In CBSE Class 8 English Poorvi Book, Unit 3 (Mystery and Magic), “The Case of the Fifth Word” is an exciting detective story adapted from the famous Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol.
The story features a brilliant young boy named Leroy Brown, nicknamed “Encyclopedia” because he knows and remembers thousands of facts. He secretly helps his father, Chief Brown, the Chief of Police in Idaville, USA, solve difficult cases during dinner table discussions.
In this mystery, two criminals — Tim Nolan and Daniel Davenport — are suspected in a jewellery robbery. After the crime, Nolan dies and leaves behind a strange four-word coded message on his desk calendar: “Nom Utes Sweden Hurts”. The police find the message puzzling and meaningless at first.
Using his sharp observation and logical reasoning, Encyclopedia deciphers the code. He realises that these four words are actually the names of the days of the week with the letters “day” removed (Monday → Nom, Tuesday → Utes, etc.). The missing fifth word (Friday) is the real clue. It leads the police to the exact hiding place of the stolen jewellery — inside a pot under a young fir tree (fir = Friday) in Nolan’s nursery.
With Encyclopedia’s clever thinking, the case is solved and the jewellery is recovered.
This chapter is full of suspense and teaches important lessons about logical thinking, sharp observation, problem-solving skills, intelligence, and how a calm and curious mind can crack even the toughest mysteries.
Watch the full explanation, summary and NCERT solutions of Class 8 Poorvi Chapter 5 The Case of the Fifth Word here:
If you are a Class 8 student looking for easy summary, important questions and answers, word meanings, or complete NCERT explanation of “The Case of the Fifth Word” (Unit 3 Mystery and Magic), this video will help you understand the chapter clearly and score better in exams.