. Thesaurus activity

Happy: joyful, glad, cheerful. Big: large, enormous, huge. Quick: swift, rapid, fast. Clever: ingenious, intelligent, smart. Hide: conceal, screen, cover. Synonyms are not interchangeable in every sentence.

20 original practice questions with explanations

MCQs, HOTS and common exam mistakes

MCQ 1: Leroy's town — Idaville. 2: His father — Chief of Police. 3: Theft location — Diamond Mart. 4: Nolan's business — palm-tree nursery. 5: Calendar words represent — weekdays. 6: Missing word — Fir. 7: Hiding place — a twenty-gallon jug of earth with a young fir tree. 8: Author — Donald J. Sobol.

HOTS: Why is the calendar sheet more informative than a dictionary definition? It gives the category—weekdays—needed to discover a pattern. Could the police convict someone based only on having a criminal record? No. An investigation needs evidence of the specific offence.

Exam traps: Do not say the fifth word is simply 'Friday' without explaining FIR. Do not say the jewellery lay under an ordinary palm tree. Do not confuse Mrs Brown's literal interpretations with the final solution. Do not treat a police hunch as established fact. In reported questions use statement word order.

Textbook and evidence note

Based on NCERT Poorvi Class 8, Unit 3 Mystery and Magic, Reprint 2026–27, beginning on printed page 101. The source story is adapted from Donald J. Sobol. This is an original explanatory guide, not an official answer key. Visual puzzles, listening and group activities require the textbook images, audio and student participation.

Official NCERT Poorvi Unit 3 PDF