Summary
Mysterious Mr Nath
Nishad and his 10 year old sister Maya has always been inquisitive about their neighbour Mr Nath. One day their marbles went inside his house and Nishad got a chance to catch a glimpse of Mr Nath. To Nishad he appeared to be a crook running away from the cops. He had a bad scar on his face and didn’t have any friends. But Mr Nath is a patient to their mother who is a doctor by profession. Their mother has told them that he is a polite man . Nishad is also called Seven because his name meant the seventh note on the musical scale.
Soft Hearted Nishad
The two children wrere busy discussing their mysterious neighbour. They argued about his financial wealth, how he manages his food and so on. Nishad thinks that he is poor and doesn’t have much money while Maya believe that he has got a lot of it and has kept it hidden somewhere in his room. Then, it was Mr Nath’s scar that bothered the children. They thought that he might have got during a shoot-out with the police. On their mother’s birthday, Nishad went along her to the clinic. He happened to see mr Nath there.
He was worried seeing Mr Nath’s gaunt appearance. In the evening Nishad went to his place and gave a bar of chocolate to Mr Nath. Nishad befriended Ramesh, the boy who used to bring food for Mr Nath from a nearby restaurant. Ramesh informed him that Mr Nath had two meals a day and tea in morning and evening. His meal was the same everyday and he always used to pay in cash and give tips as well.
He brings two lunches on Sundays and it is the same visitor he finds there. The visitor is a tall, stout and spectacled man who talks a lot while Mr Nath is quiet person. The children were thrilled and they were discussing the possibilities of Mr Nath being a crook.
Maya’s Facts
Their school opened after the summer holidays the next day but they could not attened it because of heavy rains. Nishad was busy reading his comics when Maya informed what she had done. She had made a note of everything they knew about Mr Nath calling them ‘facts’ and gave a number to each one of them. Nishad disagreed with Maya for calling Mr Nath a criminal.
He felt bad for him for having no friends while Maya thought that the visitor who comes to his place on Sunday may be his partner who know all his secrets and may be the loot as well. Both the children had an argument and Nishad was interested only in finding out why Mr Nath was so thin and a loner. He wanted to be his friend and Maya’s theories didn’t have any impact on Seven.
Word Meaning
Word Meaning in English
Crook a person who is dishonest of criminal
Stashed away keep or lay aside for future
Shoot-out a decisive gun battle
Gaunt lean and thin especially because of suffering from hunger
Peek look quickly or furtively
Stout fat or heavy built
Sighed emit a long, deep audible breath
Retorted say something in answer to a remark
Housebreaker the act of unlawfully breaking into and entering another’s house
Fury extreme strength in an action or a natural phenomenon
Downpour a heavy fall of rain
Accompanied to go with someone
Roaring flourishing
Cupped formed into the curved shape of a cup
Questioningly an expression of inquiry that invites or calls for a reply
Nodded lower and raise one’s head slightly and briefly
Alias a false or assumed identity
Tenants renters
Lonely sad because one has no friends
Accomplice a person who helps another commit a crime
Loot a private property taken from an enemy in war
Bribing dishonestly persuade someone to act in one’s favour by a gift of money
Glared stare in an angry or fierce way
Investigation formal or systematic research or examination
Crook wicked
Stubbornly inflexible
NCERT Solutions
Comprehension Check
(NCERT Page 89)
1.What did Nishad gave Mr Nath? Why?
Ans. Nishad gave Mr Nath a bar of chocolate because he concluded from Mr Nath’s lean thin appearance that he was starving.
2.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.
3.Why did Nishad and Maya get a holiday?
Ans. It was raining heavily and the streets were flooded with the downpour. The traffic was blocked and the children got a holiday because of all this.
Working with the Text
(NCERT Page 93)
1.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.
- Mr Nath used to eat two chapattis, some dal and a vegetable.
- He used to eat in the morning and evening.
- He used to drink tea in morning and afternoon.
- He used to pay in cash and also used to give tips to Ramesh.
2.Why does Maya think Mr Nath is a crook? Who does she say the Sunday visitor is?
Ans. Maya thinks that Mr Nath is a crook because he doesn’t talk to anyone and has no friends. She believes that his scars are result of shoot-out with police.
He doesn’t work anywhere and sits at home all the day and there are no visitors at his place except the Sunday morning guest.
He is not bothered about his meals and pays the money in cash. She thinks that the Sunday visitor is his partner in the crime. He keeps the money from the loot and comes to give Mr Nath his share.
3.Does Nishad agree with Maya about Mr Nath? How does he feel about him?
Ans. No, Nishad doesn’t agree with Maya about Mr Nath. He feels bad for Mr Nath because he thinks that he is a poor and lonely man.
He also feels that he is a generous man because he gives tips to Ramesh regularly. He is determined to find why he is so thin and lonely.
Working with Language
(NCERT Page 93)
1.The word ‘tip’ has only three letters but many meanings.
Match the word with its meanings below.
(i) finger tips – 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) Finger tips – 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 my advice
(x) The bat tipped the ball – the bat lightly touched the ball
2.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 dog.
(v) the thief’s ……………………….
(vi) find a good ……………………….
(vii) tennis / golf / bridge ……………………….
(vii) his ………………………. in his criminal activities.
Ans.
(i) partner (ii) companion
(iii) helper (iv) companion
(v) accomplice (vi) helper
(vii) partner (viii) accomplice
3.Now let us look at the uses of the word break. Match the word with its meanings below. Try to find out 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 told someone the bad news
(viii) (Find your own expression. Give its meaning here)
Ans.
(i) The storm broke – this kind of weather ended
(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 – it began or burst into activity
(vi) Broke the bad news – gently told someone the bad news
(vii) Break a strike – end it by making the workers submit
(viii) Breakdown – a machine failure
Speaking (NCERT Page 95)
1.Play detectives with each other. Find a person in your class (or some other acquaintance) to speak to. Find out the answers to the questions given below. Be careful to ask your questions in a polite and inoffensive way. Do not force the person to answer you. Then allow the person to ask you the same questions.
(i) Name?
(ii) What newspaper or magazine does the person read?
(iii) How long has the person lived at the current address?
(iv) What does she/he do during the day, i.e. the daily routine?
(v) What do neighbours and friends say about the person?
(vi) Who are his/her visitors and what are his/her eating habits? (You can ask a few other questions about this.)
(vii) What do you think about the person?
Ans. Please try it yourself.
Writing (NCERT Pages 95 and 96)
1.Who do you think Mr Nath is? Write a paragraph or two about him.
Ans. Mr Nath is a lean and thin person. He might have met with some serious accident with fire which has resulted in many scars on his face. People are scared about him for those scars which give his face an ugly impression.
He realises the same and that is why he prefers living along and avoids going out. He talks less, but is a well-mannered person and is polite towards everyone.
He is regularly consulting Maya and Nishad’s mother, who is a doctor. May be he is not keeping well and that could be the reason behind his gaunt appearance.
He has a brother who visits him every Sunday to find out about his health. Mr Nishad is not much interested about nitty-gritty’s of life and prefer eating same simple food daily.
2.What else do you think Nishad and Maya will find out about him? How? Will they ever be friends? Think about these questions and write a paragraph or two to continue the story.
Ans. Nishad and Maya would have found out that the Sunday visitor is Mr Nath’s brother. Mr Nath used to work for a big private company and has left the job for while because he was not keeping well.
He is suffering from some liver ailment and will be undergoing a surgery soon.
Nishad succeeds in befriending him and goes to his house every evening to play with him. He finds Mr Nath a caring and loving person.
He becomes a frequent visitor to his place. Maya regrets about her earlier thoughts about Mr Nath.
She feels sorry about it. Nishad takes her along one day and the they all become friends.
3.Conducting a Survey
Step I Study the following questionnaire and discuss the points in small groups.
| A home is a place where | Yes | No | Don’t know |
| You feel secure and happy | |||
| You can be alone | |||
| You can bring up a family | |||
| You can invite friends/relatives. | |||
| You can make a noise if you want to. | |||
| You can do whatever you like. | |||
| You are at peace. | |||
| You can look after your parents | |||
| You receive and give love. |
Step II Collect information. Contact people in the school / your locality and put these questions to them. Tick Mark (ü) their answers in the relevant column.
Step III Analyse the results in the group by asking.
- How many people think that home is place where you feel secure and happy?
- How many people think that a home isn’t a place where you feel secure and happy?
- How many don’t know about it?
Step IV Present a brief oral report on the result of your survey. Use phrases such as following
- Most people think that …..
- Few people think that …..
- Hardly anyone thinks that …..
- No one thinks that ….
Ans. Try it yourself.
Questions and Answers
Very Short Answer Type Questions
1.Why Maya called Nishad Seven?
Ans. Nishad’s name meant the seventh note on the musical scale, so Maya called him Seven.
2.Name the narrator in the lesson ‘Expert Detectives’.
Ans. Maya is the narrator in the lesson ‘Expert Detectives.’
3.According to Maya what was the cause behind Mr Nath’s scars?
Ans. According to Maya, Mr Nath would have got his scars in a shoot-out with the police.
4.What did Mr Nath thought Nishad had come to his place the second time for?
Ans. Mr Nath thought Nishad had again come to his place in search of his marbles.
5.How was Nishad spending his unexpected holiday?
Ans. Nishad was lying on his bed and reading a comic book on his unexpected holiday.
6.What was the condition on which Nishad said he will cooperate with Maya?
Ans. Nishad said he will cooperate with Maya only if she will stop calling Mr Nath an escaped crook.
Short Answer Type Questions
1.What made Nishad turn sympathetic towards Mr Nath?
Ans. Nishad turned sympathetic towards Mr Nath seeing his gaunt appearance. His attitude changed further when he came to know that he used to give regular tips to Ramesh for bringing his food. Then he also remembered his mother’s words that Mr Nath was a polite man.
2.Give a brief description about Mr Nath’s visitor.
Ans. Mr Nath used to have a visitor on every Sunday. He was a spectacled tall, fair and stout man. Ramesh found him talking a lot. He used to give company to Mr Nath for lunch during his visits.
3.What was Maya doing on her unexpected holiday?
Ans. On her unexpected holiday, Maya assigned herself the task of solving the mystery of Mr Nath. She was busy noting down all the available facts about Mr Nath. She then shared with his brother and asked for his opinion.
4.What did Maya think about Mr Nath’s visitor?
Ans. Maya thought that Mr Nath’s visitor was his accomplice in his crimes. She believed that he kept all the loot with him and used to come now and then to give his partner his share so that he could manage his expenses.
Long Answer Type Questions
1.Describe Nishad as a child.
Ans. Nishad as a child was kind and considerate. He kept in mind all the good things his mother and Ramesh told him about Mr Nath and formed his opinion based on them. He was upset with Mr Nath being so lean and thin. He thought that the man might be starving so he went to his place and gave him a bar of chocolate.
He refused calling him a crook even after being insisted several times by his sister and decided to befriend him because he liked him.
2.What all facts Maya collected about Mr Nath?
Ans. Maya collected the following facts:
His name was Mr Nath and they must find out his first name. Other tenants at Shankar House called him mad, strange and unfriendly.
He didn’t speak with anyone and lacked manners. He never received any letters and has been living as tenant in Room No 10 in Shankar House. He didn’t use to work anywhere and was at his room the whole day. All the kids and some of the grown up people in Shankar House were scared of him.
He had no visitors except the same man on every Sunday. Ramesh used to get his food from the restaurant downstairs and Mr Nath was not much bothered about it. He used to pay him immediately and also used to give tips.
Value Based Questions
1.Nishad decides to trust Mr Nath. Do you think we should trust others, why so?
Ans. We should trust others. We should not doubt people around us unless there is a strong reason for it. People might be behaving in a way which might appear strange to us, but they might be trying to hide their pains and grief though that.
We should not make judgement about people without properly knowing about them. Trust is the first step towards making any relation. We should have trust on our friends and family members.
2.We should be friendly towards our neighbours. Why so?
Ans. Our neighbours live near our homes. We meet them daily. They come to our help during bad times and in good times. We share our joys with them. We become friends with our neighbours who are of our age. We play with them and share our things with them. We should be friendly with them and cooperative towards them.
It is the responsibility of every human being to be good towards society, We should be good towards our neighbours and must help them in time of their needs.
Extra Questions and Answers
Extract 1
Directions (Q.Nos. 1-6) Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
“He can’t be poor if he’s a crook on the run,” I told him. “He’s probably got millions of rupees stashed away somewhere in that room.” “Do you really think he’s criminal, Maya? He doesn’t look like one,” Nishad looked doubtfully.
“Of course he’s one, Seven,” I said, “and he certainly isn’t starving. Mr Mehta told us that Ramesh brings his meal up from the restaurant downstairs’
1.Name the speaker in the above lines.
Ans. Maya is the speaker in the above lines.
2.Who is being referred as ‘crook’ in the above lines?
Ans. Mr Nath has been referred as a crook in the above lines.
3.Where the speaker believed the person has got so much money from?
Ans. Maya thought that Mr Nath would have earned a lot of money from his illegal activities.
4.Who has been referred as ‘Seven’ in the above lines?
(a) Maya (b) Nishad
(c) Mr Nath (d) Ramesh
Ans. (b) Nishad
5.Why does the speaker think that the man is starving?
(a) He doesn’t have money
(b) He doesn’t go out of his house
(c) He is very lean and thin
(d) He only eats two times a day
Ans. (c) He is very lean and thin.
6.Find word from the above lines that is synonym of ‘hide’.
(a) Stash (b) On Run
(c) Starving (d) Secret
Ans. (a) Stash
Extract 2
Directions (Q.Nos. 1-6) Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
When they returned, Nishad told me he’d been to see Mr Nath and I felt most annoyed that I hadn’t been there. Seven had been quite upset about Mr Nath’s gaunt appearance and was sure that he was starving.
He told me that he knocked loudly on Mr Nath’s door that evening and said, “Open the door quickly, Mr Nath.”
1.Who has been referred as ‘they’ in the above lines?
Ans. Nishad and his mother have been referred as ‘they’ in the above lines.
2.Where ‘they’ have been?
Ans. They have been to Nishad’s mother’s clinic.
3.Why Maya didn’t go there?
Ans. Maya was spending her evening with a school friend so, she didn’t go there.
4.Why Nishad went to Mr Nath’s place for?
(a) To look for his marbles
(b) To look in to the trunk in his room
(c) To give him a bar of chocolate
(d) To befriend with him
Ans. (c) To give him a bar of chocolate.
5.Find one word from the above lines which is antonym of fat.
(a) starved
(b) haggard
(c) gaunt
(d) lean
Ans. Both ‘c’ and ‘d’
6.What was Nishad’s reaction after returning from Mr Nath’s place?
(a) He was pleased for being there
(b) He didn’t give any reaction
(c) He was disappointed for not being invited in
(d) He was thrilled for being able to look into the trunk
Ans. (c) He was disappointed for not being invited in.