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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 3 The Case of the Fifth Word — Let us do these activities before we read

Book page 101 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
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, ‘Neat’ is an anagram of ‘a net’. Across: 3. Declare 6. Tucks 7. Heart 9. Felt 10. Sown 12. Sword 13. Evil. Down: 1. Aces 2. Read 4. Tool 5. Alps 6. Hooks 8. Mane 11. Loves
Answer

Every clue is an anagram: rearrange all its letters to make a new word of exactly the same length. The length of each answer is fixed by the grid, and every crossing letter has been checked.

No.Clue (anagram)LettersAnswer
3 AcrossDeclare7CLEARED
6 AcrossTucks5STUCK
7 AcrossHeart5EARTH
9 AcrossFelt4LEFT
10 AcrossSown4OWNS
12 AcrossSword5WORDS
13 AcrossEvil4LIVE
1 DownAces4CASE
2 DownRead4DEAR
4 DownTool4LOOT
5 DownAlps4PALS
6 DownHooks5SHOOK
8 DownMane4NAME
11 DownLoves5SOLVE
How the crossings settle the doubtful ones: several clues have more than one anagram, and only the shared squares decide between them.
  • 1 Down can be CASE or ACES. Its second letter is the fourth letter of CLEARED, which is A → CASE.
  • 2 Down can be DEAR, DARE or READ. Its second letter must be E (from CLEARED) and its fourth letter must be R (the third letter of EARTH) → DEAR.
  • 10 Across can be SNOW, OWNS or NOWS. Its first letter is the third letter of SHOOK, which is O → OWNS.
  • 9 Across can be LEFT or FELT. Its first letter is the third letter of 5 Down. Since 12 Across is WORDS, 5 Down ends in S, so 5 Down is PALS (not LAPS), whose third letter is L → LEFT.
  • 13 Across can be LIVE, VILE, VEIL or EVIL. Its first letter is the third letter of SOLVE, which is L → LIVE; and its last letter E then forces 8 Down to be NAME (not MEAN or AMEN).
Did you know? Every answer is a word from the story you are about to read — cleared his desk, stuck with the nickname, a jug of earth, his pals, he shook his head, hide the loot, solve the case, and the four words. The crossword is also a hint about method: the code in the story is itself built on rearranged letters.
Q2.
Work in pairs. Match the different meanings of ‘case’ in Column 2 with the correct usage in the sentences in Column 1. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher. Column 1: 1. Lalit said that he could not sing but that was not the case as he sang melodiously later. 2. The lawyer was waiting for the case to be taken up in court. 3. My pencil case is a gift from my grandmother. 4. The subject of a formal letter is written in title case. Column 2: (i) writing format (ii) container (iii) situation (iv) matter
Answer
Column 1Meaning of ‘case’Test that proves it
1. …that was not the case as he sang melodiously later(iii) situationReplace it: “that was not the situation” — the sentence still means the same.
2. The lawyer was waiting for the case to be taken up in court(iv) matterA legal matter brought before a judge.
3. My pencil case is a gift from my grandmother(ii) containerSomething you keep pencils in.
4. The subject of a formal letter is written in title case(i) writing formatA way of writing — capital letters at the start of the main words.

1 – (iii), 2 – (iv), 3 – (ii), 4 – (i)

Why one word carries four meanings: case is a homonym — two different old words that happen to look alike in English. The 'container' sense comes from Latin capsa (a box); the 'situation / matter' sense comes from Latin casus (a happening, something that falls out). Only the sentence around the word tells you which one is meant.
Try this: Write one sentence of your own for each of the four meanings, and read them aloud to your partner without saying which is which. Can they identify the meaning from the context alone?
Q3.
Now, read the following text and find out which ‘case’ the title refers to.
Answer

The title uses case in sense (iv) — a matter: a police matter, that is, a crime under investigation. ‘The Case of the Fifth Word’ means the mystery of the fifth word.

The story itself confirms it in its very first paragraph: “When he came up against a case he couldn't solve, he acted at once,” and later, “Encyclopedia solved the case for him before dinner was over.”

Why the title works as a hook: a detective-story title of this shape (‘The Case of the …’) promises a crime and withholds the answer. The reader is told there is a fifth word before being told there are four — so the missing item is planted in the mind before the puzzle even begins. That is the writer creating curiosity with a title alone.
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