Expert Detectives Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings Class 7

Expert Detectives Honeycomb book English Class 7 Explanation

 

CBSE Class 7 English Chapter 6 Expert Detectives Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Honeycomb Book

Expert Detectives – NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb book Lesson 6 -Detailed explanation of the lesson along with the meanings of difficult words. Also, the explanation is followed by a Summary of the lesson.  Take Free Online MCQs Test for Class 7 Click Here

 

Class 7 English (Honeycomb book) Chapter 6 Expert Detectives

 

Expert Detectives Introduction

This story is about two children – Maya, who is a ten-year-old girl and Nishad, a boy of seven, whose nickname is also Seven because his name has been derived from the seventh note of the musical scale. They know a man whose name is Mr. Nath, who is a secretive person. Maya thinks that he is a crook and is willing to do anything to get the truth. One day, the children’s marble rolls into Mr. Nath’s room and Nishad gets a chance to see him and get all his questions answered.

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Expert Detectives Class 7 Video Explanation Part 1

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Expert Detectives Summary

The story starts from the point when siblings Maya and Nishad return to the clinic. Before that, Nishad had met Mr. Nath to get his marble back. Nishad told Maya that Mr. Nath didn’t look like a crook. He also added that he looked thin and wondered if he didn’t have money to buy food. Maya rejected this possibility because she thought that Mr. Nath stashed a lot of money in his room. Nishad was still doubtful because he felt like Mr. Nath didn’t look like a crook. Maya was certain that Mr. Nath was a criminal and told Nishad that he was not starving because he had Ramesh to bring the food to him from the restaurant. But then Nishad said that Mr. Mehta had told them before that Mr. Nath didn’t work anywhere so it was impossible for him to arrange food for himself. Maya exclaimed that that was the exact point she was trying to prove. She said that the reason why Mr. Nath was able to buy food was because he had hidden lots of money either in his room or in a trunk. However, Nishad found this theory rubbish. But Maya stayed adamant. She then asked Nishad if he had seen the scars on Mr. Nath’s face. It was too dark for her to see them. She added that Mr. Nath must have got the scars during a shootout with the police. Nishad retorted that their mother had clearly told them that those scars were burn marks. Maya suggested that the police might have put Mr.Nath’s house on fire to force him into surrendering. Nishad however still looked unconvinced. The next Monday, Seven went to the clinic with his mother while Maya was spending time with her schoolmate. When they returned back home, Nishad told his sister that he had met Mr. Nath again and his sister felt mad for not being there with him. Seven had knocked at his door and had given Mr. Nath a chocolate bar. Apparently, he had felt bad for Mr. Nath’s thin and weak appearance and was sure that he was suffering from starvation. When he told his sister this, she asked if he had a chance to peek at the trunk in his room. Nishad was disappointed. He told his sister that he hadn’t even got invited inside his room so unfortunately, he couldn’t get a chance to peek at the trunk. But then Seven smiled and told his sister that he got a chance to talk to Ramesh by going down into the restaurant where he worked. His sister patted and praised him for his detective skills. She then hoped that Nishad had questioned Ramesh properly. Seven, looking pleased told Maya everything he had learned. Ramesh told him that he took two meals for Mr. Nath every morning and evening, and two cups of tea, one in the morning and the other one in the afternoon. Mr. Nath, according to Ramesh, was not picky. He would have two chapattis, some dal and a vegetable and it was the same everyday. Mr. Nath also paid cash and tipped generously. Seven then added that Ramesh had told him something very strange. Almost every Sunday, Ramesh took two lunches to Mr. Nath’s room, one for Mr. Nath himself and for the visitor, who was tall, fair, stout and spectacled in appearance. Ramesh also said that the visitor was very talkative unlike Mr. Nath who was mostly silent. Maya congratulated Nishad and said that they would have to sort out all the facts like expert detectives in order to capture the crook. Nishad sighed and said that he couldn’t believe that his sister was calling such an ordinary-looking person a crook. Maya called him a smarty, saying that crooks could look quite ordinary as well. However, Nishad was still doubtful. Next day, even though it was supposed to be a school day, the rainy weather, thunder and flooded streets made it an unexpected holiday. Maya had decided to make that day useful by collecting all the facts and writing them on a piece of paper. After she was finished she asked Nishad to listen to what she had written. Nishad agreed and she began with the first fact which was that their suspect’s alias was Mr. Nath and they needed to find his real name. Seven felt like Mr. Nath was the suspect’s real name but Maya explained that most crooks have a fake name and so did their suspect. The second fact was that the tenants at the Shankar House said that their suspect was mad, strange and unfriendly. The third one was that he didn’t talk to anyone and was mannerless. Seven didn’t agree with this one, because he did talk to Seven and their mother said that he was quite polite. However, Maya told him that he talked to us only because he had to and also that, since he was under their mother’s treatment, he had to be polite. The fourth fact was that he didn’t receive any letters. The fifth one was that he had been living  in Room 10 of Shankar House for more than a year. The sixth one was that he didn’t work and sat in his room all day. Fact number seven was that the kids and the grown-ups living in the Shankar House were afraid of him. The eighth one was that he had no visitors except the tall, fair, stout, spectacled man who used to visit him almost every Sunday. Number nine was that, he didn’t go down to the restaurant to eat the food, and also he didn’t care about what he ate, paid the bill immediately and tipped well. Her list had ended, but then she saw that her brother wasn’t paying attention to her at all and kept on calling Mr. Nath a poor and lonely man. Maya got angry and almost shouted at him. She asked how a crook could possibly have friends and not be lonely. Nishad again paid no attention to her and said that it was fortunate that at least there was that tall, fair, stout, spectacled man who was his visitor. After listening to this, a brilliant thought occurred in Maya’s mind. She thought that the visitor was an accomplice of their suspect for sure. She thought that maybe the accomplice kept all the loot and gave it to Mr. Nath when he would visit him. Nishad grew angry and told Maya that if she would keep on insisting that Mr. Nath was a criminal, then he would never discuss anything with her. He added that he couldn’t be such a bad man if he gave Ramesh such generous tips. Maya then got another brilliant idea. She told Nishad that it must be because Ramesh knew something about Mr. Nath, which could reveal his truth and so, he was bribing him. Nishad glared at his sister with his arms tightly crossed across his chest. Maya was beginning to get fed up with him. She asked how they could keep up with their investigations if he continued with such an attitude. He answered that he would cooperate only if she would give up the idea of Mr. Nath being a crook. He added that she made him really mad. His sister retorted, saying that it was him who made her mad. She asked him what the point of doing of all the inquiries was when he never felt that he was an escaped crook. Her brother answered that he wanted to know why he was thin and lonely.

Maya tried to make him understand by telling him that if he had live at the Shankar House for a year and hadn’t made a single friend, something was obviously wrong. Maybe he was afraid that someone would recognise him and give him to the cops. Nishad added the possibility that maybe no one tried to be friends with him. Maya asked why anyone would bother. Mr. Nath was a nasty bear, even Nishad had seen that. However, he was stubborn. He said that he didn’t care and would like to be his friend as he liked him. Maya laughed at this idea. She said that he would be put in jail with Mr. Nath when he would get caught by the cops. She then asked if he would like that. Nishad paid no heed to her. Clearly, Maya’s theories had made no impression on her brother.

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Expert Detectives Summary in Hindi

कहानी तब से शुरू होती है जब माया और निषाद नामक भाई-बहन क्लिनिक लौटते हैं। इससे पहले निषाद अपना मार्बल वापस लेने के लिए श्री नाथ से मिला था । निषाद ने माया से कहा कि मिस्टर नाथ बदमाश नहीं लगते। उसने यह भी कहा कि वह पतले दिखते थे और सोचता है कि क्या उनके पास खाना खरीदने के लिए पैसे नहीं हैं। माया ने इस संभावना को खारिज कर दिया क्योंकि उसने सोचा था कि श्री नाथ ने अपने कमरे में बहुत सारे पैसे रखे हैं। निषाद अभी भी संदिग्ध थे क्योंकि उसे लगा कि मिस्टर नाथ बदमाश जैसे नहीं दिखते ।
माया को यकीन था कि मिस्टर नाथ एक अपराधी है और उसने निषाद से कहा कि वह भूखा नहीं है क्योंकि उसके पास रेस्तरां से खाना लाने के लिए रमेश था। लेकिन तब निषाद ने कहा कि मिस्टर मेहता ने उन्हें पहले ही बता दिया था कि मिस्टर नाथ कहीं काम नहीं करते हैं इसलिए उनके लिए अपने लिए भोजन की व्यवस्था करना असंभव था।
माया ने कहा कि वह ठीक यही बात साबित करने की कोशिश कर रही थी। उसने कहा कि श्री नाथ का भोजन खरीदने में सक्षम होने का कारण यह था कि उन्होंने अपने कमरे में या ट्रंक में बहुत सारे पैसे छुपाए थे। हालांकि, निषाद ने इस सिद्धांत को बकवास पाया। लेकिन माया अड़ी रही। फिर उसने निषाद से पूछा कि क्या उसने श्री नाथ के चेहरे पर निशान देखे हैं।
उनके लिए उन्हें देखना असंभव था क्यूंकि वहाँ बहुत अंधेरा था। उसने कहा कि श्री नाथ को पुलिस के साथ गोलीबारी के दौरान ये निशान मिले होंगे। निषाद ने पलटकर कहा कि उनकी मां ने उन्हें साफ-साफ बता दिया था कि वे निशान जले के निशान हैं। माया ने सुझाव दिया कि पुलिस ने श्री नाथ के घर में आग लगा दी होगी ताकि उन्हें आत्मसमर्पण करने के लिए मजबूर किया जा सके।
निषाद हालांकि अभी भी असंबद्ध था । अगले सोमवार, सेवन अपनी माँ के साथ क्लिनिक गया, जबकि माया अपने सहपाठी के साथ समय बिता रही थी। जब वे वापस घर लौटे, तो निषाद ने अपनी बहन से कहा कि वह श्री नाथ से फिर से मिला और यह सुनकर उसकी बहन को पागलपन महसूस हुआ क्यूंकि वह उसके साथ नहीं थी ।
सात ने उनके दरवाजे पर दस्तक दी थी और श्री नाथ को एक चॉकलेट बार दिया था। जाहिर है, उसे श्री नाथ की पतली और कमजोर उपस्थिति के लिए बुरा लगा था और उसे यकीन था कि वे भुखमरी से पीड़ित हैं। जब उसने अपनी बहन को यह बताया, तो उसने पूछा कि क्या उसे नाथ के कमरे में ट्रंक में झांकने का मौका मिला है। निषाद निराश था ।
उसने अपनी बहन से कहा कि नाथ ने अपने कमरे के अंदर आमंत्रित भी नहीं किया, दुर्भाग्य से, उसे ट्रंक में झांकने का मौका नहीं मिला। लेकिन फिर सेवन ने मुस्कुराते हुए अपनी बहन से कहा कि उसे रमेश से बात करने का मौका मिला वह उस रेस्तरां में गया था जहाँ वह काम करता है। उसकी बहन ने उसके जासूसी कौशल के लिए उसकी पीठ थपथपाई और उसकी प्रशंसा की। तब उसे उम्मीद थी कि निषाद ने रमेश से ठीक से पूछताछ की होगी। सात ने प्रसन्न होकर माया को वह सब कुछ बता दिया जो उसने जाना था।
रमेश ने उसे बताया कि वह श्री नाथ के लिए हर सुबह और शाम को दो बार भोजन ले जाता था, और दो कप चाय, एक सुबह और दूसरा दोपहर में। रमेश के अनुसार श्री नाथ नखरीले नहीं थे । वे हररोज़ एक सा भोजन खाते – दो रोटी थोड़ी दाल और सब्ज़ी। श्री नाथ नकद भुगतान करते और उदारता से उसे भी पैसे देते । सात ने फिर कहा कि रमेश ने उसे एक अजीब बात बताई ।
लगभग हर रविवार, रमेश दो लंच श्री नाथ के कमरे में ले जाता था, एक श्री नाथ के लिए और दूसरा आगंतुक के लिए, जो लंबा, गोरा, मोटा और दिखने में चश्मदीद था। रमेश ने यह भी कहा कि आगंतुक श्री नाथ के विपरीत बहुत बातूनी था , जो ज्यादातर चुप रहते थे। माया ने निषाद को बधाई दी और कहा कि उन्हें बदमाश को पकड़ने के लिए विशेषज्ञ जासूसों जैसे सभी तथ्यों को सुलझाना होगा। निषाद ने आह भरी और कहा कि उन्हें विश्वास नहीं हो रहा है कि उसकी बहन ऐसे साधारण दिखने वाले व्यक्ति को बदमाश कह रही है। माया ने उसे चालाक कहा और कहा कि बदमाश काफी साधारण भी लग सकते हैं। हालांकि, निषाद अभी भी संदिग्ध था । अगले दिन, भले ही यह एक स्कूल का दिन था, बारिश के मौसम, गरज और बाढ़ वाली सड़कों ने इसे एक अप्रत्याशित छुट्टी बना दिया। माया ने सभी तथ्यों को एकत्रित कर एक कागज के टुकड़े पर लिखकर उस दिन को उपयोगी बनाने का निश्चय किया था।
कार्य पूरा करने के बाद उसने निषाद से जो कुछ लिखा था उसे सुनने के लिए कहा। निषाद सहमत हो गया और उन्होंने पहले तथ्य के साथ शुरुआत की, जो यह था कि उनके संदिग्ध का उपनाम श्री नाथ था और उन्हें उसका असली नाम खोजने की जरूरत थी। सात ने महसूस किया कि श्री नाथ संदिग्ध का असली नाम था, लेकिन माया ने समझाया कि अधिकांश बदमाशों का नकली नाम होता है और ऐसा ही उनके संदिग्ध ने किया था ।
दूसरा तथ्य यह था कि शंकर हाउस के किरायेदारों ने कहा कि उनका संदिग्ध पागल, अजीब और अमित्र था। तीसरा यह था कि वह किसी से बात नहीं करता था और व्यवहारहीन था। सात इससे सहमत नहीं थे, क्योंकि उन्होंने सेवन से बात की थी और उनकी मां ने कहा था कि वह काफी विनम्र थे। हालाँकि, माया ने उससे कहा कि उसने हमसे केवल इसलिए बात की क्योंकि उसे करनी थी और यह भी कि, चूंकि वह उनकी माँ के इलाज में था, इसलिए उसे विनम्र होना पड़ा । चौथा तथ्य यह था कि उन्हें कोई पात्र नहीं आता था । पांचवां यह था कि वह एक साल से अधिक समय से शंकर हाउस के कक्ष 10 में रह रहा था। छठा यह था कि वह काम नहीं करता था और पूरे दिन अपने कमरे में बैठा रहता था। फैक्ट नंबर सात था कि शंकर हाउस में रहने वाले बच्चे और बड़े उससे डरते थे।
आठवीं बात यह थी कि उसके पास लंबा, गोरा, मोटा, चश्मदीद आदमी जो लगभग हर रविवार को उससे मिलने आता था, के अलावा कोई आगंतुक नहीं आता था । नंबर नौ यह था कि, वह खाना खाने के लिए रेस्तरां में नहीं जाता था, और यह भी परवाह नहीं करता था कि उसने क्या खाया, तुरंत बिल का भुगतान करता था और अच्छी टिप भी देता था । उसकी सूची समाप्त हो गई थी, लेकिन फिर उसने देखा कि उसका भाई उसकी ओर बिल्कुल ध्यान नहीं दे रहा है और श्री नाथ को एक गरीब और अकेला आदमी कह रहा है । माया क्रोधित हो गई और उस पर लगभग चिल्ला उठी। उसने पूछा कि कैसे एक बदमाश के दोस्त हो सकते हैं और वह अकेला नहीं हो सकता।
निषाद ने फिर से उसकी ओर ध्यान नहीं दिया और कहा कि यह सौभाग्य की बात है कि कम से कम वह लंबा, गोरा, मोटा, चश्मा वाला आदमी था जो उसका आगंतुक था। यह सुनकर माया के मन में एक अद्भुत विचार आया। उसने सोचा कि आगंतुक निश्चित रूप से उनके संदिग्ध का साथी था। उसने सोचा कि शायद साथी ने सारी लूट अपने पास रख ली थी और जब वह नाथ से लिमने जाता तब उसे लूट दे देता । निषाद क्रोधित हो गया और माया से कहा कि अगर वह इस बात पर जोर देती रही कि मिस्टर नाथ एक अपराधी है, तो वह उसके साथ कभी भी कुछ भी चर्चा नहीं करेगा।
उसने कहा कि अगर वह रमेश को इस तरह के उदारता सहित पैसे देते थे तो वह इतने बुरे आदमी नहीं हो सकते। माया को फिर एक और शानदार विचार आया। उसने निषाद से कहा कि ऐसा हो सकता है कि रमेश श्री नाथ के बारे में कुछ जानता था, जो उसकी सच्चाई को उजागर कर सकता था और इसलिए, वह उसे रिश्वत दे रहा था। निषाद ने अपनी बाहों को अपनी छाती पे कसकर अपनी बहन को देखा । माया उससे तंग आने लगी थी। उसने पूछा कि अगर वह इस तरह का रवैया जारी रखता है तो वे अपनी जांच कैसे जारी रख सकते हैं। उसने उत्तर दिया कि वह तभी सहयोग करेगा जब वह श्री नाथ के बदमाश होने का विचार छोड़ देगी।
उसने कहा कि बहन न उसे वास्तव में पागल बना दिया था । उसकी बहन ने यह कहते हुए पलटवार किया कि उसने ही उसे पागल बनाया था। उसने उससे पूछा कि सभी पूछताछ करने का क्या मतलब था जब उसने कभी महसूस नहीं किया कि वह एक बच निकला बदमाश था। उसके भाई ने उत्तर दिया कि वह जानना चाहता है कि वह पतला और अकेला क्यों था।
माया ने उसे यह कहकर समझाने की कोशिश की कि अगर वह एक साल के लिए शंकर हाउस में रहता और एक भी दोस्त नहीं बनाया होता, तो जाहिर तौर पर कुछ गलत था। शायद उसे डर था कि कोई उसे पहचान कर पुलिस को दे देगा। निषाद ने संभावना जताई कि शायद किसी ने उससे दोस्ती करने की कोशिश नहीं की।
माया ने पूछा कि कोई परेशानी क्यों लेगा । श्री नाथ एक घटिया भालू थे, यह निषाद ने भी देखा था। हालाँकि, वे जिद्दी थे । उसने कहा कि उसे परवाह नहीं है और वह उनका दोस्त बनना चाहेगा क्यूंकि वह उन्हें पसंद करता है। माया इस विचार पर हंस पड़ी। उसने कहा कि जब वह पुलिस द्वारा पकड़ा जाएगा तो उसे श्री नाथ के साथ जेल में डाल दिया जाएगा। फिर उसने पूछा कि क्या वह ऐसा चाहेगा । निषाद ने उसकी बात पर ध्यान नहीं दिया। स्पष्ट है कि माया के सिद्धांतों का उसके भाई पर कोई प्रभाव नहीं पड़ा था।

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Expert Detectives Class 7 Video Explanation Part 2

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Expert Detectives Explanation

Passage – As we walked back towards the clinic Seven said, “He doesn’t look anything like a monster, Maya. But did you see how thin he is? Maybe he’s very poor and can’t afford to eat.”

Word Meaning:
afford: have enough money to do something
Seven: nickname for Nishad because Nishad is the seventh note on the musical scale)

Explanation of the Above Passage – As Maya and Nishad walked back towards the clinic, Seven (nickname of Nishad) said that Mr. Nath didn’t look like a monster like Maya had said. He also asked his sister if she had seen how thin he was. He added that maybe he was very poor and didn’t have enough money to buy sufficient food to eat.

 

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Passage – “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 a criminal, Maya? He doesn’t look like one,” Nishad looked doubtful.

Word Meaning:
crook: criminal (informal)
stashed away: hidden away
doubtful: suspicious, disbelieving

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya said that Mr. Nath couldn’t be poor if he was a crook on the run because he would have money with him. Then, she added that maybe he had a million rupees hidden away somewhere in the room. However, Nishad was doubtful and asked if she really thought that Mr. Nath, who looked too normal to be a crook, was a criminal.

Passage – “Of course he’s one, Seven,” I said, “and he certainly isn’t starving. Mr Mehta told us that Ramesh brings his meals up from the restaurant downstairs.”
“But Maya, Mr Mehta told us he doesn’t work anywhere, so how can he possibly have money to pay for food?” Nishad said.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya answered that he was a crook and he wasn’t starving because he had Ramesh to bring food to him from the restaurant downstairs.
Nishad then said that it was impossible for Mr. Nath to have money because Mr. Mehta had told them that Mr. Nath didn’t work anywhere.

Passage – “Exactly!” I exclaimed. “He must have lots of money hidden somewhere, maybe in that trunk in his room. It’s probably full of silver and gold and jewels and…”
“What rubbish,” Nishad interrupted
“I know I’m right, stupid,” I told him. “By the way, Seven, did you see his scars? I couldn’t, it was too dark, but I bet he got them during a shootout with the police or something.”

Word Meaning:
rubbish: nonsense
shootout: a fight in which guns are used to take down the enemy

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya exclaimed that that was the point which proved that her theory was correct. She said that he, Mr. Nath must have lots of money hidden somewhere and it was most probably in the trunk placed in his room. She added that it was probably full of fancy things like silver, gold and jewels.
Nishad interrupted and said that her theory was rubbish.
Maya called him stupid and retorted that she knew that she was right. Then, she asked him if he had seen his scars. She told him that she couldn’t see them as it was too dark. She added confidently that he had got the scars during a shootout with the police.

Passage – “Mummy told us quite clearly they were burn scars,” Nishad said firmly.
“Perhaps the police had to set his house on fire to force him out,” I suggested. Seven looked unsure.

Word Meaning:
firmly: strictly, confidently
unsure: doubtful

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad told Maya firmly that their mother told them quite clearly that they were burned scars.

Maya said that perhaps the police had to set Mr. Nath’s house on fire to force him out and that was how he got the scars. However, Seven looked unsure.

Passage – On the Monday following Mamma’s birthday, Seven went alone with her to the clinic at Girgaum as I was spending the evening with a school friend. When they returned, Nishad told me he’d been to see Mr Nath and I felt most annoyed that I hadn’t been there.

Word Meaning:
following: coming after

Explanation of the Above Passage – Next Monday was their mother’s birthday. She had to work at the clinic and so Nishad went with her to Girgaum where the clinic was located. Maya, on the other hand, was spending the evening with a friend from school. When they both returned home, Nishad told Maya that he had also gone to see Mr. Nath and Maya, upon hearing that, felt most annoyed that she hadn’t been there with him.

Passage – Seven had been quite upset about Mr Nath’s gaunt appearance and was sure that he was starving. He told me that he had knocked loudly on Mr Nath’s door that evening and said, “Open the door quickly, Mr Nath.”

Word Meaning:
gaunt: sickly

Explanation of the Above Passage – Seven had been thinking about Mr. Nath’s sickly appearance. His appearance was very upsetting for Nishad. Seven wanted to do something for him. He told Maya that he had knocked at his door that evening and told Mr. Nath to open the door quickly.

Passage – The man had opened it and asked him, “Lost another marble?”
He had obviously recognized my brother.
“No,” said Nishad. He had taken the man’s hand in his own, and thrust a bar of chocolate into it.
“Did you get a chance to peek into the trunk, Seven?” I asked.

Word Meaning:
thrust: shoved, pushed violently and in a specific direction
peek: look quickly and secretively

Explanation of the Above Passage – Mr. Nath opened the door and asked Nishad if he had lost another marble.
Because of Mr. Nath’s response, Maya got to know that Mr. Nath had recognized her brother, Nishad.
Nishad answered in negative and without any further ado, he took the man’s hand into his own and shoved a chocolate bar into it.
Maya asked him if he had a chance to peek into the trunk.

Passage – Nishad looked disappointed. “He didn’t even ask me in,” he said. Then he smiled. “But I did find out something, Maya. I went down to the restaurant where Ramesh works and talked to him.”
“Good for you, Mr Detective,” I said, patting him on the back, “I hope you questioned him properly.”

Word Meaning:
patting: touching quickly and gently

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad was disappointed that she was interested only in finding out whether he was a crook or not. He felt like he should have been appreciated for his kind deed. Also, he felt like what he had done, had not grabbed his sister’s attention. Moreover, he knew that the fact that Mr. Nath hadn’t invited him inside his room would have made his sister annoyed. But then he smiled because he was about to tell her something which would have made her proud of him. He told her that he had found out something for her. He had gone down to the restaurant where Ramesh worked and had talked to him.
Maya was certainly proud of him. She praised and patted him on the back. She even called him ‘Mr. Detective’. Then she said that she hoped that he had questioned Ramesh properly.”

Passage – Seven looked pleased. “Ramesh told me that he takes two meals for Mr Nath every morning and evening, and two cups of tea, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Ramesh says he’s not very particular about what he eats, it’s always the same food — two chapattis, some dal and a vegetable. Mr Nath pays cash and tips well.

Word Meaning:
pleased: delighted
particular: specific, picky
tips well: gives a generous tip (money in thanks for services)

Explanation of the Above Passage – Seven was pleased that his hard work made his sister proud. Then, he began telling her everything he had learnt from Ramesh. He said that Ramesh had told him that he took two meals for Mr. Nath every morning and evening, and two cups of tea, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Ramesh told him that Mr. Nath wasn’t picky about what he ate. It was always the same food – two chapattis, some dal and a vegetable. He also told them that Mr. Nath paid cash and tipped well.

Passage – “Ramesh told me something very strange, Maya,” Seven added. “Almost every Sunday, he carries two lunches to Mr Nath’s room and the same man is with him each time. He’s tall, fair, stout and wears spectacles. Ramesh says his visitor talks a lot, unlike Mr Nath who hardly speaks.”

Word Meaning:
stout: fat, plumpy, chubby

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad added more information. He said that Ramesh had told him something very strange. Almost every Sunday, he carried two lunches to Mr. Nath’s room. One is for Mr. Nath himself and the other one for the visitor. The visitor was tall, fair, stout and wore spectacles. Ramesh told him that the visitor was very talkative which was completely opposite to Mr. Nath’s behaviour, who hardly ever spoke.

Passage – “Well done, Nishad,” I told him. “Now that we’ve made some progress with our inquiries, we’ll have to sort out all the facts like expert detectives so that we can trap the crook.”
“How you do go on, Maya,” Seven sighed. “How can you possibly imagine he’s a crook? He looks so ordinary!”

Word Meaning:
sort out: arrange systematically
ordinary: normal

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya praised her brother for his hard work. Then she told him that now they had made some progress with their inquiries, they would have to arrange all the facts systematically like experts so that they could catch the crook in a trap.
Seven sighed and asked wonderingly how she could possibly go on and still imagine that he was a crook. He added that Mr. Nath looked too normal to be a crook.

Passage – “Criminals can look quite ordinary, smarty,” I retorted. “Did you see the picture of the Hyderabadi housebreaker in the papers yesterday? He looked like any man on the street.” Nishad looked doubtful.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya retorted that criminals could look quite ordinary. Then, she took the example of the picture of the Hyderabadi housebreaker which was in the papers the previous day. She told him that even though that man was ordinary-looking, he was a crook. However, Nishad was still doubtful.

Passage – The monsoons broke the next day. Dark clouds accompanied by blinding flashes of lightning and roaring rolls of thunder burst with all their fury, flooding the streets with a heavy downpour. School was to have reopened after the summer holidays, but no traffic could move through the flooded roads and there was an unexpected holiday.

Word Meaning:
accompanied: came together
blinding: so bright that it was blocking the vision
fury: rage

Explanation of the Above Passage – Next day, there was a heavy downpour. Dark clouds came together with the blinding flashes of lightning and roaring rolls of thunder which were bursting with all their fury. The streets were getting flooded. It was supposed to be a school day. However, no traffic could move through the flooded roads, which resulted in an unexpected holiday.

 

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Passage – I thought I’d spend the time usefully. I sat at my desk in our bedroom with a sheet of paper before me.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Since it was a holiday, she had decided to spend the day doing detective work. She sat at the desk in their bedroom. A sheet of paper was in front of her, on the table.

II

I wrote in large block letters:

CATCHING A CROOK
Expert Detectives: Nishad and Maya Pandit
By Appointment to the Whole World

Word Meaning:
by appointment to: officially chosen (by someone important)

Explanation of the Above Passage – On the sheet of paper, she wrote ‘Catching a crook’ in large block letters. Then, she mentioned her and her brother’s name as Expert Detectives and wrote that they were chosen by the whole world.

Passage – Then I began writing. About half an hour later, I turned towards Seven who was lying on his tummy, chin cupped in his palms, reading comics. “Want to hear what I’ve written?” I asked.
He looked up questioningly. “I’ve listed all the facts we know about Mr Nath which might help us to trap him,” I said. “Want to hear?”

Explanation of the Above Passage – After writing the heading and the sub-headings, she began writing the main content. It took her half an hour to complete her work.When she was done, she turned towards Seven who had been lying on his tummy, chin cupped in his palms, reading comics. She asked him if he wanted to hear what she had written.
He looked up at her and the facial expression he had made it clear that he didn’t understand what she was talking about and that he wanted her to repeat her question. She told him that she had listed all the facts they knew about Mr. Nath which might help them to trap Mr. Nath. Then she asked if he wanted to hear them.

Passage – Seven nodded.
“Fact Number1,” I read, “his name is Mr Nath. We must discover his first name.”
“Do you think that’s his real name, Maya?” Nishad asked.

Word Meaning:
discover: find

Explanation of the Above Passage – Seven nodded, meaning that he did want to hear the facts. She read the first fact from her page. She read that their suspect’s name was Mr. Nath. Then, she said that they must find his real name.
Nishad asked if in her opinion, that was his real name.

Passage – “Probably not,” I said. “Most crooks have an alias.” I added a big question mark after Nath.
“Fact Number 2,” I read on, “the tenants at Shankar House say he’s mad, strange and unfriendly.
“Number 3, he doesn’t talk to anyone and is mannerless.”

Word Meaning:
alias: an alternate name
tenant: a person who occupies land or property rented from a landlord.

Explanation of the Above Passage – She answered that Mr. Nath was most likely not his real name. Then she added that most crooks have an alternate name. She put a big question mark after the alias on the paper.
She read on. The second fact was that the tenants at Shankar House said that Mr. Nath was mad, strange and unfriendly. Nishad didn’t comment.
The third fact was that he didn’t talk to anyone and was mannerless.

Passage – “But he did talk to us, Maya, and Mamma says he’s very polite,” Nishad interrupted.
“He only talked to us because he had to,” I said, “and since he was under Mamma’s medical treatment, he had to be polite.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad commented on the third fact. He said that he did talk to people and the proof is that he had talked to them. He also said that he was very polite to them.
Maya explained that Mr. Nath talked to them only because he had to. Moreover, he was under their mother’s medical treatment and so, he had to be polite to them.

Passage – “Fact number 4, he doesn’t receive any letters.”
Seven nodded.
“Number 5, he’s been living in Room 10 of Shankar House for more than a year,” I continued.

Explanation of the Above Passage – The fourth fact was that Mr. Nath didn’t receive any letters.
Seven nodded as he had nothing to complain.
Maya continued and told him that the fifth fact was that Mr. Nath had been living in Room 10 of the Shankar House for more than a year.

Passage – “Number 6, he doesn’t work and sits in his room all day.
“Number 7, the kids in Shankar House and even some of the grown-ups are scared of him. “Number 8, he has no visitors except for a spectacled, fair, fat man who visits him on Sundays for lunch.
“Number 9, food and tea are taken to his room by Ramesh from the restaurant downstairs. He doesn’t care what he eats, pays his bill immediately and tips well. That ends my list. Have I forgotten anything, Seven?”

Explanation of the Above Passage – The sixth fact was that Mr. Nath didn’t work and sat in his room all day.
The seventh fact was that the kids in the Shankar House and even some of the grown-ups were scared of him.
The eighth fact was that Mr. Nath had no visitors except for the tall, fair, stout and spectacled man who visited every Sunday for lunch.
Number nine was the last fact she had written. It stated that food and tea were taken to his room by Ramesh from the restaurant downstairs. Mr. Nath didn’t care what he ate, paid his bill immediately and tipped well. Then she told her brother that her list had ended. She asked him if she had forgotten anything.

Passage – Nishad had obviously not been paying too much attention to my list of facts. All he could say was, “Poor man, Maya, he must be so lonely if he doesn’t have any friends.”
“How can a crook have friends, idiot?” I almost shouted.
“At least he has one friend, the one who meets him on Sundays,” said Nishad.

Explanation of the Above Passage – When she asked Nishad her question, she saw that he was not paying too much attention to her list of facts. She felt that his response was quite obvious. Nishad could say only one thing – that Mr. Nath must be lonely if he didn’t have any friends.
Maya grew so angry that she almost shouted at him. She demanded how a crook could have friends. She even called him an idiot. She was irritated because her brother was not at all getting the point of her investigations.
Nishad then said that it was fortunate that at least Mr. Nath had one friend and that was the person who visited him on Sundays.

Passage – A brilliant thought occurred to me just then. “That man must be Mr Nath’s accomplice in crime,” I said. “Maybe he keeps all the loot and he comes now and then to give part of it to his partner, Mr Nath, for expenses. That’s it! I’m sure I’m right.”

Word Meaning:
accomplice: a helper in crime
loot: stolen money
expenses: the cost incurred in or required for something.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya got a brilliant thought after listening to her brother. She told him that that visitor must have been Mr. Nath’s partner in crime. She said that maybe he, the visitor, kept all the stolen money and when he visited Mr.Nath, he would give a part of it to him for expenses. She exclaimed that she was surely right.

Passage – “If you insist on calling him a criminal, I don’t think I want to discuss anything with you, Maya,” said Nishad angrily. “He can’t be such a bad man if he gives Ramesh such generous tips.”

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad told her angrily that if she kept on calling Mr. Nath a criminal, he would not want to discuss anything with her, meaning that he would never talk to her ever again. He also said that the fact that Mr. Nath tipped Ramesh well meant that he wasn’t a bad man.

Passage – “Ramesh probably knows something about his past, so Mr Nath must be bribing him to keep quiet,” I said.
Nishad glared at me with his arms tightly crossed across his chest. I was beginning to get fed up with him.

Word Meaning:
bribing: giving someone money in exchange of the person doing a favour

Explanation of the Above Passage – When Nishad threatened her, she said that the reason why Mr. Nath tipped Ramesh well could be because Ramesh knew something about him which could reveal his truth and so, he was bribing Ramesh so that he could keep quiet and not tell the truth to anyone.
Nishad was extremely angry at the accusation and glared at Maya with his arms tightly crossed across his chest. As a result of this gesture, Maya began getting fed up.

Passage – “How can we make any progress with our investigations if you take that attitude, Seven?” I asked.
“I’ll cooperate only if you give up this idea about him being an escaped crook,” said Seven. “You really make me angry.”

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya asked Nishad how they could make any progress with their investigations if he would have that attitude.
Nishad answered that he would cooperate only if she would up the idea about Mr. Nath being an escaped crook. He added that she really made him angry by calling Mr. Nath a crook.

Passage – I almost hit him. “I make you angry, you stupid oaf,” I shouted. “You make me mad! What is the point of all these enquiries if he’s not a crook? If you think he’s a nobody, what’s the idea of bothering about him, please tell me?”

Word Meaning:
oaf: someone who is clumsy or unintelligent, fool

Explanation of the Above Passage – Maya almost hit him after she heard his last comment. She shouted at him, saying that he made her angry. She even called him a stupid oaf. She asked him the point of all those enquiries he had done if he thought he was not a crook. She asked him why he was bothering about him by questioning Ramesh and meeting Mr. Nath if he thought that he was a nobody.

Passage – Nishad looked thoughtful. “I’d like to find out why he’s so thin and why he’s so lonely. I want to know why he doesn’t have any friends and lives alone.”
“Try to understand, Seven,” I told him, “if he’s lived in Shankar House for a year and hasn’t made a single friend, there’s something wrong. He’s obviously scared that someone will recognise him and give him up to the cops.”

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad looked thoughtful as he was thinking about the answer to his sister’s question. He told her that he wanted to know why he was so thin and why he was so lonely. He also wanted to know why he didn’t have any friends and lived all alone.
Maya tried her best to make him understand. She told him that if he had been living in the Shankar House for a year and hadn’t made any friends, there was something fishy about him. She said that he was obviously scared of making any friends because if someone would recognise him, he would be given up to the cops.

Passage – “Maybe no one’s tried to make friends with him,” Nishad protested.
“Why should anyone bother? You’ve seen what a nasty bear he is,” I said.
“I don’t care,” said Nishad stubbornly, “I like him and I’m going to try and be his friend.”

Word Meaning:
protested: retorted
nasty: harsh, unfriendly

Explanation of the Above Passage – Nishad retorted that maybe the reason why Mr. Nath had no friends was because no one had ever tried to be his friend.
Maya asked him why anyone would even bother being friends with him. Then, she added that Mr. Nath was a nasty bear and Nishad himself had seen so.
However, Nishad was stubborn and said that he didn’t care if he actually was as bad as Maya said. He liked him regardless of all the things Maya said about him and he added that he was going to try and be Mr. Nath’s friend.

Passage – “Friends with a crook! Ha! You’re crazy, Seven,”I said. “The cops will take you to jail with him. Do you want that to happen, you idiot?”
Nishad merely glared at me and quietly walked out of the room. My theories seemed to have made no impression on him at all.

Word Meaning:
merely: just, only
impression: impact

Explanation of the Above Passage – She laughed at Seven’s wish to be friends with Mr. Nath who was a crook. She told him that he was crazy. She also told him that if the cops would get to know that he was friends with a crook, they would take him to jail with him. Then, she asked him if he wanted to go to jail. Due to anger and frustration about not being able to make Nishad understand, she called him an idiot as well.
Nishad merely glared at her. He didn’t give a reply, and probably because he wanted to remain firm on his word and not listen to his sister, he quietly walked out of the room. According to Maya, her theories had zero impact on him.

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