NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 3 Mystery and Magic (PDF) – 2027

Across: 3 CLEARED, 6 STUCK, 7 EARTH, 9 LEFT, 10 OWNS, 12 WORDS, 13 LIVE
Down: 1 CASE, 2 DEAR, 4 LOOT, 5 PALS, 6 SHOOK, 8 NAME, 11 SOLVE

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

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.

Yes, Chief Brown would need Leroy’s help. Ordinary police work had already failed: with a court order, his officers “just about took Nolan’s house apart” and did not find one piece of the stolen jewellery. There was no proof, the clerk would not testify, and Davenport had vanished. Chief Brown staring at his soup shows he had a mystery he could not solve — and the story tells us that in such cases Encyclopedia solved it “before dinner was over”. (In Part II the coded note defeats both parents, which proves the point.)

Facts: 1 (example), 3, 5, 6, 8  ·  Opinions: 2, 4, 7

The extra word you do not need is gentle.

C. He desires to blend with the other boys to prevent seeming different.

The extract states the motive almost word for word: “He didn’t want to seem different from other boys.”

The false reason is C. They want him to be remembered as different from the others around.

It contradicts the whole passage. The family’s effort runs in the opposite direction — the boy “didn’t want to seem different from other boys”, and the parents support that by using Leroy, the name that makes him one boy among many.

‘Stuck with’ means he was saddled with the name and could not get rid of it, however much he disliked it — it had been fixed on him by other people and was completely out of his control.

He had not chosen the nickname and did not want it, but, as the writer says, “there was nothing he could do about” it.

B. He is confused, unable to make sense of the words.

He does not dismiss the note — he studies it, then shakes his head and hands it on with a question: “Can you figure it out?” A man who thought the words were meaningless would not pass them round the table.

True.

She gives the ordinary meaning of each word — Nom is short for nominative, Utes are an American Indian tribe, Sweden is a country, Hurts is hurts — but she cannot find the hidden message and confesses, “I can’t figure it out.”

It suggests that the message is a hidden code, not ordinary English. Its meaning does not lie in the dictionary meanings of the words, so even a former English teacher could not read it. It was written for one reader, Davenport, who knew the jewellery had been hidden; and the key lies outside the words — in the calendar sheet on which they were written.

His mother had drifted into grammar and geography. By saying “Davenport disappeared right after the hold-up,” he pulls everyone back to the one fact that gives the note a purpose: there is a missing partner and missing jewellery.

The text gives clear evidence that Nolan and Davenport were very close:

• They met in prison in South Carolina and “became friendly because of shared interests”.
• Davenport came to live with Nolan a week before the jewellery store hold-up.
• Chief Brown believed they carried out the hold-up together and hid the loot together.
• Nolan’s will left everything he owned, including his palm-tree nursery, to Davenport.
• With his last strength Nolan wrote a coded note so that only Davenport would learn where the jewellery was hidden.

Why he disappeared: Davenport vanished right after the hold-up so that he could not be questioned or linked to the robbery. A clerk had nearly recognised Nolan when a gunman’s mask slipped, so the police were already suspicious; if Davenport, who had moved in with Nolan only a week before, stayed around, the link between the two men would be obvious.

His likely plans: to stay out of sight until “things cooled down”, let Nolan guard the hidden jewellery, and then return quietly to share the loot and sell it somewhere far away.

Mrs. Brown’s interest shows that she is alert, well-informed and an active partner in her husband’s work. She remembers Tim Nolan’s name from a robbery five years earlier. She asks sharp, practical questions — was Nolan arrested, was his house searched, is there a mystery about his death? — which draw out the facts. As a former teacher she explains each coded word, and she honestly confesses, “I can’t figure it out,” looking hopefully to her son.

Chief Brown was proud of his son because Leroy was both brilliant and modest. He solved cases that the police could not — “Encyclopedia solved the case for him before dinner was over” — often by asking only one question. Yet he never spoke of the help he gave his father, because he did not want to seem different from other boys. That is why the Chief “would have liked to tell everyone about his only child”.

His suspicions were justified because, although there was no proof, all the facts pointed the same way. The two men had become friends in prison; Davenport moved in with Nolan a week before the hold-up; a clerk thought she recognised Nolan when a gunman’s mask slipped; Davenport vanished right after the robbery; and the jewellery never turned up, so it had been hidden, not sold. In the end his hunch proved right: the jewellery was found under the young fir tree in Nolan’s nursery.

The four-word message — Nom Utes Sweden Hurts — is the key to the whole story.

• It creates the mystery: the words seem to mean nothing, so the Browns and the reader are puzzled.
• It carries the plot: it is Nolan’s secret message to Davenport about where the jewellery is now hidden.
• It reveals the characters: Mrs. Brown knows what each word means yet fails; Leroy notices it is written on a calendar sheet and solves it.
• It gives the solution: the words are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday without d-a-y; the unwritten fifth word, Fir (Friday), leads to the jewellery under the young fir tree.

Encyclopedia was a knowledgeable eighth grader who never forgot a fact that he read. He read more books than anyone in Idaville, and his friends said he was like a library and computer rolled into one. Yet he was humble: he never spoke of the help he gave his father, as he did not want to seem different from other boys. He was also a keen listener. At dinner he sat quietly while his parents discussed the case for his benefit, taking in every fact. Above all, he was clever. While his mother puzzled over the meanings of the four words, he noticed that they were written on a calendar sheet, asked just one question about a fir tree, and solved a case the police could not. He is a brilliant yet modest boy detective.

1 – (iv), 2 – (iii), 3 – (i), 4 – (vi), 5 – (ii), 6 – (v)

A. turned up   B. cooled down   C. figure out   D. put on   E. got away with   F. make of

1. Middle-aged   2. Try to understand   3. Up to you   4. Go for it   5. Sixth sense   6. One in a million   7. Once upon a time   8. Crossroads

The highlighted words join one part of a sentence to another and show how the two are related.

(i) who   (ii) where   (iii) Though   (iv) why   (v) which   (vi) When   (vii) if   (viii) because

The two extra words you do not need are whose and how.

1. False   2. False   3. True   4. False

1. take your time   2. information   3. curious   4. details   5. fully engaged

Read each word aloud in three steps: say it slowly by syllables, find the stressed syllable, then say it at normal speed. The stressed syllable is shown in capitals below.

Sample answer — points for the discussion:

Inter-school Art Exhibition
by Meera Nair, Class VIII-B, Art and Craft Club

An Inter-school Art Exhibition was organised by our Vidyalaya from 12 to 14 August 20XX in the school hall. Eight schools of the district took part, and over two hundred paintings, sketches and clay models were displayed.

The exhibition was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Smt. Anjali Rao, a well-known artist, on 12 August at 10 a.m. The works were arranged in four sections — Nature, Our City, Folk Art and Waste to Wonder. Following the display, the entries were judged by a panel of three artists. Finally, the first prize was awarded to a Warli mural by Sarvodaya Vidyalaya.

The winners were given trophies and certificates by the Chief Guest. Addressing the students, she said, “Keep drawing every day.” The exhibition was a great success, showcasing the talent of young artists.

The six pictures use two different tricks. Pictures 1–3 are ambigrams — words drawn so that they read as a second word when you turn the page upside down. Pictures 4–6 are figure-and-ground illusions — the eye cannot decide which part is the object and which is the background, so it flips between two pictures.

The object in the example is the blackboard (or whiteboard). Notice how the hints are ordered — hint (i) is the hardest and could be several things; hint (iii) all but names it. That is what the scoring rewards.

Sample answer — our team’s object (a clock): (i) I have a face and two hands, but I never wave. (ii) I go round and round and never leave the wall. (iii) I tick all day and tell you when to go to school.

An encyclopedia is a book — or, more often, a set of books — that gives detailed information about subjects, people, places and events, arranged alphabetically (or by theme) and usually with maps, photographs and diagrams. The story defines it exactly: “a book or set of books filled with facts from A to Z.”

— five words and their alternatives from a thesaurus:

Yes, I would use the magic brush to draw for others, especially for people in need. A brush that can make anything real should not be kept only for my own comfort. I would draw food, medicines and warm clothes for poor families, just as Gopi paints a muffler, a plough, a shawl and a fan for the villagers. Helping others would make my own happiness greater, and it would stop the gift from turning into greed, as it would have with the Zamindar.

The categories:

• Things: paintbrush, fortress, feast, twig
• Actions: winding, bows, drawing
• Emotions / feelings: joy, fear, cold

So the numbers written against the statements are: 1 → 3, 2 → 5, 3 → 1, 4 → 8, 5 → 6, 6 → 7, 7 → 4, 8 → 9, 9 → 2, 10 → 10.

1. playful and innocent   2. tension and suspense   3. triumphant and celebratory

The rhyme scheme is ABCB.

Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme; lines 1 and 3 are left free. Check it in any other stanza and the pattern holds — hand / sand, poor / sure, grand / land, deep / leap.

The poem belongs to the narrative or ballad genre.

It tells a complete story in verse — Gopi’s gift, her refusal, prison, escape and victory — in short four-line rhyming stanzas with plenty of dialogue, like a folk ballad (it is “Adapted from a Folk Tale”).

For example, “Gopi sits beneath the banyan, / A twig is in her hand. / She sits there drawing pictures, / Pictures in the sand.” These lines let us see a small girl under a huge tree, scratching pictures in the sand. Other clear images are “She paints a mighty river wide, / Its currents fast and deep” and “Now Gopi waits inside the cell, / Upon a cold mud floor.”

The repetition turns a general warning into a personal threat aimed at each man in turn. Instead of “it will feast on all of you”, the words fall one by one, like a finger pointing along the line of soldiers — you… and you… and you.

The repetition makes the threat more frightening, quickens the rhythm like a chase closing in, and makes every one of the Zamindar’s men afraid — so they all flee.

1 – (iii), 2 – (i), 3 – (ii)

True.

Every item on the left is small, useful and for somebody else; every item on the right is large, ornamental and for himself. The contrast is stated in the poem’s own words — Gopi has sworn “to help the needy by”, while the Zamindar wants enough “to rule this land”.

Three details in four lines all point the same way: he “looks around” before he speaks, he “whispers” instead of calling out, and he says “Hush!” — a word whose only job is to stop someone from speaking.

The man slips the brush into Gopi’s hand quietly, so that nobody sees — this shows that the gift is a secret. It also shows his trust in her: he chooses a poor girl who draws pictures in the sand with a twig. With the brush he passes on a responsibility, because it comes with a condition — “Paint not for the wealthy ones, / But only for the poor.”

A. The Magic Brush’s Secret is the more appropriate title for this extract.

The extract is full of secrecy — the man looks around, whispers “Hush!”, says the village mustn’t know about the brush, and slips it into Gopi’s hand.

Because the things she paints are real gains — property people actually own and use — that arrive by magic instead of by work, money or trade.

The muffler, plough, shawl, fan and khichdi are real, useful things that the poor villagers gain — and they come from magic. To the Zamindar, who hears the news, ‘gains’ also sounds like wealth he would like for himself.

The false statement is B.

The poem says “I order you to paint for me” — it is a command, not a request. Statement A is true.

It reveals a man driven by greed, arrogance and a hunger for power — and, in what he does not say, by complete indifference to the people he rules.

He asks for a fortress, treasures and riches “Enough to rule this land” — things he does not need, wanted only to increase his power. His words “I order you to paint for me” show that he expects everyone to obey him.

Gopi made the right decision because she had promised to paint only for the poor — “I swore to use this magic brush / To help the needy by.” The Zamindar was already rich and needed nothing; he wanted a fortress and jewels only to rule the land. Painting for him would have made him even more powerful over the poor villagers the brush was meant to help. By refusing, even at the cost of prison, she kept her word and protected the purpose of the gift.

Justification: Gopi’s threat was justified because every gentler way had failed — her polite refusal led to prison, and even after she escaped and painted a river, the Zamindar’s men kept chasing her. She only threatened to paint the beast and never painted it. It was self-defence, and it ended the chase without hurting anyone.

Sample answer (what I would do differently): I would have painted a wide river and a high wall to keep them away, and then gathered the villagers to stand together with me, so that the Zamindar would see that the whole village was against his greed.

The celebration shows that Gopi has kept her promise: once she is safe, she again paints for the village folk — a feast, a bright courtyard and a band. It marks the victory of good over greed, since the Zamindar has fled. It also shows that the victory is shared: Gopi paints nothing grand for herself but celebrates with the people she helped. The poem, which began with “No beans, no rice, no mangoes!”, ends in plenty and joy.

Gopi uses the brush for others — to meet real needs, such as a muffler, a plough, a shawl, a fan and a feast for the village. For herself she paints only a road and a horse, to escape. The Zamindar would have used it for himself — to paint a fortress, gold and jewels, “Enough to rule this land”. Gopi’s use spreads happiness; his would have spread greed and power over the poor.

Gopi’s refusal shows that she is honest and true to her word — she keeps her promise to paint only for the poor. She is brave, because she says no to a powerful Zamindar knowing he can punish her. She is polite yet firm: “Gopi bows and shakes her head. / ‘My lord, I can’t comply.’” She is also selfless, placing the needs of others above her own freedom and comfort.

The title ‘The Magic Brush of Dreams’ is apt. The whole story turns on the brush: it is given, used, seized and used again. It is magic because whatever Gopi paints becomes real. And it is a brush of dreams because it makes the simple dreams of the poor come true — food, warm clothes, a plough, a feast — while the Zamindar’s dream of gold comes to nothing. The villagers themselves call it “The magic brush of dreams”.

If I had the magic brush, I would follow Gopi’s rule and paint only for people in need. First I would paint clean water — filters in polluted rivers and trees along their banks. Next I would paint small clinics with medicines in villages far from hospitals, and books, bags and bicycles for children who cannot afford them. In floods or droughts I would paint shelters, boats and food. I would never paint money, weapons or palaces for the rich, because that would only increase greed and power, like the Zamindar’s fortress.

1 – (iii), 2 – (iv), 3 – (vi), 4 – (v), 5 – (i), 6 – (ii)

Across: 2 GALLOP, 4 SWIFT, 7 WHISPERS, 10 PLUCK, 11 WEALTHY, 12 SEIZE
Down: 1 FLEES, 3 MIGHTY, 5 BELLOW, 6 COMPLY, 8 STREAMED, 9 VICTORY

1 – (v), 2 – (vii), 3 – (ii), 4 – (vi), 5 – (i), 6 – (iii), 7 – (iv)

1 – (iv), 3 – (v), 4 – (i), 6 – (ii), 7 – (iii). The two statements not needed are 2 and 5.

In a falling tone the voice starts high on the stressed word and drops away to a low note at the end. It signals that the speaker has finished and expects no argument — which is why commands, instructions and warnings all take it.

Sample answer — model requests:

Read ‘My Life as EcoFlash’ as a writer, not as a reader — that is, notice how it is built, because you are about to build one yourself.

The sample essay ‘My Life as EcoFlash’ meets every item on the checklist; only item 6 is partly met, as it has vivid sights but few similes or metaphors.

Sample answer (Topic 1)

The Journey of a Blue Scarf

One windy morning in March, Amma pegged me on the clothesline, and a sudden gust tore me free. Up I flew!

I hung on a gulmohar tree for two days until a kite pulled me loose and I dropped into a vegetable cart. By evening I lay on green chillies in a busy market. A porter tied me round his head, then left me on a railway platform.

That night a woman wrapped me round her shivering little son, and I kept him warm for nine days. When she found work in our colony, she hung me out to dry — on our own terrace! Amma smiled, “So you came back.”

My most valuable experience was keeping that child warm. Folded in a cupboard I was safe but useless; out in the world I was truly useful.

Protul Chandra Sorcar (P. C. Sorcar Sr.) was India’s best-known stage magician, and the book gives you the two facts to remember: he performed live and on television across the world, and he was awarded the Padma Shri on 26 January 1964 for his contribution to magic.

1. Sound   2. Footsteps   3. A map   4. A candle

Sample answer — The Mender’s Needle

Drawing: a long steel needle with a wooden handle wound in green thread, and a coil of thread that never ends (label each part).

Special quality: whatever it sews back together stays whole for ever — a torn school bag, a broken sandal, a leaking roof.

Its rule: it mends only old, worn things, and only for people who cannot afford new ones.

Natural: 1, 3, 7 and 8.   Man-made: 2, 4, 5 and 6.

More words, sorted into branches:

The phrase home to (from “India is home to…”) replaces the birthplace of.

It suggests that these are events in which nature behaves in ways that break the rules we expect of it — they are entirely natural, yet they look impossible.

They are natural, yet so strange — vehicles seem to roll uphill, the sea disappears, water glows at night — that they seem impossible, and they fill us with wonder.

A. inspiration; creativity

The relationship in spark : imagination is a small starting cause and the large thing it sets going. A spark does not resemble imagination and does not follow it — it ignites it.

True.

The extract says it in its own words: India is home to natural phenomena “that surprise and spark our imagination”. The word some in the statement also matches the extract’s some of the most mystifying — the claim is limited, not sweeping.

A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Both are stated in the text, and the sea retreating 2–5 km during ebb tide is exactly why it seems to disappear.

B. one of its kind

‘Unique’ means that there is nothing else like it — the beach is known for its “unique feature of playing hide-and-seek with its visitors”.

The phrase presents the sea as if it were a playful child (personification). Like a player in hide-and-seek, the sea ‘hides’ by retreating 2–5 km during ebb tide and ‘comes back’ at high tide, every day. The writer conveys that the disappearance is regular, harmless and fun to watch, and that visitors are part of the game.

The living root bridges are a boon for the people of Meghalaya because:

• they let people cross the many waterways, which was difficult during the monsoons;
• unlike bamboo or wooden bridges, which “proved futile”, they survive heavy rains and strong waters;
• they can last for hundreds of years and need no cement, stones or concrete;
• they are a living part of the local ecosystem;
• they reflect the people’s knowledge and culture, and bring recognition as UNESCO world heritage sites.

The Lonar Crater Lake is remarkable and rare because it was formed thousands of years ago when a colossal meteorite crashed into the Earth at a very high speed. It is the only crater in India formed in basaltic rock by a meteorite impact, and it ranks among the largest such craters in the world. Its perfectly circular hollow holds a unique saline lake, which stands out against the rugged land around it — a rare blend of “celestial impact and terrestrial beauty”.

The writer’s purpose is to make readers aware and proud of the amazing natural wonders found across India, from Ladakh to Kerala. By describing them vividly and explaining the science behind them, the writer shows that nature can still fill us with wonder, reminds us of “the extraordinary forces that shape our environment”, and encourages curiosity, respect and care for these places — and perhaps a wish to visit them.

The introductory questions — “Imagine building a bridge without the use of cement… Is it possible?”, “Can a forest exist in a coastal zone?”, “Have you seen things disappearing in front of your eyes?” — arouse the reader’s curiosity and make them think before the answer is given. The descriptive language — “a colossal meteorite, blazing at an extremely high speed”, “a botanical wonderland”, “playing hide-and-seek with its visitors” — creates vivid pictures in the mind. Together they make the information interesting, memorable and exciting to read.

1. to name a few   2. came into existence   3. to no end   4. age-old problem   5. in disbelief   6. in full glory

1. enigmatic   2. colossal   3. spectacular   4. serene   5. exotic

1 – (vii), 2 – (v), 3 – (i), 4 – (viii), 5 – (ii), 6 – (iii), 7 – (iv), 8 – (vi)

1. glowing   2. amazing   3. carved   4. Standing   5. scattered

G: 1 Dancing (example), 2 Travelling, 4 cooking, 5 Reading  ·  P: 3 falling, 6 shimmering, 7 Forgetting

The four true statements are 2, 4, 5 and 6.

Sample answer — slide plan for the Adalaj Stepwell, Gujarat

• Slides 1–2: Adalaj Stepwell — a five-storey stepwell with richly carved pillars and walls.
• Slides 3–4: In Adalaj village near Gandhinagar, about 18 km from Ahmedabad; reach it by road from Ahmedabad, the nearest railway station and airport.
• Slides 5–6: Built in 1499 to store water; famous for its cool air, fine stone carving and blend of Hindu and Islamic styles.
• Slides 7–8: Hot summers, mild winters; local food such as dhokla and thepla; Navratri and Uttarayan; Gujarati is spoken.
• Slides 9–10: Best time: October to March, when the weather is pleasant. We recommend it as a wonder of water-saving engineering.

The Night the Backwaters Glowed

Every summer we visit my grandmother’s village on the Kerala backwaters. Evenings there are quiet and dark, but one April night my cousin woke me and whispered, “Come and see.”

The canal behind the house was glowing. Wherever the water was disturbed, a cold blue-green light spread out in rings. A fish darted below, leaving a bright streak behind it. When my cousin dipped his hand in, the light dripped from his fingers like tiny stars, yet it gave no heat at all.

We sat on the steps for nearly an hour, tossing pebbles and watching the circles of light widen and fade. Later my teacher told me it was bioluminescence, caused by millions of micro-planktons.

Knowing the science did not make the night less magical. That glowing water is still the most beautiful thing nature has ever shown me.

This section gives information to read and remember; the key facts are:

The insect is a firefly (also called a lightning bug). In Hindi it is called जुगनू (jugnū). Other living things that give out light are glow-worms, some mushrooms (fungi) and many deep-sea creatures such as jellyfish and anglerfish.