The Case of the Fifth Word — Class 8 MCQs with Answers
Class 8 CBSE English · Chapter 7
48 practice questions · 16 Easy · 16 Medium · 16 Hard · Updated
Practise the most important Class 8 CBSE English questions from Chapter 7, "The Case of the Fifth Word". You get 6 timed quizzes made from 48 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard. Warm up on the basics, then move on to the exam-level questions that top scorers in CBSE Board exams get right.
To score well in "The Case of the Fifth Word", focus on comprehension, grammar and writing skills. Each MCQ here is timed and uses exam-style marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped). This helps you stay accurate when time is short, just as real papers need. Every question has a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson. It is the fastest way to fix gaps before a test.
Use this chapter for focused revision. Start with the Easy set to check your basics on The Case of the Fifth Word, then move to Medium and Hard to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 8 English mastery score. 9 sample questions are solved in full below, with the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
The Case of the Fifth Word — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 8 English)
9 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation.
- Q1Easy
In which town do the events of 'The Case of the Fifth Word' take place?
A.RockvilleB.South Carolina CityC.Idaville✓ CorrectD.Sixth AvenueAnswer: C. Idaville
Explanation: The Brown family lives in the town of Idaville, where Encyclopedia's father is the Chief of Police.
- Q2Easy
What is the real name of the boy detective nicknamed 'Encyclopedia'?
A.Leroy Brown✓ CorrectB.Tim NolanC.Daniel DavenportD.Chief BrownAnswer: A. Leroy Brown
Explanation: The boy detective's real name is Leroy Brown, but everyone calls him 'Encyclopedia'.
- Q3Easy
What crime lies at the centre of this mystery?
A.A bank fraudB.A kidnappingC.A car theftD.The robbery of jewellery from the Diamond Mart✓ CorrectAnswer: D. The robbery of jewellery from the Diamond Mart
Explanation: The unsolved crime is the hold-up in which jewellery was stolen from the Diamond Mart.
- Q4Medium
How was Encyclopedia usually able to help solve his father's cases from home?
A.He worked a night shift at the police stationB.He was not allowed to leave the houseC.He disliked school and stayed homeD.He listened quietly as his father discussed the day's cases over dinner✓ CorrectAnswer: D. He listened quietly as his father discussed the day's cases over dinner
Explanation: Chief Brown talked over his hardest cases at the dinner table, and Encyclopedia listened and often cracked them there.
- Q5Medium
Why could the Diamond Mart clerk not be certain that Nolan was one of the robbers?
A.The robbers were masked and she saw his face only when a mask slipped for a moment✓ CorrectB.She was not present during the robberyC.She was a close friend of NolanD.The shop was in complete darknessAnswer: A. The robbers were masked and she saw his face only when a mask slipped for a moment
Explanation: The men wore masks, and only a brief slip gave the clerk a glimpse, leaving her unsure — so she could not testify with certainty.
- Q6Medium
Why did the stolen jewellery stay hidden for roughly five years?
A.It had already been sold offB.The police had quietly recovered itC.The thieves kept it concealed and lay low to avoid being caught✓ CorrectD.Nolan had given it away to the clerkAnswer: C. The thieves kept it concealed and lay low to avoid being caught
Explanation: With suspicion on them, the men hid the loot and kept out of sight, so it remained unrecovered for years.
- Q7Hard
What does Encyclopedia's single question — 'Is there a young fir tree in Mr Nolan's palm-tree nursery?' — reveal about his method?
A.He guessed the answer at randomB.He first cracked the code in his mind, then confirmed it with one precise, evidence-seeking question✓ CorrectC.He copied the solution from a bookD.He depended on his mother to solve itAnswer: B. He first cracked the code in his mind, then confirmed it with one precise, evidence-seeking question
Explanation: The question is not a shot in the dark; it tests a conclusion he has already reasoned out from the code.
- Q8Hard
Suppose the code had ended at 'Sweden' (Wednesday). Why would the solution then be much harder to reach?
A.Because Sweden is a country and not a day at allB.Because Wednesday has no short formC.Because the jewellery lay under a Wednesday signboardD.Without the Thursday step the reader could not confidently predict Friday as the missing next day✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Without the Thursday step the reader could not confidently predict Friday as the missing next day
Explanation: It is the run of consecutive days up to Thursday that makes Friday the obvious next term; fewer steps weaken that inference.
- Q9Hard
Which statement best expresses the central theme of 'The Case of the Fifth Word'?
A.Crime always pays in the endB.Old people can never be trustedC.Reading books is a waste of timeD.Careful observation and logical reasoning can solve what seems impossible✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Careful observation and logical reasoning can solve what seems impossible
Explanation: The story shows a puzzle that baffles adults being cracked by patient reasoning, celebrating sharp, logical thinking.
Key concepts: The Case of the Fifth Word (Class 8 English)
'The Case of the Fifth Word' is a detective story in Unit 3 ('Mystery and Magic') of the new NCERT Class 8 English reader Poorvi, adapted from Donald J. Sobol's 'Encyclopedia Brown' series. In the town of Idaville, a book-loving eighth-grader, Leroy 'Encyclopedia' Brown, quietly helps his father, Chief Brown, crack cases at the dinner table. Years earlier, jewellery was stolen in a masked hold-up at the Diamond Mart, and the two suspects, Nolan and Davenport, were never caught. When Nolan dies of a stroke, he leaves a will for his old accomplice Davenport along with four strange words, 'Nom Utes Sweden Hurts'. Encyclopedia sees that the words are the days Monday to Thursday in disguise (each with 'day' removed and the letters scrambled), so the missing 'fifth word' must be Friday, whose short form 'Fri' rearranges to 'Fir'. He asks one question about a young fir tree in Nolan's palm-tree nursery, and the stolen jewellery is found hidden in the jug of earth that the fir tree grew in. The story shows how careful observation and logical reasoning can solve a mystery that baffles the adults.
- Genre: detective/mystery story
- A short mystery from the 'Encyclopedia Brown' series: a puzzling clue, a sharp young investigator and a sudden logical solution, fitting the unit theme 'Mystery and Magic'.
- Setting and author
- Set in the town of Idaville and adapted from Donald J. Sobol's American 'Encyclopedia Brown' stories; the detective work happens at the Brown family dinner table.
- Leroy 'Encyclopedia' Brown
- The boy detective, an eighth-grader who has read more than anyone in town and forgets nothing; humble, observant and able to solve a case with a single well-chosen question.
- Chief Brown and Mrs Brown
- Encyclopedia's father is Idaville's Chief of Police who discusses his hardest cases over dinner; his mother is an English teacher, in a family that prizes reading.
- The crime at the Diamond Mart
- Years earlier two masked men held up the Diamond Mart on Sixth Avenue and stole jewellery; a clerk glimpsed a face when a mask slipped but could not testify with certainty.
- Nolan and Davenport
- The two suspects, who had met in prison in South Carolina; Davenport went underground, while Nolan settled in Idaville and ran a small palm-tree nursery until he died of a stroke.
- The coded message 'Nom Utes Sweden Hurts'
- Four words left with Nolan's will. Each is a weekday with 'day' removed and the letters rearranged: Nom=Monday, Utes=Tuesday, Sweden=Wednesday, Hurts=Thursday.
- The hidden fifth word (Fir/Friday)
- Since the words run Monday to Thursday, the unwritten fifth day is Friday; 'Fri' rearranged spells 'Fir', pointing to a fir tree, which gives the story its title.
- The solution
- Encyclopedia asks whether a young fir tree grows in the palm-tree nursery; the stolen jewellery is found inside the jug of earth from which that fir tree was growing.
- Key vocabulary
- loot = stolen goods; testify = state something formally in court; hunch = a strong feeling or guess; hold-up = a robbery with threat or force; nursery = a place where young plants are grown.
- Theme and moral
- Careful observation, wide knowledge and logical reasoning can solve seemingly impossible problems, and young minds should never be underestimated.
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What are the key concepts in Class 8 English The Case of the Fifth Word?+
'The Case of the Fifth Word' is a detective story in Unit 3 ('Mystery and Magic') of the new NCERT Class 8 English reader Poorvi, adapted from Donald J. Sobol's 'Encyclopedia Brown' series. In the town of Idaville, a book-loving eighth-grader, Leroy 'Encyclopedia' Brown, quietly helps his father, Chief Brown, crack cases at the dinner table. Years earlier, jewellery was stolen in a masked hold-up at the Diamond Mart, and the two suspects, Nolan and Davenport, were never caught. When Nolan dies of a stroke, he leaves a will for his old accomplice Davenport along with four strange words, 'Nom Utes Sweden Hurts'. Encyclopedia sees that the words are the days Monday to Thursday in disguise (each with 'day' removed and the letters scrambled), so the missing 'fifth word' must be Friday, whose short form 'Fri' rearranges to 'Fir'. He asks one question about a young fir tree in Nolan's palm-tree nursery, and the stolen jewellery is found hidden in the jug of earth that the fir tree grew in. The story shows how careful observation and logical reasoning can solve a mystery that baffles the adults. Key ideas include Genre: detective/mystery story, Setting and author, Leroy 'Encyclopedia' Brown, Chief Brown and Mrs Brown, The crime at the Diamond Mart, Nolan and Davenport.
What does Class 8 English Chapter 7 (The Case of the Fifth Word) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 48 NCERT-based MCQs on "The Case of the Fifth Word": 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard. Together they make 6 timed quizzes, and you never get the same set twice. Every question has an instant explanation. They help you prepare for CBSE Board exams.
Are these "The Case of the Fifth Word" questions free to practise?+
Yes. Sign in with Google to practise "The Case of the Fifth Word" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year. One year from the day you pay. You stay in Class 8 till 31 March; on 1 April your account moves up to Class 9 and the rest of your year carries over. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "The Case of the Fifth Word" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium and Hard to practise applying them. There are 6 timed quizzes on this chapter, so you can come back for a fresh set instead of one you have seen. Read each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy until it stays high.
Are these "The Case of the Fifth Word" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 9 sample questions are shown here in full, each with the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "The Case of the Fifth Word" quizzes?+
Yes. The timed quizzes use exam-style marking: +4 for a right answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skip. MHT-CET and CBSE board papers have no negative marking. Our mocks for those are scored their way.
What are the important questions from The Case of the Fifth Word (Class 8 English)?+
The questions that matter most test Genre: detective/mystery story, Setting and author, Leroy 'Encyclopedia' Brown, Chief Brown and Mrs Brown, The crime at the Diamond Mart, Nolan and Davenport. This page shows 9 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations. Sign in to practise all 48 questions on the chapter as timed quizzes.
Is there an online quiz for The Case of the Fifth Word?+
Yes — Class 8 English The Case of the Fifth Word has timed online quizzes at Easy, Medium and Hard levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.